Tag Archives: Foreign Language Teachers

Marilyn Barrueta: 2005 Inductee into Teachers Hall of Fame

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Spanish-language educagtor marilyn Barrueta of Virigina was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2005. Photo credit: National Tewachers Hall of Fame.

It is always a wonderful thing when an exceptional educator is recognized for their endeavors. The recognition inspires the rest of us to work harder. I certainly experienced such inspiration when I read the story of Marilyn Barrueta, a Spanish-language teacher from Virginia. This innovative and tireless educator was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2005, after a lengthy and illustrious career that spanned 48 years.

Marilyn was born November 28, 1935. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1957, and completed graduate work at several distinguished institutions, including Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Virginia.

For many years, Marilyn taught Spanish, Advanced Placement Spanish, and Spanish for Native Speakers at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia. Prior to working at Yorktown High, Marilyn taught English as a second language, math, and social studies at Stratford Junior High School in Virginia. Marilyn also taught summer school sessions for Arlington’s adult education program.

“She challenged me beyond just the classroom,” remembered Marilyn’s former student Julianne Koch, “and when I look back at how much I have grown in the past several years, I know much of it is because of her.”

This very impressive educator was also greatly admired by her peers, and several took the occasion of her induction to express their admiration. “Most impressive to me,” expressed Bill A. Heller, Department Chair of Perry High School, “is Marilyn’s tireless pursuit of knowledge. Through the lens of her experience, she is able to examine and evaluate the most promising new research, techniques and materials, and integrate those new findings with the very best of her vast repertoire of highly effective classroom-tested activities.”

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on November 4, 2010, in McLean, Virginia. She was 74 years old.

CA’s Romaine Washington: Educator and acclaimed poet

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Many talented classroom teachers also find notoriety as authors. One of these is Romaine Washington, a California educator who has earned acclaim as a poet. (Photo credit: www.romainewashington.com)

Many talented classroom teachers also find notoriety as authors. One of these is Romaine Washington, a California educator who has earned acclaim as a poet.

Romaine was born and raised in San Bernardino in Southern California. As a latch key kid afflicted with asthma, she spent many after-school hours reading. And even as a youngster, her gift for poetry earned special attention from her teachers.

As an adult, Romaine earned her Bachelor’s degree in French from California State University, San Bernardino. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. She is a fellow of the Inland Area Writing Project (IAWP), a program that offers teachers additional training in instructional practices for writing sponsored by the University of California, Riverside.

After earning her degrees, Romaine worked as a high school teacher. It was in her first year that she completed the IAWP program. “I was invited back to be a workshop presenter and then a facilitator for the summer program,” she recalled. “For two years, I was poet-in-resident,” she continued. She also accepted a position to teach as an adjunct in the Cultural Language and Diversity Program  at her alma mater, Azusa Pacific. In all, her career as an educator has spanned over 20 years.

Romaine has published two books of poetry, including Sirens in Her Belly (2015) and Purgatory Has An Address, which is due to be released in April of this year. Her work has been published in a wide variety of anthologies and periodicals, including San Bernardino Singing, Lullwater Review, and Cholla Needles. She also contributes to the Inlandia Institute, an organization that offers creative writing classes for adults in the Inland Empire of Southern California. In addition, she has presented her work in a wide variety of venues from National Poetry Slam, National Public Radio, and her local radio station KPFK.

To learn more about Romaine, see her website at  www.romainewashington,com.

Arkansas teacher, coach Sean Fletcher succumbs to Covid

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With sadness another educator has been lost to Covid. Sean Fletcher, a German teacher and coach succumbed to the disease on Dec. 12, 2020. Photo credit: Legacy.

With great sadness I report the passing of yet another educator we have lost to Covid. Sean Fletcher, a high school German teacher and coach, succumbed to the disease on December 12, 2020. He was only 49 years old.

Sean was born on July 26, 1971, in Mountain Home, Arkansas. He graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1989. As a young man, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in German Language and Literature in 1993. While in college, he was involved in student government and Theta Chi, Order of Omega.

Sean taught German and History in the Yellville-Summit School District. His career was inaugurated in 1998. He also donated his time as an Assistant Coach for the Yellville-Summit Panthers Baseball team and the Pee-Wee basketball team. He retired in 2020.

This amazing educator will surely be missed by all who knew him.  “Mr. Fletcher was an amazing teacher and coworker,” recalls colleague Rebecca Gates. “He always had us laughing in class. When I started teaching, he welcomed me with open arms and was always willing to answer any questions I had. Parent Walter Severs agrees. “Sean was a very good and beyond good teacher. His influence will be felt through his students and their influences for generations,” asserted Severs. “I first met Sean through our daughter, who was one of his many students. She always told me that he was one of the best teachers she ever had,” Severs continued. “Above all, he sincerely cared about his students and their futures. Sean will always be remembered and talked about in so many good ways for as long as there are memories,” Severs concluded.

The stricken teacher was considered by those who knew him as a true Arkansan who faithfully supported the Arkansas Razorbacks. Sean also spent a large amount of time studying his family’s genealogy.

To see Sean’s obituary, click on this link to the Legacy.

Mary Aguirre of Arizona: Trailblazer, pioneer, and teacher

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During the taming of the Wild West, many educators became trailblazers. One of these was Mary Aguirre, a pioneer teacher in Tucson, Arizona. Photo credit: Arizona Historical Society.

During the taming of the Wild West, many talented educators became trailblazers. One of these was Mary Aguirre. She was a pioneer and teacher in Tucson, Arizona.

Mary was born Mary Bernard in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Her early years were spent in Baltimore, Maryland, but later her family moved to Westport, Missouri, where her father owned a large store. At the age of 17, she enrolled in college. When the Civil War erupted, Mary supported the Southern cause.

In 1862, Mary married Epifanio Aguirre, a Mexican freighting contractor. The union produced three sons. In 1863, Epifanio and Mary moved with their children to the Southwest, where they settled in Las Cruces, New Mexico. During her travels, Mary kept a detailed journal. The account is considered an important documentary record of the time. By 1869, the family had relocated to Tucson, Arizona. The following year, Epifanio was killed in Sasabe, Arizona, during an Apache raid of a stagecoach. Following her husband’s death, Mary was forced for financial reasons to return to her parents’ home in Missouri.

Mary returned to Tucson in 1874. For the next four years, she taught in public schools in the Tucson area, including the Tucson Public School for Girls. In 1878, she transferred to Arivaca, 60 miles south of Tucson, where she became one of the first teachers on the faculty at the newly-established University of Arizona (UA). There she became the first woman professor, and she went on to Chair of the Departments of Spanish Language and the English History in 1885.

Sadly, Mary was seriously injured in a Pullman train crash in San Jose, California, in 1906. Two weeks after the accident, on May 24, she passed away.

For her work as a pioneer teacher of the Southwest, the University of Arizona awards a Women’s and Gender Studies professorship in Mary’s name every year. In 1983, she was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame.

To learn more about this trailblazer, pioneer, and teacher, see this online biography published by www.tucson.com.

New Mexico teacher Laura Escalanti succumbs to Covid-19

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With great sadness we report that yet another beloved educator has been lost to Covid-19. Laura Escalanti, a teacher at Pojoaque Valley Middle School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, succumbed to the disease on November 21, 2020. (Photo credit: Santa Fe New Mexican)

With great sadness we report that yet another beloved educator has been lost to Covid-19. Laura Escalanti, a teacher at Pojoaque Valley Middle School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, succumbed to the disease on Nov. 21, 2020. She was 69 years old.

For more than 20 years, Laura instructed courses in Spanish and the Tewa language at the middle school. In addition, she served on the planning team for Tewa Women United’s A’Gin Project.

The loss of this dedicated Native American educator has been keenly felt in the community, and in her Pueblo of San Ildefonso. “We lost a treasure,” remarked Joe Talachy, Governor of the Pojoaque Pueblo. “People like her are invaluable. It’s hard to find people with that kind of ambition, that kind of charisma and character that really gets through to our youth,” he declared.

As a young girl, Laura attended St. Catherine Indian School, where she graduated in 1968. She enrolled at the College of Santa Fe, but dropped out when she was a senior to get married. With her new husband, Laura moved to the Mescalero Apache Reservation, where she lived for 27 years. In 1995 she obtained a divorce and returned to her home town of Santa Fe.

When she returned to Santa Fe, Laura earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her Master’s degree in Multilingual/Multicultural Education. She accepted her first teaching position at her alma mater, St. Catherine Indian School, where she worked until 1998. The next year she relocated to Pojoaque Valley Middle School. Later Laura earned a second Master’s degree in Education Administration from New Mexico State University.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article published in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Educator Laura Escalanti, pictured in the back row, fourth from the left, with students from her Tewa Women United’s A’Gin Project. (Photo credit: Tewa Women United)