Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

Kansas elem teacher Eugene Struzik garners 2024 VFW Citizenship Education Award

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Elementary school teacher Eugene Struzik III of Dodge City, Kansas, has garnered a 2024 Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Photo Credit: VFW

I always enjoy shining a spotlight on an outstanding teacher who has also served our country in the military. Today, I highlight Eugene Struzik III, an elementary school teacher in Dodge City, Kansas. He has garnered a 2024 Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Award from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars).

Eugene, a veteran of the United States Air Force, teaches fifth grade at Northwest Elementary School in Dodge City. Sponsored by Howard Gotschall VFW Post 1714 in Dodge City, Eugene was selected for the award because of his passion and dedication towards instilling a sense of appreciation and patriotism among his students and community. For example, he co-ordinated a Veterans Day activity entitled Project Mail Call: Honoring Our Veterans. Through this project, Eugene’s students wrote cards to veterans who were embarking on a Kansas Honor Flight.

Each year, the VFW selects one elementary, one middle school, and one high school teacher to receive the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher award. The honor recognizes outstanding teachers for their exceptional commitment to teaching Americanism and patriotism to their students through promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette, and patriotism in the classroom. The award was established in 1999 and named after former VFW National Commander John Smart and retired VFW Quartermaster General Larry Maher. Eugene will be presented with a check for $1,000 which he can use for professional development and $1,000 for his school during the 125th VFW National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, July 27-Aug. 1, 2024.

To read more, click on this link to VFW website.

IL educator Olga Nunez Johnson receives 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching

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Olga Nunez Johnson, a first grade teacher in Chicago, Illinois, has been named a recipient of the 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Photo Credit: Block Club Chicago

I always enjoy sharing stories of outstanding educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Olga Nunez Johnson of Chicago, Illinois. She has been named a recipient of the 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Olga teaches first grade at Thomas J. Waters School in Chicago, where she has taught for 12 years. As a whole, her career as an educator spans 29 years.

In her classroom, Olga prioritizes her students’ needs, fostering a supportive and purposeful student-centered environment. According to her co-workers, her personality and commitment to creating a respectful, challenging, and inclusive classroom environment make her an outstanding educator.

Olga was born into a family of immigrants from Cuba. She was born in Spain before coming to the United States when she was just a toddler. Her mother, also named Olga, was a stay-at-home mom and her father, Luis, worked as a machinist in a factory.

The Golden Apple Awards honor outstanding teachers for leaving a lasting, positive effect on the lives of their students and in their school communities. Olga is one of ten educators in her state who were selected from over 600 candidates teaching at the Pre-K to third grade level.

“These exceptional educators have demonstrated an unwavering commitment, innovative spirit, and transformative influence on their students and school communities,” asserts Alan Mather, President of The Golden Apple Foundation. “They are not merely outstanding instructors, but impactful leaders as well,” he continues. “The 2024 award recipients will help shape the future of teaching, empowering the next generation of talented educators to make a profound difference in even more young lives,” Mather concludes.

Learn more about Olga Nunez Johnson by clicking on this link to Block Club Chicago.

Hardworking, dedicated teacher Mazie Ann Fairfax graduated from Tuskegee University

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Elementary school teacher Mazie Ann Fairfax who earned her degree from Tuskegee University in Alabama. Photo Credit: The San Bernardino Sun

I always enjoy shining a spotlight on a hardworking and dedicated educator who has worked with students in our pubic schools. Today, I highlight Mazie Ann Fairfax, a popular elementary school teacher originally from Atlanta, Georgia.

Mazie was born in Atlanta on April 18, 1928. As a young girl, she attended Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. This was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., served as a pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968. In fact, The church was the location of the funerals of both Dr. King and, in its later expanded sanctuary, the late Congressman John Lewis. This is also the church where current US Senator Raphael Warnock  has been pastor since 2005. The historic church building and expanded sanctuary building are located in the historic area designated as the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historical Park.

Once Mazie graduated from high school, she enrolled in Tuskegee University in Alabama. Tuskegee is a private, historically Black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the Alabama Legislature. Dr. Booker T. Washington was the school’s first teacher and founding principal. The campus was designated as the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site by the National Park Service in 1974. It was there, during the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, that Mazie earned her Bachelor’s degree.

She then relocated to California, where she earned her teaching credentials. In 1965, Mazie inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position at Newman Elementary School in the Chino Unified School District. She remained in the classroom for 30 years.

Sadly, Mazie Ann Fairfax passed away at her home in Alt Loma, California, on her birthday in 2024. She was 96 years old.

 

Elem teacher, Drama Director Joshua Chard named Maine’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year

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Elementary teacher and Drama Director Joshua Chard has been named Maine’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Maine State Department of Education

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for his work with young people. One of these is Joshua Chard, an elementary school teacher and Drama Director from Portland, Maine. He has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Maine State Department of Education.

Joshua teaches second and third grade loop at East End Community School, one of the most diverse elementary schools north of Boston. “I was really excited to discover that I’m really good at teaching kids how to read,” says Joshua. “It’s pretty exciting to watch kids go from being word readers to being story readers. It’s a pretty amazing thing to be a part of,” he continued.

Joshua decided to pursue a career as an educator when he was only in the fifth grade. As a young student, he confesses, he was a struggling learner. But it was his fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Breau, who made a special connection that changed everything. She was an amazing teacher, Joshua declares, and she “convinced me that I could be a learner. She saw me for who I was,” he says.

In addition to his young students, Joshua also serves as the Drama Director at Deering High School. “The thing about my drama club is that we are a place that is a strong community where everybody is welcome to come as they are,” explains Joshua. “The word got out that it is a really safe place for kids who often feel they don’t have another safe place to land in high school,” he continued. During the four years he has led the club, he has built a community of young actors from nine to forty.

Joshua earned his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Theater from the University of Southern Maine in 1996. He also earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of New England in 2009. He completed the requirements for a certificate in K-6 standards-based mathematics from the American College of Education, and he is certified as a K-12 teacher of English to speakers of other languages. His career as an educator spans 31 years.

When he’s not working with students, Joshua is a freelance theater director. This year, he and his husband will direct a show at the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine.

 

Teacher Kayla Jackson honored by the Florida State Dept. of Education

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Elementary school teacher Kayla Jackson has earned recognition from the Florida State Department Education. Photo Credit: Florida State Department of Education

There are many fine educators who work in the state of Florida. One of them, Kayla Jackson, has earned recognition from her state’s Department of Education as one of 74 District Teachers of the Year, and one of five finalists for Florida’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Kayla inaugurated her teaching career at Memorial Elementary School in Highlands County when the school first opened in 2008. Currently, she serves as a fifth-grade math and science teacher. She has a reputation for being a high impact teacher multiple years in a row, and her students have achieved significant learning gains on state assessments. But she says her role goes beyond presenting lessons to also knowing her students and what they are capable of learning when challenged. “I see in my students what some don’t yet see in themselves,” she declares. “I set high expectations for them, and push them to achieve goals they might not think are achievable.”

In addition to her work with young students, Kayla is a mentor to beginning teachers, she supports her school’s Student of the Month program, she leads professional development for her colleagues, and she serves on the Curriculum Leadership Team.

Kayla earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of South Florida.

This year’s five 2024 Teacher of the Year state finalists were chosen from more than 185,000 public school teachers throughout the state. After each school district selects its teacher of the year, a committee comprised of teachers, principals, parents, and the business community reviews each district application. The honorees are selected using the criteria of outstanding ability to teach and the ability to communicate knowledge of the subject taught, professional development, philosophy of teaching, and outstanding school and community service.