Tag Archives: English Teachers

Florida teacher Lizbet Martinez immigrated to US as a 12-year-old

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Florida teacher Lizbet Martinez fled the repressive Castro regime and came to the United States on a raft when she was just a child. Photo credit: The Buffalo News

Many dedicated educators can share a personal history of overcoming great adversity. One of these is Lizbet Martinez, an elementary school teacher who, when she was just a child, fled the repressive Castro regime on a raft to immigrate to the United States.

Lizbet was only 12 years old when she braved the dangers of the sea on nothing more than a raft to flee to this country from her home island of Cuba. She was one of more than 30,000 Cubans who made this treacherous journey during what is known as the “balsero crisis” of 1994. Lizbet and her family were plucked from the waters by the US Coast Guard on Aug. 21, 1994. At the time, the child was clutching a violin case, which the Americans discussed confiscating because they believed the case might contain a weapon. To prove them wrong, Lizbet opened the case, pulled out her violin, and began to play The Star Spangled Banner. Before the family fled the Castro regime in Cuba, she was studying violin at Alejandro Garcia Caturla Conservatory in Havana.  After their rescue, the Martinez family and other refugees spent five months at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base before being relocated to Miami.

When she grew up, Lizbet enrolled at Florida International University in Miami. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2003. Cuban-American singer Willy Chirino offered her with a $3,000 scholarship to help pay for her college expenses. At her college graduation, she was asked to perform the National Anthem to open the school’s commencement ceremonies. Later, Lizbet performed with music stars Gloria Estefan and Jon Secada. She also performed for presidents Bill Clinton and George H. Bush.

Once she earned her degree, the aspiring teacher completed her student teaching assignment at Emerson Elementary School in Westchester, Florida, and at Coral Reef High School in Miami. At the grade school, she taught basic music skills. At the high school, a magnet school for teenagers interested in music, she conducted the string orchestra.

Lizbet currently teaches at M.A. Milam K-8 Center, where she taught music until budget cuts cancelled the school’s music program. She now instructs courses in English.

To read more about this remarkable educator, see this story published about her by The Buffalo News.

Retired Ohio English teacher Sharon Mills Draper is an award-winning author

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Retired high school English teacher Sharon Mills Draper has won a plethora of awards as an author of books for children and adolescents. Photo credit: Creative Commons

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned recognition as an author. One of these is Sharon Mills Draper, a former high school English teacher who has won a plethora of awards as an author of books for children and adolescents.

Sharon was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Aug. 21, 1948, the oldest of the three children of Victor and Catherine Mills. Her father was a hotel maitre d’ and her mother worked in the advertising department of a local newspaper. As a child, Sharon loved to play the piano and to read. By the time she was 11 years old, she had read every children’s book in her local library. The librarian then gave her a special library card that she could use to check out books from the adult section.

When she grew up, Sharon earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Pepperdine University and her Master’s degree from Miami University of Ohio. Once she completed her education, she inaugurated her teaching career in pubic schools in Cincinnati. As a teacher, Sharon earned fame among her students for a challenging research paper she assigned to her seniors. They dubbed the assignment the “Draper Paper.”

Sharon’s career as an author began in 1990 when she was challenged by one of her ninth grade students to “write something.” She submitted a short story entitled “One Small Torch” to a writing contest sponsored by Ebony Magazine. The magazine published her story and gave her a cash prize of $1,000. She even earned praise from Roots author Alex Haley! In 2000, after a career as an educator that spanned 25 years, Sharon retired to spend more time on her writing.

For her work as an educator and as an author, Sharon has earned many accolades. She was named the National Teacher of the Year in 1997. The same year, the Ohio Department of Education honored her as an Ohio Pioneer in Education, and she garnered a National Educator Award from the Milken Foundation. She also won the Career Woman of Achievement, the Dean’s Award from Howard University School of Education, the Pepperdine University Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Marva Collins Education Excellence Award, and the Governor’s Educational Leadership Award. In addition, Sharon earned the Coretta Scott King Award for books about youngsters and adolescents. But she is best known for her Hazelwood and Jericho series.

To learn more about the work of Sharon Mills Draper, see her bio info at Simon & Schuster.

Florida teacher Barbara Goleman was named 1969 National Teacher of the Year

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Florida Language Arts teacher Barbara Goleman was recognized as the National Teacher of the Year in 1969. Photo Credit: Barbara Goleman High School

The 1960’s were a politically turbulent time in American history, a time when many Chalkboard Champions made significant contributions toward the social evolution of that time period. One such educator was Barbara Ann Goleman, an award-winning high school teacher from Florida.

Barbara was born and raised in Florida. She attended Florida State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1952 and her Master’s degree in 1954. She inaugurated her teaching career as an English literature instructor at Miami Jackson High School in 1954.

At the beginning of her career, the school’s enrollment was 90% white middle-class students. In 1963, in response to the 1954 Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education, the racial segregation that had been prevalent previously in American schools became prohibited. To comply with the desegregation order, Florida began to admit African American students to white schools. By 1966, the student body at Miami Jackson High was 85% African American, predominantly from impoverished families.

To respond to the needs of her new student population, Barbara helped develop innovative instructional programs and demonstrated a nurturing attitude towards all her students. For her efforts, she was recognized with the National Teacher of the Year Award in 1969. She was the first Southerner in 18 years to be so honored, and President Richard Nixon presented the award to Barbara in a White House ceremony.

In 1975, Barbara transferred to North Miami Beach Senior High School as a teacher and staff development specialist for internship programs. Ten years later, she became an administrator for Language Arts at the District Office.

This remarkable educator retired in 1990. In her honor, Barbara Goleman High School, opened in 1995. It was the first school in Miami-Dade County to be named after one of its teachers.

At the school’s dedication ceremony Barbara directed her remarks to those assembled. “What do I wish for you, the students, the teachers, the full staff of this exciting brand new school?” she began. “I wish that every student will feel that people in this school truly care about her or him, that people here believe that learning is the most exciting human endeavor—far beyond mere textbook encounters; that understanding and compassion in our hearts can replace intolerance and animosity and prejudice; that service, not greed, carries honor and self-fulfillment; that we as human beings can make our own meaning out of life; that we can make mistakes and still go on and create new meaning,” she continued. “I wish for every teacher and administrator and service person that this school environment will be warm and supportive, that there be opportunity for growth, that teamwork and cooperation and mutual respect prevail. I wish for this school the highest form of school spirit, love of excellence, honor for sportsmanship and citizenship and scholarship, respect for diversity, simply caring for one another,” she concluded.

Middle school educator Becky Haenfler named SD’s 2026 State Teacher of the Year

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Becky Haenfler, a middle school English Language Arts teacher, has been named South Dakota’s 2026 State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight

Many outstanding teachers work with our nation’s young people in pubic schools. All of them are dedicated and hardworking, and occasionally some of them are singled out for special recognition. One of these is Becky Haenfler, a middle school teacher from South Dakota. She has been named her state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year.

Becky’s career as an educator spans 19 years. Currently, she teaches Language Arts to students in fifth through seventh grades at Avon Middle School in rural Avon, South Dakota. In fact, she works in the very same classroom she attended as a child. Her lessons are known to be engaging and meaningful, which helps her students make real-world connections. She also coaches basketball, volleyball, and track on her campus.

The honored educator is well-respected in her school district, and beyond. “Becky Haenfler has a wonderful reputation at Avon School District as being an engaging educator whose teaching style gets kids excited about reading,” declares South Dakota Secretary of Education Joseph Graves. “She is committed to making sure all of her students have the supports they need to read novels that challenge and inspire them, and that experience turns them into lifelong readers,” he continues.

Ever since she was a child, Becky has dreamed of becoming a teacher, she recently revealed. “I don’t remember wanting to do anything else,” she confesses. “Initially, it was having a good experience going to school in Avon. Having a great experience as a student made me want to come back to school to keep doing this,” she continued.

Becky earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her Master’s degree as a Reading Literacy Specialist in 2024, both from the University of South Dakota.

To learn more about Becky Haenfler, click on this link to an interview with her published by the South Dakota State Department of Education.

Texas teacher Margaret Clark Formby founded Cowgirl Hall of Fame

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Margaret Clark formby

English teacher Margaret Clark Formby, a genuine cowgirl, founded the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in her home state of Texas. Photo credit: The Portal to Texas History

Not many teachers can describe themselves as genuine cowgirls, but one who can is a Texas English teacher named Margaret Clark Formby. This remarkable educator is best-known for founding the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in her home state of Texas.

Margaret was born in 1929 in Van Horn in Culberson County, Texas, a small town east of El Paso. She was the daughter of Fred and Mabel Clark, local ranchers. As a young woman, Margaret attended Van Horn High School, where she graduated in 1946, the salutatorian of her class. Following her high school graduation, Margaret enrolled at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Speech in 1950. After her college graduation, she accepted her first teaching position at Hereford High School in Hereford, Deaf Smith County, before relocating to a school in Fort Worth, Texas.

As a young woman growing up in a Western environment, Margaret believed it was important to have women recognized for their many contributions to Western culture. To this end, she founded the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Hereford. The museum was originally located in the basement of the local public library, but was later moved to a building in Fort Worth. Margaret also worked as the editor of Sidesaddle, the official magazine of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

In addition to cultural preservation, Margaret labored tirelessly to create better conditions for young people. She was one of two women in Texas who was named to a commission to investigate child pornography. She also served on a committee sponsored by the Texas House Speaker that researched teen pregnancy.

During her lifetime, Margaret earned many accolades for her work. In 1993, the talented educator was the first woman elected to Texas Tech University’s Rodeo Hall of Fame. In 2000, her name was added to the list of “100 That Made a Difference: History Makers of the High Plains by the Amarillo  Globe News. She also received the Pioneer Woman Award from the American Cowboy Culture Society.

Margaret Formby passed away on April 10, 2003, at the age of 73. She will forever be remembered as a hardworking educator who worked tirelessly to preserve an important part of our Western heritage.