Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Washington teacher Renae Skar named finalist for prestigious PAEMST award

Posted on by
Reply

Elementary school teacher Renae Skar of Washington state has been named a state finalist for a prestigious 2024 PAEMST award. Photo Credit: The Reflector

It is always my pleasure to recognize outstanding teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the profession. Today I shine a spotlight on Renae Scar, an elementary teacher from Washington. She has been named a state finalist for a prestigious 2024 PAEMST (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching).

The PAEMST honors the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, inventors, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a visit to the White House and a $10,000 cash prize.

Renae Skar teaches fourth grade at Hockinson Heights Elementary School (HHES) in Hockinson, She has taught there for seven years. In a career that spans a total of 19 years, she has taught every grade level from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Renae is a huge proponent of project-based learning. In fact, she says all of her science units begin with a real-world problem or project. “My students love anything hands-on, but if I had to choose one concept that has a lasting and meaningful impact on students, it’s our salmon unit,” Renae declares. “Students love learning about and raising salmon. We learn about salmon throughout the year, which culminates in releasing the salmon we raise into their natural habitat,” she continues. “Having such a meaningful, real-world experience is memorable and demonstrates how actions can make a difference,” she concludes.

Every teacher can support students in science learning, Renae says. “Look for science in the everyday world,” she advises. “Science is all around us and does not require a laboratory or a doctorate to become accessible,” she believes. “Ask children why they think something is the way it is, then listen and explore their ideas. Science is all about curiosity, which all students have an innate sense of already,” she declares.

Renae Skar: A true Chalkboard Champion.

Teacher Juanita Harris supports frontline educational workers

Posted on by

Arkansas kindergarten teacher Juanita Harris supports frontline educational workers through her Teachers Support Teachers program. Photo Credit: Juanita Harris

We know that educators dedicate themselves to taking good care of their students. But there are cases when these teachers dedicate themselves to taking care of their fellow educators, too. One of these is Juanita Harris, a kindergarten teacher from Texarkana. In addition to her work in the classroom, Juanita is founder and CEO of Teachers Support Teachers, an organization whose mission is to provide care and support to fellow educators.

Teachers Support Teachers provides much-needed self-care for frontline educational workers, a group which includes teachers, paraprofessionals, school librarians, cafeteria workers—anyone who spends at least 85% of the instructional day working directly with and for students. The self-care comes in the form of massages, pedicures, funds for supplies, celebratory cookouts, group therapy sessions, and more. “Our mission is to encourage the hearts that shape the minds,” declares Juanita.

This effort is especially important now, asserts Juanita. She notes that educators struggled greatly through the Covid-19 years, but even though those years are behind us, teachers continue to struggle. Many teachers are feeling under-appreciated, under-valued, and under-paid. All over the country, large numbers of them are choosing to leave the profession. “I don’t believe we have a teacher shortage problem,” she says. “We have a teacher retention problem.” She founded Teachers Support Teachers to help address the emotional and professional needs of teachers so that they will stay in the profession.

Through her efforts, Juanita not only provides self-care for educators, but she also supports small businesses in her area. For example, at a recent teacher appreciation event, she partnered with a local teacher supply store, neighborhood restaurants, the community bank, and even a local balloon store.

In the five years since Juanita has founded the organization, the effort has spread to other states, and she is actively working to create a more widespread movement. To learn more, to find out how to become a partner with the organization, or to make a contribution, simply click on this link: Teachers Support Teachers.

Kiana Foster-Mauro named 2024 Connecticut State Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Elementary school teacher Kiana Foster-Mauro has been named the 2024 Connecticut State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Connecticut Education Association

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an outstanding educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. Today, I share the story of Kiana Foster-Mauro, an elementary school teacher who has been named the 2024 Connecticut State Teacher of the Year.

Kiana teaches fourth grade at Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School in New London, Connecticut. She has taught there for the past three years. Kiana is passionate about working with her young students. “Every day as a teacher should be a step outside your comfort zone,” asserts Kiana. “I love that every day is a new adventure. I don’t go to work expecting the same thing as the previous day,” she continues. “I love connecting with new students each year and being part of their lives,” she concludes.

Kiana has been a member of the National Association for Multicultural Education since 2018 and was recently accepted to present on facilitating critical conversations around current events, identity, human rights and mental health. In addition, she has been a presenter at conferences at both the national and local levels. She also works as a dance teacher at The Dance Extension, and as a company advisor to the Community Dance Ensemble. 

Kiana earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education with minors in History and Human Rights in 2020, and she earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2021, both from the University of Connecticut. While there, she served on the Executive Board of Leadership in Diversity, a student-led organization advocating diversity in education. She also completed a graduate internship with a nonprofit where she developed a human rights curriculum for grades K-4.

To read more about Kiana, click on this link to an article about her published by the Connecticut Education Association.

Elem teacher De’Shawn Washington named 2024 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Elementary school teacher De’Shawn Washington of Lexington, Massachusetts, has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. He is the first African American man to be so honored. Photo credit: Massachusetts Teachers Association

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an outstanding educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is De’Shawn Washington, an elementary school teacher from Massachusetts. He has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator is the first African American man to be honored with Massachusetts’ top educator honor. “It starts with having the Black students in the classroom seeing their future selves as an older person, as a teacher, in a classroom,” De’Shawn asserts.

De’Shawn teaches a fourth grade inclusion classroom at Maria Hastings Elementary School in Lexington. His career as an educator spans eight years, four of them at Hastings Elementary. “It’s all about the passion, right?” declares De’Shawn. “Teaching is a calling. I’m very fortunate to be in education and be in this work today,” he concludes.

In addition to his work with his young students, De’Shawn is a member of his district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Community Input Team; the Elementary Schedule Review Committee; and the Student Success Team. He is also a member of the School Site Council. Prior to his work in Lexington, he taught in Boston Public Schools.

As if all that were not enough, De’Shawn organizes workshops at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, to help pre-service teachers pass the Massachusetts Tests for Education Licensure. He has presented and published about culturally responsive instruction. He also volunteers as a Big Brother.

He received Lexington Public Schools’ Core Values Award in April 2021 for building and sustaining a sense of community in his classroom.

De’Shawn earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance in 2013. He earned his Master’s degree in Elementary Education in 2018 and a second Master’s degree in Special Education in 2022, all from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Currently, he is working on his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.

 

Texas teacher Lalla M. Odom was one of the original founders of DKG

Posted on by

Texas teacher Lalla M. Odom was one of the original founders of the professional organization known as the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society (DKG). Photo credit: DKG

Many talented classroom teachers are also devoted to assisting their colleagues in their efforts to become better educators. One of these was Lalla M. Odom, an elementary school  teacher from Texas. She worked to provide professional training and support to fellow women teachers through the organization Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG).

Lalla was born on April 8, 1874, the second oldest in a family of seven children. She was raised in Fayette County, Texas. As a child, Lalla was intelligent and ambitious. After her high school graduation, she attended first Waco Female College and then Baylor University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree when she was only 17 years old. Not content to end her studies there, Lalla enrolled in the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. After she earned her diploma there, she accepted a position as a music and math teacher at Willie Halsell College in Vineta, Oklahoma. There she met and married Edgar Odom. The couple returned to Texas, where they settled in Austin in 1917.

In Austin, Lalla accepted a position at Metz Elementary School, where it was apparently unknown that she was married. At the end of the school year the School Board threatened to lay her off because of her marital status, but her cause was championed by an open-minded superintendent. After a few weeks, the Board reversed its decision. Lalla became the first married woman to earn a permanent contract in Austin.

When school officials decided to establish the first junior high school in their district, Allen Junior High, Lalla was selected to head the Math Department there. To hone her professional skills, she went back to college, earning both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree at the University of Texas. She took additional graduate courses in education, government, and English.

In 1929, Lalla was one of 12 educators who founded the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society (DKG). Because of a long-standing custom in those days,  women were prohibited from meeting together professionally. Nevertheless, the founders believed there was a pressing need for an organization in which women educators could assist each other in their efforts to become better teachers. The 12 co-founders extended membership in their newly-formed organization to rural and urban teachers; preschool, elementary, high school, college, and university teachers; librarians; and school administrators. DKG members still work together today to improve professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to fund scholarships to those who need support to improve their professional skills.

In addition to her work in the classroom and with DKG, Lalla was actively  involved in city, state, and national political affairs. She also was active in professional organizations such as the Classroom Teachers Association, the Texas State Teachers Association, and the National Education Association.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on April 14, 1964. She was interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.

To learn more about the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, click on this link: DKG.