Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Uvalde teachers Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles slain shielding students from gunman

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Two fourth grade teachers, Irma Garcia (left) and Eva Mireles (right) were slain in their classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, as they tried to shield their young students from a gunman’s attack. Sadly, 19 of their students were also killed. Photo Credit: Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.

Once again, our nation and our professional community is mourning the loss of dedicated educators and their students as a result of a senseless act of violence. Two fourth grade teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and 19 of their young students were killed by a gunman who launched an attack at the school on Tues., May 24. The teachers, Eva Mireles and Irma Linda Garcia, were slain as they tried to shield their defenseless students from the gunman’s bullets.

Eva Mireles, age 44, was born on March 17, 1978 in Dallas, Texas. She had been teaching at the school for 17 years. Eva was trained in Special Education, and was remembered by parent Audrey Garcia (no relation to Irma Garcia) for going “above and beyond” as a teacher. She indicated that it was only within the last few years that schools in the Uvalde area began to integrate children with developmental disabilities into regular classrooms, and Eva was one of the teachers who taught them. “She was a beautiful person and dedicated teacher,” declared Garcia.

Robb Elementary parent Erica Torres agrees. She recalled the exceptional care with which Eva treated her son Stanley, who has autism, while he was her student in both the third and fourth grades. In an effort to stop him from wandering around the school, the compassionate teacher put Stanley in charge of rounding up students to get to class. “She made you feel like she was only teaching your child,” Torres remembered. “Like there’s no other students but him. She made you feel so good,” the parent remembered.

Eva’s colleague, Irma Garcia, age 48, was born on Dec. 11, 1973, in San Antonio, Texas. She had been a teacher at the school for 23 years. In 2019, this Chalkboard Champion was one of 19 San Antonio-area teachers who were named finalists for a Trinity University prize that recognizes excellence in teaching.

After the attack authorities told her family that Irma was seen by a member of law enforcement attempting to protect her students from the gunfire. “I want her to be remembered as someone who sacrificed her life and put her life on the line for her kids,” declared Irma’s nephew, John Martinez. “They weren’t just her students. Those were her kids, and she put her life on the line, she lost her life to protect them. That’s the type of person she was,” he continued.

To compound the sadness, Irma’s husband, Joe Garcia, suffered a fatal heart attack two days following his wife’s murder. “I truly believe Joe died of a broken heart, and losing the love of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear,” asserted Irma’s cousin, Debra Austin. The couple were the parents of four children.

The gunman,18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, was killed by law enforcement to bring an end to his attack.

 

RI teacher Nicolle Greene garnered PAEMST Award

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Elementary teacher Nicolle Greene of Warwick, Rhode Island, garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching in 2020.  Photo Credit: PAEMST

It is always exciting when a fellow educator earns recognition for their work from the President of the United States. Nicolle Greene, an elementary school teacher from Rhode Island, earned this recognition in 2020, when she garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching (PAEMST).

At the time of her ward, Nicolle Greene had been teaching elementary school for 25 years, all in the Warwick Public School District in Warwick, Rhode Island. For the last five years of those, she served as a Math Interventionist at Holliman Elementary School. Prior to that she taught third grade and Special Education at E.G. Robertson Elementary School.

As an educator, Nicolle has a reputation for being passionate about helping her students love mathematics and recognizing its relevance in their everyday lives. She works to ensure mathematics is presented in a context that is meaningful and engaging to her students, provides a classroom culture that promotes student engagement and discourse, and encourages mathematical thinking that meets the needs of all students which enables them to be successful learners in her classroom.

In addition to her work with students, Nicolle provides professional development for colleagues, modeling lessons within the classroom, and serving as a member of school and district leadership teams. She also has been active within her state through various initiatives with the Rhode Island Department of Education and as President-Elect for the Rhode Island Mathematics Teachers Association (RIMTA). Most recently, Nicolle collaborated with Berkeley Everett, creator of Math Flips, to facilitate a session for RIMTA’s Annual Spring Conference.

The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education and her certificate as a Mathematics Specialist, all from Rhode Island College. She also earned her Master’s degree in Reading and Literacy from Providence College.

In addition to her PAEMST honors, in 2015, Nicolle was recognized as Warwick’s District Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Nicolle!

To learn more about the Awards, click on this link to PAEMST.

Nebraska educator Esther Pilster earned many accolades

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Elementary school teacher and principal Esther Pilster of Omaha, Nebraska, earned many accolades for her work in the classroom and her community service. Photo credit: Omaha World Herald

Many fine educators earn recognition for a lifetime of work in the classroom and in the community. One of these was Ester Pilster, an elementary school teacher and philanthropist from Gage County, Nebraska.

Esther was born on Nov. 11, 1916, on a farm near Wymore, Gage County. After her high school graduation from Otoe Consolidated High School in Barneston, she attended Peru State College. Eventually she earned first her Bachelor’s degree and then her Master’s degree from the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

Once she earned her degrees, Esther inaugurated her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in Gage County. In the 1940s, she moved to Omaha to teach at Jungman, Jackson, and Belle Ryan Elementary Schools. She also taught sixth grade at West Ward elementary in Chadron. Eventually, she was appointed to the position of principal at Boyd Elementary School, a position she held for over 21 years until her retirement in 1982.

Throughout the 1940s, Esther was a featured speaker at the annual Rural Teachers Institute held in  Gage County. In the 1950s, she taught at a summer reading clinic for gifted students in Omaha. In the 1960s she was elected president of the Nebraska chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a prestigious organization that continues to provide professional support for women educators to this day. In fact, she once served as the society’s state chapter president.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Esther contributed her energy and resources to numerous community service projects. She was active in the local chapter of the Friendship Force, attending their leadership conferences as a participant and presenter. She hosted many international guests as part of the Friendship Force. In addition, she served as a Congressional Senior Intern to Washington, DC in 1984. In 2006, Esther donated over 3,731 acres of ranch land for the creation of the Mari Sandoz Heritage Center, an enterprise that focuses on teaching agricultural skills and supports an agronomy research center. She was also involved in the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Museum and the Welsh Society of Nebraska.

For her many accomplishments, Esther earned many accolades. She was named “Queen of Keystone,” an honorary title given to notable people in Keystone, Omaha, in 1979. In 1997, Omaha named a park in her honor. In 2006, the city of Omaha honored her with the key to the city in recognition for her years of dedication to the community. In 2008, she garnered an Outstanding Educator award from the Omaha World Herald.

Sadly, Esther Pilster passed away on July 20, 2014, at the age of 97.

TN teacher Raeven Brooks earns prestigious Milken Educator Award

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Second grade teacher Raven Brooks of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has earned a prestigious 2021-2022 Milken Educator Award. Photo Credit: Milken Family Foundation

I always enjoy sharing an inspirational story about a talented educator who has earned accolades for work in the classroom. Today’s story is about elementary school teacher Raeven Brooks  from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, who has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2021-2022.

Raeven teaches second grade at Black Fox Elementary school in Murfreesboro, the same school she attended when she was a child. In Raeven’s classroom, every learner is fully engaged in high-level which emphasize reasoning and problem-solving. In addition, she runs an intervention math group for students who are one or more years behind grade level. During the pandemic, Raven worked with a colleague to create a camping-themed video lesson incorporating reading and writing skills. The lesson was televised on Murfreesboro City TV for students who were engaged in remote learning.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Raeven co-leads and coordinates district-level data analysis for the school’s Response to Instruction and Intervention-Behavior (RTI2-B) team. She also helps recruit new teachers with the Job Fair team, she mentors new teachers in the school and district, and she supervises student teachers from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). For two years, she has participated in professional learning workshops through Project Inspire, a joint project of Murfreesboro City Schools and MTSU.

Raven earned a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Middle Tennessee State University in 2015. Currently she is enrolled in the university’s Administration and Supervision Graduate Program.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Elem teacher Autumn Rivera named Colorado’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year

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Elementary science teacher Autumn Rivera has been named Colorado’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: CPR News

I always enjoy spreading the good news about exceptional educators who have won accolades for their work in the profession. One of these is Autumn Rivera, an elementary school teacher who has been named Colorado’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year.

Autumn teaches sixth grade science at Glenwood Springs Middle School in Glenwood Springs. She is also an adjunct professor at Colorado Mountain College. Her career as an educator spans 17 years.

It makes sense that Autumn should win this award. Her expertise in the classroom is well-known among her colleagues. “The amount of stuff she does really well is what the really crazy part is,” asserts Joel Hathaway, Principal of Glenwood Springs Middle School. “The fact that she can, day after day, class after class, build relationships with kids, get kids excited about science, be so enthusiastic, have super effective lessons and engagement and do all the millions of things that she does for this school, this community, the district and the state is amazing,” Hathaway continues.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Autumn fulfills the role of Science Lead, and she is the track coach at her school. She serves on the Colorado Science Conference planning committee and the Colorado Science Education Network Steering Committee. She is the Region 3 Elementary Board representative for the Colorado Association of Science Teachers, and she has conducted professional development courses at the Roaring Fork EdTech Summit and the Colorado Science Conference. She also volunteers with the American Association of Chemistry Teachers.

Autumn earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and her Master’s degree in Teaching Secondary Science, both from Colorado College in Colorado Springs. She earned an additional Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

Congratulations, Autumn!