Tag Archives: English Teachers

Adelaide Cumming, the iconic face of Betty Crocker, was also an English teacher

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The image of Betty Crocker, an American icon in the 1950’s, was actually Adelaide Cumming, an English teacher who taught English as a Second Language learners. Photo credit: General Mills

Betty Crocker was an icon of America womanhood in the 1950’s, but did you know the marketing image of the famous housewife was actually that of Adelaide Hawley Cumming, an English teacher?

This remarkable educator portrayed the fictional Betty Crocker on a weekly half-hour television show called The Betty Crocker Show. She also starred in walk-on commercials on the Burns & Allen Show, where comedian George Burns would say to his wife, “I don’t know how to bake a cake, Gracie, but here is Betty Crocker to show us how.”

Adelaide was born in 1905 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. A vaudeville performer and broadcast pioneer, Adelaide majored in piano and voice at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, New York. Following her graduation from college, she taught music for two and a half years at the Alabama College School of Music in Montevallo, Alabama.

From 1937 to 1950, the talented teacher was the host of the Adelaide Hawley Program, first on NBC radio and then on CBS. At the height of her career, Adelaide was a nationally recognized figure, second only to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. According to Adelaide’s daughter, Marcia Hayes, the teacher and actress was a feminist in her private life, and was not especially fond of cooking. “I am merely the manifestation of a corporate image,” she once told autograph-seeking fans. She practiced her autograph as Betty Crocker by copying the signature from the top of the cake mix box.

When General Mills replaced her with a more updated image in 1964, Adelaide went back to school, earning a doctorate in speech education from New York University in 1967. She taught English to second-language learners in Washington state until her death at age 93 in 1998, a career as an educator that spanned nearly thirty years.

To read more about the marketing of Betty Crocker, see this article entitled Betty Crocker: A Brief Biography.

Shauna Waters named Mississippi’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Shauna Waters of Collinsville, Mississippi, has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Shauna Waters

I am always excited to share the story of a public school teacher who has earned recognition for their work I the classroom. Today, I share the story of Shauna Waters, a high school teacher from Collinsville, Mississippi. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Shauna teaches Dual enrollment English Composition 1 and Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition at West Lauderdale High School in Collinsville. She also serves as her school’s Academic Team sponsor, newspaper advisor, and National Honor Society advisor. As if all that were not enough, she has served as a reader for the AP English Literature and Composition national exam in 2010, 2011, and 2014 – 2023.

In her classroom, Shauna says she seeks to ensure students build flexibility by developing 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

In addition to her work at West Lauderdale, Shauna has taught in the Intensive English Program at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and in the Aichi University’s Comparative Cultures Department in Toyohashi, Japan. 

Her selection as Mississippi’s 2025 Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Shauna has earned. She has been honored as a Mississippi STAR teacher seven times; a Yale Educator; and a US Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher. She is also a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG), a professional honor society of women educators.

Shauna earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Mississippi State University with a minor in Spanish. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University. Currently, she is pursuing an educational specialist degree in educational leadership at William Carey University. She has been a teacher since 2001.
 

 

 

PA English teacher Ashlie Crosson named 2025 National Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to English teacher Ashlie Crosson of Mifflin County High School in Pennsylvania. She has been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year!

Ashie earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Susquehanna University in 2011. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Pennsylvania State University in 2015. In addition, she earned a Gifted Certificate from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 2023.

The National Teacher of the Year Program is the most prestigious teacher recognition program in the country. Each year, the program provides a new group of State Teachers of the Year with professional learning and development experiences designed to increase each educator’s leadership skills while celebrating their talents and commitment as extraordinary teachers. From the group of State Teachers of the Year, one teacher is selected to be the National Teacher of the Year.

Here is an inspirational video about Ashlie for you to watch:

Jr high English teacher Erika Garza-Silva garners prestigious humanities award

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Junior high school English teacher Erika Garza-Silva Texas has garnered a 2024 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award. Photo credit: flour Bluff ISD

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an outstanding educator who has earned accolades for her work in the classroom. Today I share the story of Erika Garza-Silva, a Language Arts teacher from Texas. She has been recognized by Texas Humanities with a prestigious 2024 Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award.

Erika teaches Language Arts at Flour Bluff Junior High School in Corpus Christi. In addition, she serves as her school’s Language Arts Department Chair and she fills the role of the University Interscholastic League Coordinator.

“I strive each and every day to be the teacher that sees beyond labels, language barriers, or economic status and only sees a student who is full of possibilities,” declares Erika. “It is not only because I know what it feels like to be treated differently, but because I know first-hand what can happen when a teacher believes in you,” she continues.

To achieve her goals, Erika incorporates cross-curricular activities and project-based learning into her learning program. For example, her students explore 1960s culture by analyzing song lyrics, researching fashion, dressing up, and tie-dying old T-shirts. Erika believes these immersive activities enhance her students’ understanding of course material and help them feel more connected to the characters in the readings that have been assigned.

This outstanding educator is obviously well-respected by her colleagues. “Erika Garza-Silva’s consistent devotion to her students, community, and school makes her such a valuable asset to education,” says Brooke Zepeda, Intervention Specialist at Flour Bluff Junior High School. “As head of the English Department, she has led her team to achieve record-high ELA STAAR scores and is a phenomenal role model for the teachers she leads. As a bilingual educator, she also helps tremendously with our English as a Second Language (ESL) program, working with eighth-grade ESL students to ensure they are excelling in their classes,” Brooke continues. “Erika embodies strength, dignity, and compassion in every aspect of her work,” she concludes.

Well done, Erika!

To learn more about Humanities Texas, click on this link to their website.

 

Mikaela Saelua named American Samoa’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Mikaela Saelua of American Samoa has been named her territory’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, and one of four finalists for 2025 National Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Marion Malena

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work with young people. Today I share the story of Mikaela Saelua, a high school English teacher from American Samoa. She has been named her territory’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, and one of four finalists for 2025 National Teacher of the Year.

Mikaela teaches English to seniors, juniors, and sophomores at Leone High School in the villages of Vailoatai and Leone in the Western District of American Samoa. In addition, she is the class advisor for the senior class, the club advisor for the Forestry Club, the Peer Leaders Club, and the school’s volleyball coach.

As if all that were not enough, Mikaela fills the position of Department Chair of the school’s English Department, she leads the campus professional learning community, and serves as the Head of the campus Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Self-Study Team. And she is a National Pacific American Leadership Institute fellow as well as a former Executive Leadership Development Program fellow.

For her Samoan students who are learning the English language, Mikaela strives to design curriculum the goes beyond mere reading and writing. One of her favorite ways to do this is with a song translation project. In what culminates in music videos, her students learn figurative idioms, metaphors, and words to capture the soul of Samoan songs. “The goal isn’t just to teach them English,” Mikaela says, “it’s to help them appreciate and express themselves in a way that feels true to who they are.”

Mikaela earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Studies from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.