Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Wisconsin’s Mandy Wright served in her state’s Assembly

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Wisconsin elementary teacher Mandy Wright was also elected to her state’s Assembly.(Photo credit: Ballotpedia)

Many excellent educators also make successful politicians. One of these is Mandy Wright, an elementary school teacher from Wausau, Wisconsin, who has also served in her state’s Assembly.

Mandy was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, on June 7, 1977. As a youngster, she attended Riverview Elementary School, and then Wausau East High School, where she earned varsity letters as a cross-country ski captain, the goalie and captain of the girls’ soccer team, and the football kicker.

After her high school graduation, Mandy studied English and Norwegian at St. Olaf College,  a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. She earned her Master’s degree from Viterbo University, a private liberal arts college in La Crosse, Wisconsin. During these years, she also did volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and as an after-school coordinator at Jefferson Elementary, where she organized many community programs and events.

After college, Mandy taught sixth grade as an English/ELL teacher at Wausau West. She taught there for four years. She has also taught sixth grade and coached soccer at Horace Mann Middle School.

In November, 2012, Mandy was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly on the Democratic ticket. She defeated Republican Pat Snyder, a radio show host with a huge following. While in office, she represented the 85th District, serving on the Committees for Education, Agriculture, Consumer Protection, and Small Business Development.

Once she left office, Mandy returned to the field of education, accepting a position at Marathon Venture Academy, a public charter school. She also participates in many community service organizations. She is a member of the League of Conservation Voters; the Farmer’s Union; the Wausau Nordic Ski Club; the Friends of Rib Mountain; the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce; Sierra Club; YMCA; and Stoney Acres Community Farm. Also, she is a Safe Schools Ambassador Family Leader.

To learn more about this educator and politician, see the information on this link by Ballotpedia.

 

Thomas Knab inducted into 2020 National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Congratulations go to Thomas Knab, an elementary school art techer who has been inducted into the 2020 National Teachers Hall of Fame. (Photo credit: NTHF)

I always enjoy sharing stories about talented classroom teachers who have been recognized for their outstanding work int the classroom. One of these is Thomas Knab, an elementary school art teacher who has just been inducted into the 2020 National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF).

Thomas teaches at Dodge Elementary School, part of the Williamsville Central School District in East Amherst, New York. His career as an educator has spanned 31 years. As a young man, Thomas planned to become a graphic designer, but through coaching volleyball and teaching Sunday school, he became interested in a career as a teacher.

Thomas works to encourage the creativity and spirit of his elementary students through the arts. “I try to make it very diverse in the type of things we do in the art room so the students hopefully can discover something they’re successful at,” Thomas confesses. To this end, he created an art gallery inside the school to display the students’ art pieces. “I hope that [students] can see themselves, even in a small way as an artist,” Thomas says. “Whether it’s as a career, or even as a hobby, how it can add to your life.”

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Thomas has spent decades as the Williamsville South boys volleyball coach. He has also served as a leader and advocate for the importance of art education in regional and national organizations. He’s currently the president of the National Art Education Association.

Thom’s inducttion into the NTHF is not the only recognition the superlative teacher has earned. In 2019, he earned the Lowell Milken Center Fellowship Award, an honor given to educators who have distinguished themselves in teaching respect and understanding through project-based learning. In 2018, he garnered the Eastern Region Elementary Art Education Award from the National Education Association. The same year, he was honored as the National Art Educator of the Year award from the National Art Educators Association.

El Paso’s Zelene Blancas, internet sensation, succumbs to Covid-19

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Sadly, Zelene Blancas, a first grade teacher from El Paso, Texas, who became an internet sensation for her video of students showing kindness to one another, has succumbed to Covid-19.

Perhaps you remember Zelene Blancas, the teacher from El Paso, Texas, whose video of students giving each other hugs, fist bumps, and high fives became an internet sensation in 2018. Sadly, this beloved teacher succumbed to Covid-19 on December 28, 2020. She was 35 years old.

Zelene taught first grade dual language at Dr. Sue A. Shoot Elementary in the Socorro Independent School District. She’d taught at the school for four years. One day, the educator made a video of her students showing kindness towards each other. Since its original posting, the  video has garnered over 22 million views. The Chalkboard Champion explained that she encouraged her students to show kindness toward each other because wanted her students to feel like they “have a safe place to come back to and learn in a safe environment.”

By all accounts, she will be sorely missed. “She always made an effort to share kindness, whether it was with a message or a note or just reaching out to her colleagues,” remembered Principal Cristina Sanchez-Chavira. “Just a very, very loving person.” Friend and colleague Nick Adkins agreed. “The ripple effect of love and kindness that she put out into the universe through teaching her kids through the years is immeasurable,” he recalled. “Ms. Blancas and the entire staff and students at Shook are what we should all strive for each and every day, each and every now. She lives on in the love that she taught and spread. I am grateful for her. We all are,” Adkins continued.

To learn more about Zelene blancas, see this article published online by KTSM.com.

Amanda Harris named South Dakota’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to Amanda Harris, a fourth grade teacher at Endeavor Elementary in the Harrisburg School District in South Dakota. She has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: South Dakota State University

Congratulations to Amanda Harris, a fourth grade teacher at Endeavor Elementary in the Harrisburg School District in South Dakota. She has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2007 from South Dakota State University, Amanda accepted a position as a third grade teacher with Sioux Falls Catholic Schools. She taught there for two years. She has taught in the Harrisburg School District since 2013.

The honored educator enjoys her work with fourth graders. “Their autonomy draws me in. I love their independence, but they still need that scaffolding on the side,” Amanda says. “I love being able to set them up for success and give them the tools they need and watch them go,” she continued.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Amanda has established several after school clubs at her school, including a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) club and stop-motion movie-making club. She also helped inaugurate a theater company on her campus.

In addition, Amanda has served on curriculum committees in her district, and regularly presents at educator conferences. Harris is a previous recipient of a South Dakota Education Association/National Education Association Educational Innovation Grant.

“The South Dakota Teacher of the Year program is all about celebrating the vital work of educators and their impact on the lives of students,” expressed Ben Jones, South Dakota Secretary of Education.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2007 from South Dakota State University, Amanda accepted a position as a third grade teacher with Sioux Falls Catholic Schools. She taught there for two years. She has taught in the Harrisburg School District since 2013.

To read more about Amanda, see this story about her published on the website of South Dakota State University.

Chalkboard Champion and pioneer Carrie McLain of Alaska

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Chalkboard Champion Carrie McLain of Nome, Alaska, published a slender volume of her memories in Pioneer Teacher: Turn of the Century Classroom in Remote Northwestern Alaska. Photo credit: Public domain

Throughout American history, there are many Chalkboard Champions who were essential in the settling our country’s wilderness territories. One of these was Carrie McLain, a pioneer teacher in the wilderness territory of Nome, Alaska.

Carrie was born on January 26, 1895, in Astoria, Long Island, New York. When she was just a child of ten, her father moved Carrie and her four siblings to the fledgling village of Nome on the ice-crusted coast of northwestern Alaska. There she grew to adulthood and became a neophyte teacher at a pioneer school on the Seward Penninsula. During those years, she also married and reared a family of one son and three daughters.

Carrie tells the fascinating story of her provincial life in Alaska in Pioneer Teacher: Turn of the Century Classroom in Remote Northwestern Alaska. Anyone interested in learning more about her rugged existence on the frigid Alaskan frontier would be interested in reading the slender volume  (it’s only 70 pages, including photographs). The book, published in 1970, can be found on amazon at this link: Pioneer Teacher. She also wrote Gold Rush Nome, which is only 46 pages in length, published in 1969, can also be found on amazon. This book offers a first-hand account of the Alaskan Gold Rush and how it influenced the growth and character of Nome. In addition to Carrie’s text, the volume contains 23 pages of black and white photographs.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on May 30, 1973, at Palmer Pioneers Home, and was buried in Nome. The of Nome dedicated a community museum in her honor.  The Carrie McLain Museum highlights the history of Nome and Western Alaska. Many of the institution’s more than 15,000 artifacts are relates to gold-rush days, including racks of mining equipment, historical documents, and photo albums.