Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Maine teacher Becky Hallowell named her state’s Teacher of the Year

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Wiscasset Elementary school teacher Becky Hallowell holds her 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year award in an outdoor classroom on the shore of the Sheepscot River, which runs right in front of her school. Photo credit: The Lincoln County News

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for her work in one of our nation’s public schools. One such educator is Becky Hallowell, an elementary school teacher from Maine. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator says she always knew she would become a teacher. “I wanted to be the biggest cheerleader for kids,” she reveals. “I have always been in awe of teachers. They were the people who made me smile and love school. They saw glimmers of my strengths and they encouraged me to chase after my interests,” she concludes.

To achieve her goal of becoming a teacher, Becky earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maine at Farmington in 1994. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Maine in 2011. Her career as an educator spans 30 years.

Becky teaches fourth graders at Wiscasset Elementary School in Wiscasset, Maine. In planning her curriculum, she says she is a huge advocate of project-based outdoor learning. To support this passion, in 2021 Becky worked with fellow teacher Kaden Pendleton to create an outdoor classroom on the banks of the Sheepscot River, which runs in front of the school. She called this classroom the Outdoor Wonderful Learning Space, or OWLS for short. There her second graders cleared the area of invasive species, and then conducted activities such as measuring leaves and diagraming plants.

“I’ve done my research, and the research is telling us that when kids are outside moving around, their ability to focus—even when they go back inside—improves for at least half an hour after they’ve had that outdoor time,” Becky asserts. “It’s something they can touch, it’s where kids tell me they feel safest, and they’re more accessible to learning,” she concludes.

Well done, Becky.

To read more about Becky Hallowell, click on this link to an interview with her published by the Maine Dept. of Education.

Michele Page earns Wichita’s Distinguished Classroom Teacher award

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Elementary teacher Michele Page is one  of eight teachers who have earned a Distinguished Classroom Teacher award by the Wichita Public School District.  Photo credit: Wichita Public Schools

It is always a pleasure for me to share the story of an exceptional teacher who has earned recognition for her work with young people. Today, I share the story of Michele Page, an elementary school teacher from Wichita, Kansas. She has been named one of eight educators to receive a Distinguished Classroom Teacher award by the Wichita Public School District.

Currently Michele teaches fourth graders at Ernest O. Lawrence Elementary School, but her career as a professional educator spans 20 years. She decided to become a teacher when she was in college, she says. That’s when her mother encouraged her to volunteer in a local elementary school. Once she saw how teachers help their students grow, both personally and academically, she knew she had found her calling.

Michele strives to recognize the individual needs of each of her students, and to understand each one’s unique abilities, backgrounds, and experiences. She designs her curriculum to reflect this, she declares.

Every month, Michele leads her students in organizing a community service project. Examples are collecting blankets for the local Humane Society, another month they may make cards to send to US veterans, and another month they may create treat bags for children at the Wichita Children’s Home. “That’s how they learn they are part of a larger community,” Michele explains.

Teachers who were selected for the honor were nominated by a parent, building administrator, or colleague. Final selections were chosen by a committee comprised of principals, assistant principals, teachers, support staff, the assistant superintendents of elementary and secondary schools, and a member of United Teachers of Wichita. This year, there were more than 250 nominees.

Dr. Rachael Mahmood name 2025 Illinois State Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school teacher Dr. Rachael Mahmood has been named the 2025 Illinois State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Rachael Mahmood

Many outstanding educators are recognized for their dedication and innovation each year in state-wide Teacher of the Year programs. This year, the state of Illinois has selected Dr. Rachael Mahmood, an elementary teacher from Aurora, Illinois, to receive their state honors.

Rachael teaches fifth graders at Georgetown Elementary School in the Indian Prairie School District. In her classroom, she works diligently to nurture her students’ love for school through identity-affirming curriculum, engaging instructional strategies, and relationships that build a culture of care and inclusion. Her curriculum includes learning through exploration, completing hands-on projects, participating in field trips to museums, students peer-teaching kindergartners, and finding ways students can use their knowledge to improve their own communities. 

During her 20 years as a professional educator, Rachael has chaired equity teams and a diversity advisory parent group, facilitated dialogue circles, delivered professional development, and authored curriculums within her district and across the state. As a Teach Plus Fellow and the Chair of the Educational Task Force for the Muslim Civic Coalition, she leads resource design and professional development designed to accompany new educational laws passed in Illinois. 

In addition to her Teacher of the Year honors, Rachael was recognized as a semi-finalist in the Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2020. She also garnered the Distinguished Alumni of Elmhurst University in 2021. Additionally, she earned the Michael Feldman Educational Leadership Award from Elmhurst University and the Rising Star Alumni Award from Benedictine University.

Rachael earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Benedictine University in 2004. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Education from Elmhurst University in 2008. She also earned a PhD in Education from Northern Illinois University in 2016.

 

Belgian teacher Andree Geulen-Hersvovici saves Nazi children from the Holocaust

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Andree Geulen-Hersvovici, a teacher in Belgium, is credited with saving the lives of almost 1,000 Jewish children during the Holocaust. Photo credit: Old Photo Club

I am always amazed when I stumble across the story of an intrepid teacher who has done something genuinely heroic. Recently I encountered the story of Andree Geulen-Hersvovici, a teacher in Belgium during World War II. She is credited with saving nearly 1,000 Jewish children from the Holocaust.

In 1942, while teaching one day in her classroom in Brussels, Andree noticed that some of her students were wearing yellow stars sewn to their clothing. The Nazi regime mandated that Jewish citizens wear the star so they could be quickly identified when out in public, and therefore easy to target for interrogation, abuse, or even deportation.

When Andree saw the yellow stars, she was furious. Not at the children, but at the cruelty of the Nazi regime. Determined that no one in her classroom would be singled out, she directed her entire class to wear aprons so the stars would not be visible.

Later Andree joined an underground group called the Committee for the Defense of Jews. There she embarked on a dangerous mission to save as many Jewish children as she could. First, she had to convince terrified parents to give up their little ones in order to save their lives. Then she personally escorted them, sometimes by train and sometimes on foot, to hiding places in homes, convents, and orphanages. In this way, she was able to smuggle almost 1,000 young children to safety.

All the while, Andree continued to teach at the Gate de Gamont School, where 12 Jewish children were being protected in secret. Unfortunately, in May of 1943, the school was raided. Nazi soldiers stormed into the building, rousting the students and demanding to see identity papers. The terrified Jewish children were arrested.

During this raid, one of the Nazi soldiers confronted Andree and asked her, “Aren’t you ashamed to teach Jewish children?”

Andree didn’t cower. She didn’t say silent. She defiantly looked the soldier in the eye and responded, “Aren’t you ashamed to make war on Jewish children?”

Once WWII was over, Andree wouldn’t allow others to call her a hero. She simply said that she was just doing what was right. But in the truest sense of the word, she was a Chalkboard Champion.

Colorado kindergarten teacher Fatima Stansell crowned in 2025 Ms. Black Colorado pageant

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Colorado Springs kindergarten teacher Fatima Stansell has taken the crown in the 2025 Ms. Black Colorado pageant.  Photo credit: Colorado Education Association

We know our public school teachers are hardworking, dedicated, and creative professionals. They are royalty in the classroom! But occasionally one of them also earns a genuine title. This is true of Fatima Stansell, a kindergarten teacher from Colorado Springs, Colorado. She has been crowned the winner of the 2025 Ms. Black Colorado pageant!

Fatima teaches at John Adams Elementary School, a Title 1 school. As a kindergarten teacher there, Fatima understands the extreme importance of early literacy. Many of her students start school without basic reading skills, she says. In addition, she is passionate about creating inclusive, supportive spaces for her students.

Actively promoting literacy in her community, Fatima hosts literacy hours at local libraries, works on book drives, and creates videos to teach parents how to help their children read. “Reading truly is fundamental, and I am committed to making a lasting impact,” she declares.

Fatima became inspired to go into the teaching profession while working with young children in her family’s daycare business. She continued to work with youngsters through local parks and recreation programs. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 2024, graduating magna cum laude. She has credentials in Special Education (SPED) and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLD).

The neophyte teacher decided to enter the beauty pageant because she wanted to be an inspiration to her daughters and to show the importance of women of color in leadership roles. The Ms. Black Colorado Springs competition was her first pageant. For her platform, Fatima chose Bridging the Literacy Gap. She was crowned in June 2024, and then went on to earn the state title in October. The competition included formal wear, interviews, fitness rounds, and a social impact presentation.