Tag Archives: English Teachers

NYC English teacher Diandra D’Amico garners 2023-2024 Big Apple Award

Posted on by

High school English teacher Diandra D’Amico has earned a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education. Photo credit: Diandra D’Amico

New York City is very proud of their public school teachers. In fact, city leaders regularly recognize exceptional educators with their annual Big Apple Award. For the 2023-2024 school year, one of the educators honored was Diandra D’Amico, an English Language Arts teacher from Pelham, New York.

For the past two years, Diandra has taught English/Language Arts at Harvey Milk High School in Manhattan. Previously she taught for the New York City Department of Education and worked as a private tutor.

Diandra takes her role as a teacher and role model very seriously. “My time as an educator has led me to dig deeper into understanding how the brain, mind, heart and body integrate to create meaning in our lives and, by extension, how we contribute to the world around us,” Diandra declares. “My greatest hope is to instill in my students a love and passion for learning. I maintain a youthful and naive belief that we are all capable of changing the world by starting with one life,” she says.

Diandra earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Haverford College in 2003. She earned her Masters degree in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 2006.

This year, the Big Apple Award was presented to 49 superlative New York City teachers. Each one was nominated by their principal for work in the profession that inspires students, models great teaching, and enriches school communities. The recipients were chosen through a rigorous selection process that includes community nominations, principal recommendations, classroom visits, an interview, and a review by a board of judges. To learn more about the program and this year’s recipients, click on this link to Big Apple Awards.

 

Former English teacher Vanessa Siddle Walker is an expert on African American educational history

Posted on by

Vanessa Siddle Walker, a former high school English teacher, has earned a reputation as an expert on African American educational history. Photo credit: The New Press

Many superlative classroom teachers have devoted their careers to promoting better education for African American students. One of these is Vanessa Siddle Walker, a former high school English teacher who has earned a reputation as an expert on African American educational history.

Vanessa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She earned her Master’s in Education from Harvard University in 1985. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Education from Harvard University in 1988.

In 1980, Vanessa inaugurated her career in education when she accepted a position as an English teacher at Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina. Later she relocated to Cummings High School, a desegregated high school in Burlington, North Carolina. She taught there for four years. She also taught English seminars for two summers at a math and science program for minority students at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

After leaving the high school classroom, Vanessa conducted exhaustive studies of segregation in the American educational system that spanned 25 years. As a result of her research, she published the nonfiction work The Lost Education of Horace Tate: Uncovering the Hidden Heroes Who Fought for Justice in Schools (2020). Her other books include Facing Racism in Education (2004) and Hello Professor: A Black Principal and Professional Leadership in the Segregated South (2009).

In addition, Vanessa has published numerous scholarly articles. Among the journals publishing her research are Review of Education Research, American Educational Research Journal, Journal of Educational Research, Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Negro Education, and Teachers College Record.

For her body of work, Vanessa has earned many accolades. She has garnered the Grawemeyer Award for Education; the Raymond Cattell Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association; the Spelman College Award for Outstanding Leadership in Education; the Young Scholars Award from the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools; the Best First Book Award from the History Division of the American Educational Research Association; and the Best New Female Scholar Award from the Research Focus on Black Education of the American Educational Research Association. She also received a Spencer Foundation post-doctoral fellowship. And she is a former Fellow of the National Academy of Education and a Fellow of AERA.

Today, Vanessa is a Professor of African American Educational Studies at Emory University located in Atlanta, Georgia. She also lectures extensively both nationally and internationally.

Texas English teacher Margaret Clark Formby founded Cowgirl Hall of Fame

Posted on by
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.

English teacher Amber Jirsa honored by Illinois State Board of Ed

Posted on by


English teacher Amber Jirsa of Batavia, Illinois, has been honored as the state’s North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education.  Photo credit: Glancer Magazine

It is always a pleasure for me to share the story of an exemplary educator. Today, the spotlight shines on Amber Jirsa, an English teacher from Bolingbrook,  Illinois. In Feb., 2023, Amber was honored as North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Amber earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois, in 2008. She earned her Master’s degree in Administrative Leadership from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, in 2011. She also completed the requirements for her certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University in 2021.

In 2008, Amber accepted a teaching position at Bolingbrook High School, where she taught for six years. In 2014, she relocated to Batavia High School, where serves as a Lead Instructor and teaches World Literature and American Literature.

“As an educator, my passion lies in creating inclusive and equitable learning environments where all students feel seen, heard, and valued,” Amber declares. “I have dedicated my career to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom and beyond, and am committed to supporting students’ social-emotional growth and well-being,” she continues.

To achieve this goal, Amberparticipates in her district’s Equity Committee and the Illinois Education Association’s Human and Civil Rights Committee. And she is a facilitator for the National Education Association’s Leaders for Just Schools Cohort.

To read more about Chalkboard Champion Amber Jirsa, click on this link to an interview with her published by Batavia Public School District 101.

Georgia’s Jemelleh Coes helps others become better teachers

Posted on by

Former middle school teacher Jemelleh Coes contributes her considerable talent to helping others in the profession become better teachers. Photo credit: Educator For Equity

Many fine educators contribute their considerable talents to helping others in the profession become better teachers. This is certainly true of Jemelleh Coes, a former middle school teacher from Decatur, Georgia.

Jemelleh was born in Brooklyn, New York, ​the daughter of immigrant parents. She was raised in Decatur, Georgia. She was the first in her family to attend college. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Special Education (2008) and her Master’s degree in Education, Teaching, and Learning (2010), both from Georgia Southern University (GSU). While studying at GSU, Jemelleh traveled nationally and internationally to collect data from a variety of educational systems in order to discover ways to make improvements in local school systems. In 2018, Jemelleh graduated from the University of Georgia with her PhD in Educational Theory and Practice with certificates in Education Law and Policy, Disability Studies, and Qualitative Research.

Jemelleh has taught at both the K-12 and university level. She spent six years teaching English/Language Arts and mathematics in both the general and special education setting at Langston Chapel Middle School in Statesboro, Georgia. For this work, in 2014, she was named Georgia’s State Teacher of the Year. Then, from 2013 to 2014, she served as a board member for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.

Currently, Jemelleh serves as an advisory councilperson for the Georgia Partnership of Excellence in Education. She also serves as the Director of Teacher Leadership at Mount Holyoke College, where she leads the program, developed curriculum, and provides professional development opportunities for teacher leaders. She is also a professor at the University of Georgia where she teaches future educators along with future professionals dedicated to disability advocacy.

In addition, Jemelleh serves as a teacher mentor for classroom teachers throughout the state of Georgia. In this capacity, she supports teachers with career development and special projects. She is also an educational consultant and motivational speaker.

To learn more about Chalkboard Champion Jemelleh Coes, click on this link to her website:  Educator For Equity.