Tag Archives: Foreign Language Teachers

Ohio’s Helen Maria Chesnutt: Latin teacher, author, and notable African American

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Helen Maria Chesnutt was an African American teacher of Latin. She was also the author of a praiseworthy Latin textbook. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many excellent educators have taught in our nation’s public schools. One of these is Helen Maria Chesnutt, a secondary teacher in Washington, DC, and notable African American.

Helen was born on Dec. 6, 1880, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. When she was still a child, her family relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Central High School there in 1897.

As a young woman, Helen and her sister Ethel enrolled at Smith College, a private women’s liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. The sisters were the first to integrate that college. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1902. In 1925 she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Latin from Columbia University in New York City.

Once she earned her degree, Helen inaugurated her career as an educator at her alma mater, Central High School in Cleveland, in 1905. She first taught biology and Algebra, and later taught Latin for many years there. In fact, one of her students was celebrated poet Langston Hughes. Her career at Central High continued until 1943.

In addition to her duties in the classroom, Helen co-authored a beginner’s Latin textbook entitled The Road to Latin. The volume was originally published in 1932 to positive reviews, and was republished in 1938, 1945, and 1949.. The book emphasized oral presentation of Latin, intensive rather than extensive reading, and a paraphrase method.

After her retirement, Helen authored a biography of her father titled Charles Waddell Chesnutt: Pioneer of the Color Line in 1952. She was also an active member of the American Philological Association for many years. She was elected to their Executive Committee in 1920.

Sadly, Helen passed away on Aug. 7, 1969. She was 88 years old. In 2018, she was featured in an exhibition at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC. The exhibit celebrated the role of African Americans in classics.

Lydia Aholo taught traditional language to Native Hawaiian students

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Lydia Kaonohiponiponiokalani Aholo taught courses in Native Hawaiian language and culture. Photo Credit: Kamehameha Schools Archives

I always enjoy sharing stories about educators who have worked with indigenous groups of students. One of these educators was Lydia Kaonohiponiponiokalani Aholo, a Native Hawaiian teacher who taught aspects of the traditional culture to other indigenous Hawaiian students.

Lydia was born on February 6, 1878, in the little town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. She was the third child born to mother Keahi Aholo, who died when Lydia was only six years old, and father Luther Aholo, the Secretary to John Owen Dominis, who was serving as the Governor of Maui at the time. Dominis was the husband of Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Islands. The royal adopted Lydia, even over the strong objections of her husband and other members of her family.

As a young girl, Lydia attended first Kawaiahao Female Seminary, and then Kamehameha School, a private school for Native Hawaiian girls. In fact, she was a member of the first graduating class for girls in 1897. She then studied Music and Secretarial Sciences at Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music located in Oberlin, Ohio.

Once she returned to the Islands, Lydia accepted a teaching position at her alma mater, Kamehameha School for Girls. She worked under Principal Ida May Pope. There Lydia taught the Hawaiian language. As a teacher, former students and family members described her as very strict about matters of etiquette and the proper way to conduct oneself in public. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Lydia performed secretarial services as a stenographer and accountant, and she also worked for the Hawaiian Homes Commission and for the Federal Credit Union as a Secretary-Treasurer. She retired from the teaching profession at the age of 75.

All of her life, Lydia’s talent for. music was well-known, particularly in the area of traditional Hawaiian songs. She served as a mentor to her grand-nephew, Alfred Apaka, Jr, and instructed him in the proper enunciation, phrasing, and interpretation of traditional Hawaiian songs. In addition she became the Director of the Liahona Glee Club, which had been organized in the 1920s.

Lydia Aholo never married or had children of her own. She passed away on July 7, 1979. She was 101 years old. She is interred at Nuuanu Memorial Park. To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link to Kaiwakiloumoku Indigenous Institute.

Florida’s Dr. Brenda Snipes: Teacher, administrator, and public official

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Retired teacher and administrator Brenda Snipes served for 15 years as the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many public officials have also served their community as teachers in public schools. One of these is Dr. Brenda Snipes, a former high school teacher who served for many years as the Broward County Supervisor of Elections.

Brenda was born on Oct. 24, 1943, in Talladega, Alabama. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Modern Foreign Languages from Talladega University. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida Atlantic University. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Brenda inaugurated her career as an educator in 1964, when she accepted a position as a French teacher at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida. Over the next four decades, she worked with students of all ages, including elementary through adult education and vocational education. For some years, she served as the principal of Robert Markham Elementary School in Pompano Beach. As an administrator, Brenda developed training programs to identify and nurture potential future leaders in the school system. After a career that spanned a total of 39 years, Brenda retired from the teaching profession  in 2003.

From 2003 to 2018, Brenda was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to replace Mariam Oliphant as the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. The former teacher was re-elected to the position in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. In this role, she established a voter registration booth for permanent legal residents newly sworn in as American citizens to register to vote. She obtained new voter equipment, worked to create an initiative to teach voters how to use the equipment, and invested heavily in staff and poll-worker training. She advertised upcoming elections by appearing on television, radio shows, and billboards and by having a voter outreach coordinator. Brenda retired from her position as Supervisor of Elections in 2018.

Brenda passed away on Nov. 2, 2023 in Pembroke Park, Florida, following a short illness. She was 80 years old. She is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Talladega.

 

Illinois teacher Irene Hunt became an acclaimed author

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Illinois teacher Irene Hunt became an acclaimed author. Photo credit: Bookologymagazine.com

Many teachers are familiar with the historical novels of Irene Hunt: Across Five Aprils, Up a Road Slowly, and The Lottery Rose, for example. But did you know that she was also a distinguished teacher?

Irene was born on May 18, 1907, in Pontiac, Illinois. As a young girl, she spent a great deal of time with her grandfather, who spent countless hours recounting stories of his childhood during the Civil War. These stories eventually became the basis of her historical novels.

Irene earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana, in 1939, and her Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 1946. She taught English and French in public schools in Oak Park, Illinois, from 1930 to 1945. For the next four years she taught psychology at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion. Then she returned to teaching in public schools in Cicero, Illinois, from 1950 to 1969, when she retired to write full time.

Irene’s first book, and her signature work, was Across Five Aprils, published in 1964, when she was 57 years old. The volume garnered high critical acclaim, winning the Follett Award and being named the sole Newbery honor book of 1965 by the American Library Association. It was followed by Up a Road Slowly, published in 1966, which received the Newbery Medal, among other honors.

Irene was a pro at using historical novels in the classroom. She once said, “While teaching social studies to junior high school students, I felt that teaching history through literature was a happier, more effective process.”

Irene Hunt passed away on Mary 18, 2001. It was her 94th birthday. To read more about her, see this biography at Bookology.

Washington, DC’s Edna Burke Jackson: Educator, author, and activist

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Edna Burke Jackson, an educator, author, and activist from Washington, DC, was the first Black woman to teach at the prestigious all-white Woodrow Wilson High School in her home city. Photo credit: The Washington Post

Many talented classroom teaches have also worked diligently to promote the interests of African Americans in our country. One of these was Edna Burke Jackson, an educator and activist from Washington, DC. She was the first Black woman to teach at the prestigious all-white Woodrow Wilson High School in her home city.

Edna was born Jan. 25, 1911, in Washington, DC. As a young woman, she attended Dunbar High School, a school for African American students. She graduated in 1928, valedictorian of her class. She then enrolled on a scholarship at Howard University, where she studied Romance languages, especially French, and social studies. There she earned first her Bachelor’s degree, and then her Master’s degree. Later she completed graduate courses at Howard University, Cornell, and Catholic University.

In 1934, Edna relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she accepted a position as a teacher at Booker T. Washington High School. In the six years she taught there, she founded the school’s Language Department and became the Department Chair. In 1940, the veteran educator returned to Washington, DC, where she was hired to teach at Cardozo High School. She worked there until 1954.

In 1954, Edna and colleague Archie Lucas, a chemistry teacher, were hired as the first African American teachers hired to work at the prestigious, all-white Woodrow Wilson High School. The pair were hired even though Wilson High remained segregated, unlike six other public high schools in the city of DC. As one of the only two Black educators on the staff, Edna faced scathing racism from her White colleagues. In 1955, Wilson High finally integrated. At Wilson, Edna taught European and World History.

Edna taught at the school for more than 20 years, until her retirement in 1976. During those years, she advocated for increased enrollment of African American students, and for the inclusion of courses in Black Studies to the curriculum.

In addition to her talents in the classroom, this amazing Chalkboard Champion was also an excellent writer. During the 1930’s, she authored a weekly column in the Oklahoma Eagle, a prominent African American newspaper in Tulsa. From 1959 to 1970, she wrote book reviews for the Journal of Negro History in Washington, DC.

Edna Burke Jackson passed away on Feb. 21, 2004. She was 93 years old. To read more about her, see the obituary published by the Washington Post.