Tag Archives: English Teachers

Marie Poulson: Teacher and member of Utah House of Reps

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Marie Poulson, former high school English and History teacher, has also served her community in the Utah House of Representatives.  Photo credit: mariepoulson.org

Many fine educators go on to distinguished careers in politics. One of these is Marie Poulson, a high school English and History teacher who has also served her community in the Utah House of Representatives.

Marie was born and raised in Springville, Utah. After her graduation from Springville High School, she enrolled at Brigham Young University,  where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in both English and History. She also earned her teacher’s credentials there.

After teaching one year at Provo High School, Marie moved with her husband to first San Francisco, California, and then to Germany. When she returned from Germany in 1990, Marie resumed her career as an educator. She taught English and History first at Mount Jordan Middle School in Sandy, then Bingham High School in South Jordan, and finally at Riverton High School in Riverton. Marie’s career in Utah’s public schools has spanned 16 years.

In 2008, the former teacher was elected on the Democratic ticket to serve in the Utah House of Representatives to serve the 46th district. She has served in this role since January 1, 2009. During her tenure in the House, the former teacher served on the House Education Committee; the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee; the House Ethics Committee; the Health Reform Task Force; and the House Political Subdivisions Committee. She also served on the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Commission.

In addition to her career as a teacher and her work as a politician, Marie has served as a scout leader, a school volunteer, and a coach. She has also organized canned food drives for the Utah Food Bank and made several trips to New Orleans to aid Hurricane Katrina victims.

Revisiting Erin Gruwell and The Freedom Writers Diary

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Just about everyone has heard of the best-selling nonfiction book The Freedom Writers Diary, written by high school English teacher Erin Gruwell and her class of inner-city students. This collection of student experiences, which will tug at any teacher’s heart strings, was also depicted in a highly-acclaimed movie starring Hollywood celeb Hilary Swank. I stumbled across this movie again on television just yesterday, and I was reminded once more of the importance a teacher plays in the lives of his or her students, whether they are low income or at-risk or not.

The setting of the story is an inner-city high school located in Long Beach, California. The volume was published in 1999, and it was an instant success. The story line still has relevance for those who are still in the teaching profession today. This book really zeroes in on some of the challenges our kids face when they are not in school, and how much a caring and dedicated teacher can help them overcome those challenges. The movie delves a little more into the personal life of this particular teacher, and aside from the suggestion that you have to work three jobs and give up your marriage to be a good teacher, it’s pretty inspiring. (Nobody could be more hardworking and persevering than teachers wrestling with the pandemic, in my opinion.)

What I think is truly amazing is that many high school students love this book just as much as teachers do! The Freedom Writers Diary is easy to find on amazon and at just about any brick-and-mortar bookstore. Any teacher who can find a few spare hours (I know, that’s impossible, right?) could find this book helpful for inspiration and rejuvenation. Perhaps you know someone who would welcome the book as a Christmas gift! Give it some thought!

Selena Torres: English teacher and member, Nevada State Assembly

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High school English teacher and member of the Nevada State Assembly Selena Torres of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Often excellent classroom teachers also achieve success in the political realm. One teacher who has done this is Selena Torres, an English teacher from Las Vegas, Nevada, who also serves as a member of her State Assembly.

Selena was born and raised in Las Vegas. Her father is an immigrant from El Salvador who came to this country to escape the civil war in his home country. Her mother is also a high school English teacher.

A member of Teach for America, Selena earned her Associate of Arts degree in Spanish from the College of Southern Nevada in 2014 and her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2016. She has been a member of the Kappa Delta Chi Sorority since 2015.

Since 2017, Selena has been employed as an English teacher by the Clark County School District. “In my classroom, I regularly speak with my students about their future after high school,” expressed Selena. “My students are eager to be productive members of our community but are often limited by the skills they are given in the classroom. Additionally, students find it difficult to navigate higher education and trade schools to pursue the career of their dreams,” she continued. “As a Nevada legislator, I continue to be a strong voice for Nevada students and advocate for legislation that puts our students and our future first,” she concluded.

The talented classroom teacher was elected to the Nevada State Assembly on the Democratic ticket.  She has represented District 3, which includes Clark County, since 2018. She is a member of the Education Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Legislative Operations and Elections Committee.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, check out her website at selenatorresnv.com.

Michigan teacher William Anderson earns fame as Wilder expert

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Teacher William Anderson of  Michigan earns fame as an expert on author and pioneer Laura Ingalls Wilder and the history of the American frontier.

Many fine classroom teachers earn fame in other professions. One of these is William Anderson, an English teacher from Michigan who has gained recognition as a specialist in the subject of author and pioneer Laura Ingalls Wilder and the history of the American frontier.

William, born in 1952, first became interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder when his third grade teacher introduced her class to the pioneer’s book Little House on the Prairie. “Hearing the Little House books read in elementary school transformed me into an avid reader, fascinated with all things historical,” William described. “I became a history teacher, a researcher, and writer, all because of the introduction to many great books read aloud by my teachers,” he said.

After high school, William enrolled at Albion College, a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. There he majored in English and history. While in college, he worked for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society in DeSmet, South Dakota, during his summer breaks. Later he served as the Director of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri.

William currently lives in southeast Michigan. Today, he teaches in the small town of Lapeer, Michigan. As an educator, he often laments that letter writing and reading aloud are lost arts. In the classroom, he asserts, it’s “almost taboo to read to children. It’s seen as a waste of time — it doesn’t impact test scores.”

But sharing the literature of Wilder is so valuable, William believes. “I think Laura provides us with a link to the past, to the pioneer days of American history,” he declares. “Children can feel and understand the past through her. I really think kids learn more about American History – especially about the way people lived day-to-day – from the Little House books than from any history textbook,” he continues.

For his work as a historian, William has garnered the Billington Award from the Western History Association, the Robinson Award from the South Dakota State Historical Society, and awards from the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2002, he was selected by former First Lady Laura Bush to speak about the frontier experience at her American Authors Symposia. He has also published articles for magazines such as Travel & Leisure, Highlights, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Saturday Evening Post. He is also a frequent speaker at conferences, libraries, schools, and historical events.

To learn more about William Anderson, see his website at williamandersonbooks.com.

Nebraska’s Megan Helberg named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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Nebraska’s Megan Helberg named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I enjoy sharing stories about educators who have earned accolades for their innovation in the classroom. One of these is Megan Helberg, an English teacher from Burwell, Nebraska.

Megan grew up on a ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. She graduated from Loup County Public School in Taylor, a rural district with a PK-12 enrollment of only about 70 students.

Megan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. She earned her teaching certificate through the Transition to Teach program at the University of Nebraska, Kearney.

Megan inaugurated her career as an educator at Papillion La Vista Community Schools in the Omaha metro area. Currently, she teaches English and Language Arts to grades 8, 11, and 12 at Burwell Junior/Senior High School in Burwell, Nebraska. She has taught there since 2010.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Megan serves as a Burwell Public School Leader in Technology Educator. She also served a stint as a Museum Teacher Fellow in Washington, DC. In 2013, Megan earned a grant from Fund for Teachers. She used the grant money to visit Holocaust sites in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. She also purchased educational materials for her classroom. “That’s really what started the Holocaust education program at our school,” recalled Megan. For her efforts, the innovative educator was named a Museum Teacher Fellow with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016.

To learn more about this talented educator, follow this link to the online story published by the University of Nebraska, Kearney.