Here is your daily dose of inspiration. It comes from Christopher Albrecht, a fourth-grade teacher at the Fred W. Hill School in Brockport, New York. Christopher is the 2018 New York State Teacher of the Year. This amazing educator has mentored numerous student teachers and several first-year teachers. Obvioiusly, he is eager to spread his passion for the profession. View his video below:
Idaho elementary school teacher and former Air Force serviceman Brian Marinelli
Throughout the country, there are many dedicated educators who have also served our country in the military. One of these is Brian Marinelli, a retired Air Force serviceman who is now an elementary school teacher in Boise, Idaho.
Brian spent 23 years in the Air Force, and retired as a Senior Master Seargeant. While in the service, he traveled the globe working in satellite communications. Once he retired, Brian didn’t know what he was going to do, until he spent time as a volunteer in his daughter’s classroom. After that experience, he knew he wanted to be a school teacher. While still in the Air Force, Brian registered with Troops to Teachers (TTT), a government program that offers advice, support in getting a teacher certification, and assistance in finding a teaching job.
Brian is now in his seventh year as an elementary teacher at Collister Elementary School in Boise, Idaho. He is currently teaching fifth- and sixth-grade gifted students. He teaches three different math courses, two science, and one language arts course each day.
“I take to my classroom the same fire and commitment I had on the flight line in the Air Force,” asserts Brian. “If you were dedicated to your work in the military, you will be dedicated as a school teacher also.”
Dr. Gerald Bell, Marinelli’s principal at Collister Elementary School in Boise, praises the former serviceman’s work with young people, “Brian is an outstanding individual. He has great enthusiasm and passion for teaching and has a backbone for doing the right thing. He connects immediately with his students. He is a leader — confident, but with humility and ready to learn new skills,” says Bell.
To learn more about the TTT program, consult this link: Troops to Teachers.
Susan Rubio: Educator and candidate for California State Senate
This year a record number of educators are mounting campaigns for public office. One of these is Susan Rubio, a fourth grade teacher from Baldwin Park, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. After winning her primary, Susan, a Democrat, is running to represent District 22 in the California State Senate.
Susan was born in Juarez, Mexico. Her parents were immigrants to the United States; her father came to Texas through the Bracero program, working as a farmer. After the program was discontinued, the Rubio family settled in California. While she was growing up, Susan says, her parents taught her the importance of hard work and determination.
Susan is the product of public schools. After her graduation from high school, she attended Azusa Pacific University. There she earned a Master’s degree in Education and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. During her college years she worked as a bookkeeper doing payroll and taxes for a private company. After earning her degree, the neophyte teacher inaugurated her 17-year career as an educator. Currently she is a fourth grade teacher at Broadoaks Elementary School in the Monrovia Unified School District.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Susan has experience as a public servant. She was first elected to represent the city of Baldwin Park as their City Clerk. In 2009, she was selected to be a Council Member for the city, where she helped balance the city budget during the recession. In addition, Susan has a long record of volunteerism and partnership with local non-profits, providing mentorships and college scholarships for local students.
Susan can claim two decades of experience as a community leader, classroom teacher, and public servant. She also describes herself as “a lifelong champion for children, working families, economic justice, and the environment.”
You can learn more about Susan Rubio at her campaign website at the following link: www.susanrubio.com.
In November’s election, educator Sherrie Conley is running for a seat in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.
In today’s politically charged environment, many talented educators have decided to step up to the plate and run for public office. One of these is Sherrie Conley, a educator from Oklahoma who is running for a seat in her state’s House of Representatives.
Sherrie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1994. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2016. The chalkboard champion inaugurated her fifteen-year career as an elementary school teacher in the Oklahoma City Public School District. She currently works as an Assistant Principal.
Sherrie, who is hoping to represent District 20, is running on the Republican ticket. “Yes, I’m a Republican, but I have (had) an opportunity to see what happens to our people when core services are cut and when we don’t take care of our families,” explained Sherrie. During a recent budget crisis in her state, her home-town school district was forced to cut down to a four-day week.
In the primary election, Sherrie beat out three-term incumbent state lawmaker Bobby Cleveland in a primary runoff election. She will face Democrat Steve Jarman of Pauls Valley in the general election in November.
Teacher Clara Comstock, second from right, with a colleague and a group of homeless children she escorted on an Orphan Train. Circa 1910
In American history there are many examples of dedicated educators going above and beyond in order to help young students, both inside the classroom and in their personal lives. One of these was Clara Comstock, a hardworking teacher from New York. Clara was born on July 5, 1879, in Hartsville, New York, the daughter of hardy pioneer stock. Her father was a farmer and blacksmith. As a young girl, Clara was educated at the Canisteo Academy in the neighboring town of Canisteo, New York. She graduated in 1895 at the age of 16 and spent the next several years working on her teacher’s training courses. Clara inaugurated her career as a teacher in 1903 at the Brace Memorial Farm School in Valhalla, New York. Her students were New York City “street Arabs,” homeless boys that were orphaned, abandoned, or removed from their homes because their parents were deemed unfit or unable to adequately care form them. At the Farm School, these kids were taught fundamental literacy skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics, some vocational training, including carpentry, shoe-making, and box-making. After a few years, in order to be of greater service to homeless kids, Clara accepted a position with the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), an organization which still exists today to benefit needy children. The CAS organized the famous Orphan Trains, small groups of children that were transported west and placed in foster homes on farms and in rural communities. Clara escorted many of these groups, conducted background checks on prospective foster parents, and made periodic checks on the children she placed. She did this work until her retirement in 1928, then she spent another two decades working for the CAS in-state foster care program. During her lifetime, Clara placed more than 12,000 homeless children in homes, painstakingly keeping track of each one of them until they reached adulthood. She kept a personal diary and filled several trunks with meticulous records of the children she worked with. Decades later, these records became invaluable resources for Orphan Train riders who were seeking information about their origins. You can read more about this amazing and dedicated teacher and the orphan train system in my book Chalkboard Champions, available on amazon.
