Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Kristi Borge: Montana’s 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Kristi Borge, a teacher in a rural one-room schoolhouse in Polaris, Montana, has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Kristi Borge

I always enjoy sharing stories about teachers who have been honored for their excellence in the classroom. One of these is Krista Borge, a K-8 teacher from Polaris, Montana, whose classroom is in a rural one-room schoolhouse. She has been named the 2021 Montana State Teacher of the Year.

Over the course of her career, Kristi has taught students from kindergarten through eighth grade in every content area. In her school, Kristi is the only full-time staff member. She teaches several grade levels at once, including students who are siblings.

In her schoolhouse, Kristi wears many hats. She is the administrator, librarian, and the school lawn care and snow removal technician. In addition, she helps co-ordinate extracurricular activities such as the rural school science fair, the basketball league, and the track meet. “You have to be really self-sufficient when you run a one-room school,” Kristi observes.

Kristi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in K-12 Reading from Montana State University, Bozeman. Later she earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the same university.

Kristi inaugurated her degree as a middle school Social Studies and Language Arts teacher at Monforton School in Four Corners. After four years there, Kristi and  her husband, Erik, returned to the small town of her roots.

In addition to teaching, Kristi enjoys traveling. She even volunteers to escort students for the program People to People Student Ambassadors, which gives her opportunities to tour Europe and Australia with high school students. She has traveled to Cambodia as a volunteer English teacher, and she has worked as a science camp instructor at the Montana Learning Center during her summers.

In her classroom, Krista is passionate about exploring and employing best practices and careful curriculum planning to meet the needs of her diverse learners. But these are not the only priorities of the honored teacher. “My number one goal is to build positive relationships with the students first,” she declares. “Then, once you have mutual respect and understanding, then you can make a lot of progress in academics.”

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see the article published about her at the website for Montana State University.

Teacher and former First Lady of New Jersey Mary Jo Codey

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Elementary school teacher and indefatigable women’s health activist Mary Jo Codey is the former First Lady of New Jersey.  Photo credit: Public Domain.

Many times gifted and active educators find themselves immersed in the world of politics. This is certainly the case with Mary Jo Codey, an elementary schoolteacher who once served as the First Lady of New Jersey. Mary Jo served her state during the administration of her husband, Governor Richard Codey, a Democrat who was in office from 2004 to 2006. Governor Codey took office upon the resignation of former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey.

Mary Jo was born on August 14, 1955, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and was raised in West Orange. After her high school graduation, she enrolled in Caldwell College, where she earned first her Bachelor’s degree and then her Master’s degree in Elementary Education. She has also earned certification as a Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant (LDTC) from Seton Hall University.

Once her husband took office, Mary Jo taught part time. Simultaneously she served as the ambassador for the Governor’s Book Club, which encouraged reading and literacy skills among elementary school children. This position gave her an opportunity to visit schools all over the state and read aloud to children. She also worked tirelessly to promote awareness for women’s mental health issues, particularly postpartum depression and breast cancer.

After her husband left office, Mary Jo accepted a teaching position at a private elementary school in West Orange, New Jersey.

Throughout her career, Mary Jo has contributed to a wide variety of causes. When her sons were young, she was active in Cub Scouts as a den mother and in her children’s school parent teacher associations. She is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of Essex County, which honored her for her mental health advocacy efforts in 1995. Mary Jo also served as the first facilitator for a postpartum depression support group that was established at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in 1994 and continues to operate today. Currently, she is an active member of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this biography of her at the official website for the state of New Jersey.

Nicole Butler-Hooton: Oregon’s 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school teacher Nicole Butler-Hooton from Bethel, Oregon, has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: The Oregonian.

I truly enjoy sharing stories about educators who have earned accolades for their exemplary work in the classroom. One of these is Nicole Butler-Hooton, an elementary school teacher from Bethel, Oregon, who has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.

Nicole is a member of the Siletz and Apache Native American tribes. She was raised in a small coastal town in her home state. Upon graduation from high school, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a minor in Ethnic Studies from the University of Oregon. While there, she was awarded the Sapsik’ʷałá grant, designed to assist Native American students to achieve their goal of earning a Master’s Degree in Education.

Once she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree, Nicole accepted a position as a second grade teacher at Irving Elementary in Bethel. Her career there has spanned 14 years. Nicole has a reputation for creating a vibrant, inclusive, and culturally-responsive teaching style. Nicole has an almost instinctive appreciation of diversity and inclusion in the classroom. “I think in order to teach a child, you have to know the child, and I think that that comes with being consistent and loving and kind,” asserts Nicole. “I think understanding that each child has a unique circumstance, remembering that all students deserve respect and attention is key, and it’s up to us teachers to go the extra mile to be able to give that,” she continues.

For her work in the classroom, Nicole has been selected Oregon’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. She is the first Native American to be so honored. She has also been named a Eugene/Springfield representative for the Oregon Indian Educator Association. She mentors and coaches student teachers and colleagues.

To read more about this remarkable educator, see her story published by The Oregonian.

Teacher Lucy Tootell served in Rhode Island House of Reps

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Elementary and junior high school teacher Lucy Tootell served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. Photo credit: Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

There are many fine classroom educators who have also served their communities in a variety of capacities. Some have even gone on to make excellent politicians. One of these is Lucy Tootell, an elementary and junior high school teacher who also served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

Lucy was born November 27, 1911, in Jacksonville, Illinois. Her mother was a former dramatics arts director at Rhode Island State College, now known as the University of Rhode Island. Her father was Roy Willard Rawlings, the last Republican Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. She was two years old when her family moved to the state of Rhode Island. When she became a teenager, Lucy attended South Kingstown High School for three years, but she graduated with honors from Westerly High School in 1929.

After her high school graduation, Lucy earned her Bachelor’s degree, with honors, from Rhode Island College of Education in 1933. She inaugurated her career as an educator at Roger Williams Junior High School, and later taught at the Richmond Elementary School. Later Lucy attended law school at Boston University. She also attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City during the summer of 1934, and Northwestern University, where she was offered the directorship of their renowned children’s theater.

The indefatigable educator served her community in many capacities. She served as the curator and archivist of the Kingston Little Rest Museum. She was instrumental in establishing and organizing the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, the Richmond Historical Society, and the  the Charlestown Historical Society. In addition, she was a lecturer and an author of many local history publications, books, and slide shows. Lucy also served as Council Commissioner of the Rhode Island Girl Scout Organization. In 1970, she was elected to the Richmond School Committee and, in 1972, was elected on the Republican ticket to the Rhode Island House of Representatives from Chariho District #52, where she served from 1973 until 1977.

For her tireless work on behalf of Rhode Island, Lucy was named “Woman of the Year” by the Chariho Business and Professional Women’s Club in 1974.She also garnered the “John Nicholas Brown Award,” from The League of RI Historical Societies in 1982.
In 1997, in recognition of her distinguished achievements in the field of and preservation of history, Lucy earned an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Rhode Island. In 2013, she was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 5, 2010. To read more about Lucy Tootell, see this post on the website for the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

Maine’s Cynthia Soule named her state’s Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school teacher Cynthia Soule has been named Maine’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: University of Southern Maine.

I always enjoy sharing stories about educators who have earned recognition for their exceptional work in the classroom. One of these is Cynthia Soule, an elementary school teacher from Maine. She has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.

Cynthia teaches fourth grade at the Gerald E. Talbot Community School in Portland, Maine. In a career that has spanned 21 years, this Chalkboard Champion has worked with many of her community’s most diverse students. She has a reputation for fostering a dynamic learning environment, employing real-world projects that require observation, questioning, and collaborative thinking. She empowers her students to see themselves as meaningful contributors to their community. In her curriculum, she also emphasizes an appreciation for the natural world.

To enrich student learning, Cynthia has established partnerships with community organizations such as Bangor Savings Bank, Side X Side, Maine Audubon, and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. She is also a 2020 Funds for Teachers Fellow, and she is a recipient of Portland Education Foundation, TD Bank and DonorsChoose grants.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Cynthia serves as a representative on the Portland Schools Literacy Committee, the Talbot Leadership Team, the Building Steering Committee, the Response to Intervention Team, and the Science Team.

Cynthia’s recognition as Maine’s 2021 Teacher of the Year, is impressive. She has also been named the 2020 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year, and she has been nominated as a candidate for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Cynthia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Maine at Orono. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Southern Maine.

To read more about Cynthia, see this profile of her published by CCSSO Teacher of the Year.