Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

NYC educator Renee Diamond succumbs to coronavirus

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Beloved educator Renee Diamond, a retired first grade teacher from New York City, passed away on May 11, 2020, from coronavirus.

Sadly, yet another educator has succumbed to the coronavirus. She is Renee Diamond, a retired first grade teacher from New York City. She was 73 years old.

Renee inaugurated her 25-year career as an educator in 1968 when she accepted a position as a first grade teacher at PS 25 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. After an eight-year hiatus when she stayed home to raise her family, Renee resumed her career at PS 134 in Hollis, Queens. She taught there until her retirement in 2003. During those years, Renee also tutored PS 134 students living in homeless shelters. In 2004-2005, the hardworking educator served as a technical grant facilitator for Districts 16 and 23 in Brooklyn and District 27 in Queens.

Former student Tamara Blocker (1984-1985) remembers her teacher fondly. “Every child loved being in her class,” Blocker recalled. “They loved her compassionate, loving smile and open arms, and knew she valued what they had to say.” Friend and colleague Judy Cohn agreed. She remembers Renee as a teacher who was beloved by her students and their families. “Renee always encouraged and supported her students,” Cohn said, “and often told them, ‘If nobody can listen to you read, then read to your mirror.'”

During her retirement, Renee was a judge for Long Island History Day and a Board Member for the Hollis Hills Civic Association.

The beloved educator passed away on May 11, 2020. To read more about Renee, follow this link to New York State United Teachers.

Marianne Kusaka, teacher and former Mayor of Kauai

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Marianne Kusaka, elementary school teacher and former Mayor of the County of Kauai.

Many fine educators serve their communities as local leaders. One of these is Marianne Kusaka, an elementary school teacher who was also elected Mayor of the County of Kauai in the state of Hawaii.

Marianne was born in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawaii on September 11, 1935. When she was a youngster, her family in the isolated village of Hana on the Island of Maui. Marianne was raised there.

After she graduated from high school, Marianne attended Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu. She transferred to the University of Northern Colorado. There she earned her degree to become an elementary school teacher.

In 1964, Marianne relocated to the island of Kauai. Since then, she has devoted 33 years of her life as a professional educator, teaching at numerous elementary schools on the island. One of her students at Kapaa Elementary School was Bernard Carvalho, Jr., who later became the mayor of Kauai.

“It is such an honor to live here in this special place,” Marianne expressed in a 2015 interview. “I am honored to have my former students who called me Mrs. Kusaka, now call me Aunty Maryanne — such a warm feeling of respect and aloha — I love it!” she continued. “In some cases, I have become part of their family having taught three generations,” she concluded.

Marianne was still teaching when, in 1994, she was elected mayor of Kauai. While in office, the indefatigable educator launched herself into community beautification projects. Her first project was the clean-up of a beach that had been littered during a hurricane two years prior. She also worked towards refurbishing camp grounds, neighborhood parks, and jogging paths. She also focused attention on increasing tourism in the area.

In 2004, the former teacher retired from politics. But she continued to serve her community on the Board of Directors of the Kauai Museum. In addition, she has been instrumental in staging the area’s Festival of Lights. The celebration honors Hokule‘a, the Hawaiian sailing canoe. The festival features the creations from recycled materials by students from Kauai and Kapaa High Schools.

To read more about this amazing educator, read the full 2015 interview published by the newspaper The Garden Island.

Tracey Pendley named Georgia’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year

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Elementary teacher Tracey Pendley of Atlanta has been named Georgia’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations are in order for Tracey Pendley, an elementary school teacher from Atlanta, Georgia. She has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Tracey is a native of Atlanta. The young educator determined to become a teacher, she says, because during her rough childhood, her teachers were her salvation. Tracey’s mother was a single parent and an addict who spent time in and out of jail. She died when Tracey was a young teenager.

After her high school graduation, Tracey earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Religion from Furman University in 2006. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Teaching in the Urban Teacher Education Program from the University of Chicago in 2009. Tracey was working with youngsters even before she earned her degrees. When an after school program for at-risk children was on the chopping block, Tracey volunteered to take over and direct the program in its three low-income neighborhoods.

Once she earned her degrees, Tracey inaugurated her career as a third grade teacher at a Chicago Public Turnaround School, where she taught for several years. In 2012, she returned to her home town of Atlanta.

In Atlanta, Tracey first taught 4th grade at Toomer Elementary. The next year she accepted a position at Burgess-Peterson Academy in the Atlanta Public School District. She has taught there for the past four years. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she serves as a teacher leader and trainer. She also collaborates with community partners such as Page Turners Make Great Learners. And she established a 4-H Club at Burgess-Peterson. “One of my goals every day is to bring magic into the classroom,” Tracey declares.

For her work in the classroom, Tracey garnered the Atlanta Families Award for Excellence in Education in March, 2018. She also earned the Atlanta Public Schools’ district-wide Teacher of the Year honor in November, 2018. What’s more, the city of Atlanta issued a proclamation on June 3, 2019, to recognize her for her commitment to families in her community.

To read more about Tracey, click on this link to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Third grade teacher Lynette Stant named 2020 Arizona Teacher of the Year

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Third grade teacher Lynette Stant of the Salt River Reservation named 2020 Arizona Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: Allen Patrou of Raising Arizona Kids Magazine.)

I love to tell stories about talented educators who have earned accolades for their dedication and hard work in the classroom. One of these is Lynette Stant, a third grade teacher from Arizona who has been named her sate’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. She is the first Native American teacher to earn the top educator honor in Arizona, according to the Arizona Educational Foundation.

Lynette, a Navajo, is a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. She was raised in Tuba City on the Navajo Reservation. Both her parents attended Federal boarding schools. “It is not a secret that education of Native peoples is one drenched in historical trauma,” Lynette asserts. “As a Navajo woman, teaching in a Native American school, teaching Native American students, my goal is to change that narrative,” she declares. Lynette believes passionately that schools should be a reflection of a student’s culture and family.

The honored educator teaches third grade at Salt River Elementary School. The school was established as Salt River Day School in 1934. The facility was built by Phoenix Indian School students and funded by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Currently, Salt River offers grades K-6, as well as a FACE Program, an early childhood and parental involvement literacy program. The school is controlled by the tribe and funded by a grant from the Bureau of Indian Education. Enrollment is approximately 380.

To read more about Lynette, see this article printed by Raising Arizona Kids.

Washington teacher Annie Pintler shares unusual classroom pet with students

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Teacher Annie Pintler of Ridgefield, Washington, shows her fifth grade students their new classroom pet, an axoltl. Axolotls are a type of salamander native to Mexico.

Many elementary school teachers have enriched their learning environments with classroom pets that provide invaluable interactive experiences for their students. One teacher who has a very unusual classroom pet is Annie Pintler, a fifth grade teacher at Sunset Ridge Intermediate School in Ridgefield, Washington.

When Annie came across a post on Facebook from an individual who had an axolotl they could no longer care for, she instantly knew this was the classroom pet for her. An axolotl is a type of salamander, native to Mexico. The creature is an endangered species. “I knew I could build a whole curriculum around him,” Annie recalled. “What are axolotls? What do they like to eat?”

Annie adopted the unusual creature, and then gave her students the task of researching the species. The students named their classroom pet Creepy Buddy Aztec after learning that his species name derived from an Aztec word. Then they worked their way through the lessons designed by the creative teacher. The kids learned what an axolotl is, what they eat, and the origin of the species’ name. They also worked to create a satisfactory living environment for their shared pet. After the students concluded their study, Annie asked them to write a story about their research.

You can read more about this amazing educator in this online article from Katu on Your Side.

Students of fifth grade teacher Annie Pintler observe their new classroom pet, an axolotl.