Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Third grade teacher and Maryland’s 2020 Teacher of the Year Teresa Beilstein

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Third grade teacher and Maryland’s 2020 Teacher of the Year Teresa Beilstein.

I love to share stories about outstanding educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Teresa Beilstein, an elementary school teacher from Arundel County, Maryland. She has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Loyola, Teresa worked for SunTrust Bank. Later she earned two Master’s degrees, one in Teaching and a second in Organizational Psychology, both from Walden University. In addition, she holds an Advanced Professional Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Reading, and she is a nationally board certified as an Early Childhood Generalist.

In 2013, Teresa accepted a position to teach third grade at South Shore Elementary School for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. The school is located in Crownsville. The honored educator confesses that she especially likes working with third graders. She says that year is a time when children are developing their personalities and humor and are “absolutely on fire for learning.” In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Teresa collaborated with a small team of county educators who wrote an elementary-level curriculum and assessments aligned to new science standards.

Teresa believes that educators should always look for ways to engage their students’ attention and interest. “As teachers, we need to bring the content, bring the data, and bring the fun,” Teresa declared. “Before students can be expected to learn, they need to be emotionally invested and it is my job, as an educator, to create the spark that will draw students in and get them involved,” she continued.

To read more about this chalkboard Champion, see this article published by the Maryland Department of Education.

Helen Agcaoili Brown, Los Angeles teacher, established Filipino library

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Helen Agcaoili Brown, a former third grade teacher in Los Angeles, California, founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library.

Students in our country are so fortunate to have many talented chalkboard champions in our schools. One of these is Helen Agcaoili Brown, a California teacher who is the founder of the Filipino American Reading Room and Library.

Helen was born May 16, 1915, in Manila, the Philippines. Her family immigrated to the United States shortly after her graduation from Manila Central High School in 1934. As a young woman, Helen studied first at Pasadena City Junior College, and then at the University of California, Los Angeles. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education and her Master’s degree in Social Work.

After she earned her college degree, Helen accepted a position as a third grade teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California. Her career spanned many years.

In 1985, Helen founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library, the first of its kind in the country. To enlarge the library’s collection, she donated her private library collection. She realized the value of the library she inherited from her father, and she worked diligently to build on it by collecting books, pamphlets, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and even the souvenir programs given out during the events of various Filipino organizations. She believed that nothing was too insignificant when it came to preserving the social history of Filipinos in the United States. In addition to founding the library, she also served as the facility’s librarian.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 25, 2011. She was 95 years old.

The Filipino American Library is located at 135 N. Park View St., Los Angeles, CA 90026. You can visit their website at Filipino Library.

First grade teacher and Miss Tennessee pageant winner Brianna Mason

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First grade teacher, advocate for individuals with autism, and Miss Tennessee pageant winner Brianna Mason

Many fine educators have earned distinction in fields outside of education. One of these is Brianna Mason, an elementary school teacher and advocate for individuals with autism who has garnered the title of Miss Tennessee, 2019.

Brianna was raised in Antioch, Tennessee. She graduated with honors in 2013 from Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Williamson County, in her home state. Her father is the principal there. Following her high school graduation, Brianna enrolled at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2017 and her Master’s in Elementary Education in 2018. While in college, Brianna was a Charles Lattimore Graduate Scholar with the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences at UTK, and a part of the selective Urban Multicultural Education Cohort. In addition, she earned the Russell E. Leed Scholarship and the Alex Haley Scholarship.

After her earning her degrees, Brianna accepted a position as a first grade teacher at Hobgood Elementary School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She has also devoted much of her energy to raising awareness about autism. To this end, she founded Advocates for Autism, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to inclusion for individuals and families that are affected by autism.

After Brianna was crowned Miss Tennessee, she decided to take a leave of absence from the classroom to fulfill the responsibilities that go with the title. But she declared that during the year she will serve as an ambassador for the five Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Tennessee and promote student literacy. She will also advocate for kids with autism in Tennessee and serve as “a voice for educators,” she says. She expects to return to teaching when her reign ends. She also plans to pursue credentials in English language learning and special education.

To read more about Brianna, click on this link to her page at the UTK.

First-year kindergarten teacher Blake Fingalsen garners prestigious award

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I just love to tell stories about remarkable teachers who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is kindergarten teacher Blake Fingalsen of Kansas. Blake has just been named the 2020 Horizon Award Winner by the Kansas State Department of Education. Blake teaches at Rhein Benninghoven Elementary School.

The Horizon Award program is designed to identify and recognize talented first-year educators at both the elementary and secondary levels. Here’s an inspirational video about this remarkable teacher.

Victoria Soto: A Chalkboard Champion of Sandy Hook Elementary

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First grade teacher Victoria Soto lost her life while protecting her students from gunman Adam Lanza during the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

It is a sad fact that a number of American educators have been put in the unenviable position of protecting their students from active shooters. They are sometimes injured or killed while sheilding their students. One of these teachers was Victoria Soto, a first grade teacher who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting on Dec. 14, 2012.

Victoria Soto was born on November 4, 1985, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  In 2003, she graduated from Stratford High School located in Stratford, Connecticut. Following her graduation, she enrolled in Eastern Connecticut State University. There she earned a dual Bachelor’s degree in History and Education, with honors. She also took courses towards her Master’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University.

Once she earned her teaching credentials, Victoria accepted a position as an elementary teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. On December 14, 2013, Victoria was engaged in teaching her first grade class when gunman Adam Lanza burst into the school wielding several weapons and looking for victims. He started shooting. Staff and students heard Lanza discharging his weapons over the school public address system. By the time the gunman made his way to her classroom, Victoria had been able to hide her children in a closet. When confronted by Lanza, Victoria told him the students had been sent to the school gym. But some of the children were too afraid to stay hidden. When they ran from their hiding place, the shooter began to fire at them. In a supreme act of heroism, Victoria threw herself between Lanza and the children. In so doing, she sustained a fatal gunshot wound.

Victoria was only 27 years old when she was killed. Her career spanned five years. The Chalkboard Champion was laid to rest in Union Cemetery Stratford in Fairfield County, Connecticutt.

In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Victoria a Presidential Citizens Medal posthumously. The medal honors Americans who have performed “exemplary deeds of service” for their country or fellow citizens. The medal is is the government’s second-highest civilian award.

Read more about this amazing educator in this online article entitled “The Teacher as Hero.”