Tag Archives: History Teachers

Former child star Christopher Castile now teaches in California

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Former child star Christopher Castile says teaching is his true calling. He now teaches high school US History in California. Photo Credit: the Downey Legend

Many individuals who are talented actors go on to become excellent classroom teachers. One of these is Christopher Castile, a former child star who now teaches both at the high school and at the college level in California.

Christopher was born on June 15, 1980, in Orange County in Southern California. His career in acting began when he was only seven years old. He did a number of television commercials. But he earned his greatest fame for his role as Ted Newton in the 1992 family comedy Beethoven and the subsequent 1993 sequel Beethoven’s 2nd. He also portrayed Mark Foster in 160 episodes of the hit ABC television sitcom Step by Step. The show ran for seven seasons, from 1992 to 1998. In 1991, Christopher also appeared in three episodes of the ABC sitcom Going Places, where he portrayed Sam Roberts, in addition to numerous other appearances. Christopher also voiced the character of Eugene Horowitz on the Nickelodeon series Hey Arnold!

When Christopher’s career in acting came to a conclusion, he earned first a Bachelor’s and then a Master’s degree, both from California State University at Long Beach. He then accepted a position at Downey High School in Downey, California, where he currently teaches US History. He also teaches political science courses at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

In addition to acting, Christopher is also an author. He published his autobiography for young adults entitled Being You is Most Definitely Cool in 1996.

Christopher once said that, despite his success as an actor, teaching is his true calling. He revealed that he finds teaching far more fulfilling than acting. He always finds a way to fill his class with humor and a positive environment, he says, and this makes his students pay attention and truly understand the lessons.

He also admits that teaching high school is more challenging than teaching at the college level. “Being a high school teacher, I actually have to be good at what I do,” he confessed. “In college it’s up to the students to get the material. Being a college professor, you don’t necessarily have to be good at teaching, but know what you’re talking about.”

To read more about Christopher Castile, see this story published by The Downey Legend.

 

NY teacher Herbert Parmat: A major historian of American politics

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High school social studies teacher and college professor Herbert Parmat earned acclaim as the author of many well-received biographies of American presidents. Photo Credit: The Portal to Texas History

Many talented educators have earned acclaim as accomplished authors. One of these is Herbert Parmat, a high school social studies teacher and historian who wrote many well-received biographies of American presidents. In fact, he has been described as a major historian of the American presidency and politics.

Herbert was born on Aug. 28, 1929, in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. As a youngster, he attended DeWitt Clinton High School in New York, graduating in 1948. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at State University of New York, Oswego, in 1951, and his Master’s degree from Queens College in 1957. During these years, Herbert also completed a stint in the US Army, where he served from 1952 to 1954, achieving the rank of Corporal.

In the 1960s, Herbert taught social studies at North Babylon High School in Long Island, and then at Mineola High School in Mineola in Long Island. At Mineola, he served as the school’s Social Studies Department. He also taught history courses at the Graduate Center of City University of New York and at Queensborough Community College. By all accounts, Herbert was an outstanding classroom teacher, dynamic and charismatic. When he retired in 1995, the former high school teacher was named a Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

While teaching at Mineola, Herbert decided to tackle a writing project with colleague Marie B. Hecht. The pair authored their first biography, Aaron Burr: Portrait of an Ambitious·Man (1967). Together, they also wrote Never Again: A President Runsfor a Third Term: Roosevelt versus Wi/lkie, 1940 (1968). This was followed by a pioneering biography, Eisenhower and the American Crusades (1972). Next, Herbert wrote The Democrats: The Years After FDR (1976). In a return to the biography genre, he authored Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy (1980) and JFK: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy (1983). Next, he penned the biographies Richard Nixon and His America (1990) and George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee (1997). His later works were Presidential Power from the New Deal to the New Right (2002) and a return to an earlier biographical subject in Richard M. Nixon: An American Enigma (2008).

This outstanding educator passed away on Jan. 25, 2017, in Newton, Massachusetts. He was 87 years old. To read more about Herbert Parmat, click on this link to History News Network.

Former history teacher Jesse Williams known for role on Grey’s Anatomy

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Former high school History teacher Jesse Williams earned fame for his role as Dr. Jackson Aver yon the television show Grey’s Anatomy. Photo Credit: The Things

You may be familiar with the actor Jesse Williams, who portrayed Dr. Jackson Avery on the television show Grey’s Anatomy. But did you know that before his success as an actor, he was a public school teacher in Pennsylvania?

Jesse was born on August 5, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a professional ceramics artist and a factory worker. By the time he graduated from high school, both of his parents were employed as public school teachers.

As a young man, Jesse attended Temple University, where he completed the requirements for a double major in African American Studies and Film & Media Arts. He then worked for six years as a high school teacher in Philadelphia public schools, instructing courses in History, American Studies, African Studies, and English. Although he spent most of his teaching career at the secondary level, Jesse also worked with kindergartners and seventh graders.

“High school is my favorite just because of my ability to connect with the students,” Jesse once confessed. “I think it stems from the fact that high school was a real shift, a real fork in the road for me as a student, and it helped me get on the right track. It was a real hinge point in my life, so I think that’s what drew me to it,” he revealed. “But kindergarten was a lot of fun. Always an adventure, it certainly helped me prepare more for parenthood than anything else. I totally felt like Kindergarten Cop,” he concluded.

In addition to Grey’s Anatomy, Jesse has appeared in numerous other television shows, including Law and Order in 2006; Beyond the Break in 2006; Seattle Grace in 2010; and Station 19 in 2020. He also garnered roles in several films, including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2008; Brooklyn’s Finest in 2010; and Jacob’s Ladder in 2019. The former teacher can also be seen in several music videos, including Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” (2009), Jay-Z’s “Legacy” (2017); and Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me” (2017).

Even though Jesse no longer works as a professional educator, he still supports educational programs. He has coordinated with the platform Scholly to create scholarship opportunities for low-income students. He also supports Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Magic Johnson Foundation, and Amnesty International. For his philanthropic efforts, Jesse earned a BET Humanitarian Award in 2016.

 

Jerad Koepp of Washington named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations are due to History and Social Studies teacher Jerad Koepp of Washington, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.  Photo Credit: North Thurston Public Schools

Congratulations are due to History and Social Studies teacher Jerad Koepp of Washington, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Jerad, a Native American who is also known by the name of Wukchumni, has been a teacher of Native American education for over 12 years. Since 2013 he has served as the Native student program specialist for North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, Washington. In this role, he provides cultural and academic support for approximately 230 Native American students from more than 50 tribes, nations, bands, and villages enrolled in the 22 schools within the district. His students can be found at all grade levels from kindergarten to high school seniors, and in schools throughout the district. “My classroom is indoors, outdoors, in a commons or cafeteria, sometimes a library,” Jerad says. “My classroom is wherever learning is happening.”

In addition to his work in the classroom, Jerad serves as the district’s tribal liaison. He also provides training and support for colleagues, designing, leading, and presenting numerous workshops to help create culturally-responsive programs for school districts, state agencies, organizations, and institutions of higher education. He obviously takes the work he does for area Native Americans very seriously. “Public education still has a long ways to go, but in Washington state we’ve been making steady progress,” declares Jerad. “Especially with the implementation of the Since Time Immemorial curriculum, which is a statewide mandate to teach tribal history and sovereignty in our education system,” he explained. “It’s a great resource that’s been approved by all 29 tribes.”

Jerad earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2004 in Native Education in 2004 and his Master’s degree specializing in Native Education in 2008, both from Evergreen State College located in Olympia, Washington.

 

Ohio’s Kurt Russell named the 2022 National Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to Kurt Russell, a high school history teacher from Oberlin High School in Ohio, who has just been named the 2022 National Teacher of the Year! Here he is in his appearance on CBS Mornings on April 19, 2022, being interviewed by co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil, and Nate Burleson.