Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Former elem teacher Mary C. Willis rose to rank of Brigadier General in US Army

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Former elementary school teacher Mary C. Willis joined the US Army and, in a career that spanned 30 years, rose through the ranks to Brigadier General. Photo Credit: Public Domain

It is not unusual for a fine educator to excel in fields outside of the classroom. One who did was Mary C. Willis, an elementary school teacher who became Brigadier General in the United States Army.

Mary was born on Jan. 31, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland. Following her graduation from Wicomico High School in Salisbury, Maryland, she enrolled at St. Mary’s Seminary College, where she studied for two years, graduating in 1959. Next Mary attended Salisbury State Teachers’ College, now known as Salisbury University, where she earned her degree in 1962. Later she earned a Master’s degree from Shippensburg University, a public university located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Once she earned her degrees, Mary accepted a position as a second grade teacher at North Salisbury Elementary School in the Wicomico County Public School System. She worked there for one year.

In 1963, Mary entered the US Army, which inaugurated a career in the military that spanned 30 years. During her years of service, Mary served in Virginia, Korea, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, and Germany. Her final post was at the Pentagon, where she worked with White House Chief of Staff Colin Powell. Ultimately, the former teacher rose through the ranks to the position of Brigadier General.

During this career, Mary became the first female Army officer administrator at the US Military Academy at West Point. While there, she successfully integrated women cadets into the school in 1976, and also served as a vocal advocate for the integration and fair treatment of women at all ranks and levels of the US Army.

For her military service, Mary earned many accolades. She earned three Army Commendation Medals, five Meritorious Service Medals, three Overseas Service Ribbons, an Army Service Ribbon, a Far East Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.

Following her retirement in 1993, Mary worked for two years with the National Guard in Washington, DC, and then in 1995, she accepted a position at Salisbury University, where she was awarded an honorary PH.D. Today, at age 82, Mary is still going strong.

 

Alaska teacher Jason Daniels garners prestigious PAEMST

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Elementary school teacher Jason Daniels of Soldotna, Alaska, garnered a 2020 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Photo Credit: Jason Daniels

It is always exciting when a member of the professional community earns recognition for their work in the classroom. Jason Daniels, an elementary school teacher from Soldotna, Alaska, has earned such recognition. In 2020, he garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for 2020.

Jason teaches at Kalifornsky Beach Elementary School in Soldotna. In fact, he has spent his entire career of 23 years there, teaching third through sixth grades. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Jason taught remote classes for grades four through six for families in no less than three local elementary schools.

Whether teaching in person or online, Jason’s focus on his students is obvious. He uses an inquiry-based approach to learning, encouraging his students to observe phenomena in the natural world, which brings the learning to life and makes it relevant to their own lives.

The honored teacher extends his expertise beyond his elementary classroom. Since 2018, Jason has spent his summers teaching STEM to underprivileged youth at Upstream Academy. In addition, he has led professional development workshops, and a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade science teacher collaboration. Since 2014, Jason has participated in collaborations to write, review, and adopt new state science standards. In fact, in 2021, Jason co-presented the new state science standards to teachers all over Alaska, and he assisted in the review of the state pilot science assessment. Furthermore, he has been on several district curriculum committees, and currently serves on the 2021-2022 Science Curriculum Committee. And as if all this were not enough, he has been a master teacher for three pre-service teachers.

The PAEMST is not the only prestigious recognition Jason has earned. In 2012, he traveled to Wodonga, Australia, where he taught for one year as a Victorian International Teaching Fellow.

Jason earned his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a his Master’s degree in Educational Technology from the University of Alaska. He is a National Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist.

Good work, Jason!

Covid-19 claims life of beloved educator Celia Hartman

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We are sad to report that beloved elementary school teacher Celia Hartman succumbed to Covid-19 last January. Photo Credit: Telegraph Herald, Iowa

We are sad to report that the educational community has lost yet another beloved educator to Covid-19. Celia Hartman, an elementary school teacher from River Ridge, Illinois, succumbed to the disease on Jan. 3, 2022. She was just 32 years old.

Celia was born on Dec. 29, 1989, in Dubuque, Iowa, although she was raised in Elizabeth. After her graduation from River Ridge High School in 2008, Celia earned her Bachelor’s degree from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, in 2012. Later she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree from American College of Education.

Celia was hired in 2013 to teach second grade at River Ridge Elementary School in Hanover, Illinois. In 2021, she switched to teaching preschool. Throughout her years as an educator, Celia had a reputation for being passionate about her career, and she harbored a genuine love for every one of her students.

Celia’s concern for her students went beyond the classroom. In 2018, she worked with colleagues Tammy Smith and Jen Laity to apply for a grant to help her young charges. The $500 grant, awarded to educators in the first ten yers of their career who want to pursue a service project, was part of the IEA’s Schools and Community Outreach by Educators program. The service project Celia chose to support is Cats Care, a program which helps support the personal needs of students, including providing personal hygiene items, clothing, shoes, and eyeglasses. Celia and her colleagues helped establish Cats Care along within the River Ridge Education Association.

Celia will certainly be missed by her students and by her colleagues.

 

Covid-19 claims life of Texas teacher and new mom Alexandra Chandler

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We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of Texas elementary school teacher and new mom Alexandra Chandler. Photo credit: Heritage Funeral Home

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Alexandra Chandler, a fifth grade teacher from Fort Hood, Texas, succumbed to the disease on Feb. 13, 2022. She was just 27 years old, and she was a new mom.

Alexandra taught fifth grade reading and writing at Montague Village Elementary School in the Killeen Independent School District in Fort Hood, Texas. Even though she was vaccinated, she hesitated to return to work after Winter Break, because she was just days from delivering, and Covid-19 cases were surging. Despite her reservations, Alexandra went back to the classroom.

At the time of her passing, the elementary school teacher had just given birth to her first child, a son she and her husband named Beau, born Jan. 9, 2022. While at the hospital, both Alexandra and her newborn were diagnosed with Covid-19, but the pair were discharged and sent home. Five days later, both were readmitted to the hospital for difficulties breathing. Alexandra’s health declined, and she was placed on a ventilator. She passed away a few days later.

Alexandra was born on Sept. 20, 1994, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Her family moved to Belton, Texas, when she was 11 years old. Following her high school graduation from Belton High School in 2013, the fallen educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Texas A&M Central Texas, summa cum laude, in 2017. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of North Texas in 2021.

“As a little girl, Alex always wanted to be a teacher,” remembered Jenny Clay, Alexandra’s mother. “It wasn’t so much that she chose teaching as teaching chose her.”

 

Minnesota educator Brigid Sandager earns 2021 Outstanding Teacher Award

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Fifth grade teacher Brigid Sandager of Bayport, Minnesota, earned the 2021 Outstanding Teacher Award from Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC). Photo Credit: Minnesota Department of Agriculture

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Brigid Sandager, a fifth grade teacher at Anderson Elementary School in the Stillwater Public School District located in Bayport, Minnesota. Brigid has earned the 2021 Outstanding Teacher Award from Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC). Her career there spans 15 years.

Integrating agricultural education into her instructional program strengthens classroom discussions by allowing students to examine the world around them and how choices made today affect the future, asserts Brigid. Her fifth graders explore science and agriculture through their own observations, and then they share their observations through journaling, collaboration, and technology. “We have strengthened our classroom discussions by looking at what is happening around us and how what we do now impacts our future,” the honored educator says. “I hope the use of curriculum provided by Minnesota Ag in the Classroom expands students’ farm-to-plate knowledge and hopefully encourages them to look beyond how food is grown to the many other STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) career opportunities available through agriculture,” she concludes.

Brigid earned her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science with an emphasis in Agriculture Education from the University of Minnesota in 1983. She earned a second Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, in 1988. She earned her Master’s degree in Reading Teacher Education from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, in 2014.

With her honor from MAITC, Brigid received a $500 stipend and $1,500 in expenses to attend the 2021 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, last June. The MAITC program was established 30 years ago as a partnership between public and private entities. The organization is based at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.