Tag Archives: History Teachers

Former LA teacher Dustin LaFont established, directs work force development program

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Former Louisiana History teacher Dustin LaFont established and directs Front Yard Bikes, a work force development program for young people. Photo Credit: Neighborhood Works America

Recently I stumbled across a story on CNN about a former Louisiana history teacher named Dustin LaFont. He established and directs Front Yard Bikes, a work force development program for young people in Baton Rouge.

Dustin, a participant in the nation’s AmeriCorp program, earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and his Master’s degree in Teaching, both from Louisiana State University. After earning his degrees, he taught sixth grade history and also served as a tutor with City Year Baton Rouge. As a public school teacher in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, Dustin witnessed first-hand how desperately the young people in his classroom needed a safe after-school space. And he knew from personal experience how crucial early support and intervention is. Through helping kids fix and build bicycles, Dustin saw all the opportunities to help meet those needs. That’s what led him to change the direction of his career.

The former teacher’s work with kids and bicycles was launched when a friend asked him to help a youngster fix his broken bicycle. The boy carried his badly damaged bike over to Dustin’s house. Dustin took one look at the bike, and said the thing was beyond hope. But he had another old bike which the two could work on together, right there in the front yard. Before long, kids were coming in droves to Dustin’s front yard, all seeking help to repair their bikes. The ultimate result was the nonprofit program Front Yard Bikes. After relocating to a run-down, abandoned, low-rent factory building, the youngsters quickly showed up, asking for help with building their own bicycles. Through the process, they learn real-world skills such as mechanics, welding, and cycling safety. And they also receive mentoring, academic support, and job training opportunities.

Dustin’s work with young people has earned him national attention. In addition to the CNN story, he was a featured TEDxLSU speaker, awarded the Blue Cross Blue Shield Angel Award, earned the Baton Rouge Business Reports 40 under 40, and received the Dorothy Richardson Award in Chicago.

Kudos, Dustin!

The country’s educators design Sept. 11 remembrances

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Chad Denis, a social studies teacher at Old Orchard Beach High School in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, is one of many educators around the country who is designing Sept. 11 remembrance lessons. Photo Credit: Portland Press Herald

Today marks the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and once again educators all over the country are contemplating what is the best approach to teaching about this enormous historic event in their classrooms.

For example, Chad Denis, who teaches government and history at Old Orchard Beach High School in Maine, was just hours into his first day of student teaching at Brewer High School when the nation came under attack on Sept. 11, 2001. He was already understandably nervous, but the events of the day set everyone on edge. Thinking back to that day, Chad said he didn’t fully understand the magnitude of what was happening until he went home that night. “I don’t think it hit the kids, either,” he said. “In 2001, kids didn’t have phones. They weren’t pulling up all that information on Twitter.”

Years later, Chad’s classroom is full of young before who hadn’t even been born yet when Sept. 11 events occurred. Every year, when the anniversary of the terror attacks comes around, he and professional educators around the country how best to instruct their students about what was an unforgettable personal experience, and also a catastrophic historic event for the nation.

Some schools continue to hold a moment of silence on the morning of Sept. 11. Chad often prepares a lesson that includes showing videos of Sept. 11 events. He also leads a discussion about how the terror attacks changed foreign policy.

Often, teachers approach the topic by sharing with students where they were when it happened and giving an overview of the events and the aftermath. They compare Sept. 11 to Pearl Harbor and talk about how both events changed the course of history in the United States. And, of course, many teachers include a message against harassment of the Muslim or Middle Eastern community, with the goal of preventing prejudice or misdirected anger.

Every teacher and every school community approaches a remembrance of Sept. 11  in their own way. And it is appropriate and necessary that we do this. Despite the personal cost at reliving the events of that tragic day, it’s important to continue to acknowledge what happened. We must remember the historic events that happened on Sept. 11, recognize the many acts of heroism that were displayed at the time, and, more importantly, honor the lives that were los that day.

Bill Grannell: Teacher, union organizer, and former member Oregon House of Reps

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There are many fine examples of hardworking educators who have served their communities in elected office. One of them is William “Bill” Grannell, a former history teacher who also served as a member of the Oregon State House of Representatives.

Bill was born on Jan. 6, 1938, in Denver, Colorado. After earning his degree at the University of Denver, Bill moved to Coos Bay, Oregon. He bought a boat and became a salmon fisherman. Later he taught history at North Bend Junior High School in North Bend. He also worked for a time as a union organizer for the National Education Organization.

In 1972, Bill was elected on the Democratic ticket to a seat on the Oregon State House of Representatives. There he represented the 4th District from 1973 to 1983. While in the Oregon House of Reps, he supported the right of public employees to bargain collectively. He also advocated for legislation that increased funding for schools and allowed for the production of natural resources, including timber, fishing, and mining resources. For part of his years of service he served as the Chairman of the Revenue Committee, even though he had previously he opposed a movement to impose a state sales tax. During the years Bill served in the Oregon House, he also published a weekly newspaper he called the Bay Reporter.

After Bill retired from his position in the Oregon House, he worked as a lobbyist with the Association of County Governments. Currently, at age 84, he lives in Oregon.

NJ teacher, counselor, and politician Priscilla B. Anderson

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New Jersey history teacher and guidance counselor Priscilla B. Anderson also served in the New Jersey State General Assembly. Photo Credit: ourcampaigns.com

Many excellent educators have also earned success as politicians. One of these is Priscilla B. Anderson, a public school teacher and guidance counselor from New Jersey who once served as an elected member of her state’s General Assembly.

Priscilla was born on Sept. 14, 1935, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After earning both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education, she worked as first a history teacher and then a guidance counselor in public schools in Trenton, New Jersey. Priscilla was known to have a special interesting young people and their contributions to the community. In fact, to recognize their service, she established the Willingboro Youth Achievement Awards to honor them.

Priscilla inaugurated her career as a politician in 1981 when she was elected to serve on the Willingboro Township Council in Burlington County, New Jersey. Subsequently she was elected mayor of the Township in 1984 and again in 1991. At that time she was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 7th Legislative District, where she served from 1992 to 1994. Priscilla was the first African American to be elected to the New Jersey State Legislature from Burlington County.

Once her term in the Assembly was completed, Priscilla served as a Commissioner on the Burlington County Bridge Commission. During her tenure, the Commission collected nearly $30 million annually in bridge tolls, oversaw a $41 million capital budget, and handled the county’s economic-development projects.

The retired history teacher and guidance counselor also published a book of local history entitled The History and Contributions of Black Americans to the Development of Willingboro. The volume has become an important resource for historians and sociologists studying her town’s history.

Today, Priscilla B. Anderson is 87 years old, and she resides in Philadelphia.

 

Teacher and activist Julia Flisch fought for equity for women

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History teacher and social activist Julia Flisch fought for equal education for girls in the late 19th century. Photo Credit: Georgia College

In my opinion, teachers are among the most dedicated proponents of social change in American society. Julia Flisch a Georgia teacher who fought for equal education for girls in the late 19th century, is a fine example of this.

Julia was born on Jan. 31, 1861, in Augusta, Georgia, the daughter of immigrants from Switzerland and Germany. She was raised in Athens, Georgia, where her father operated a candy store and ice cream parlor, and her mother was a homemaker. As a young girl, Julia had always dreamed of attending the all-male University of Georgia, but when she applied in 1869 she was denied admission because of her gender. Instead, she enrolled at Cooper Union New York City, where she studied secretarial skills. But it was the rejection from the University of Georgia that inspired her life-long campaign for women’s rights and higher education, as an educator and scholar, and also as a journalist and author.

While still a student, Julia spend her summers working as a school teacher. Eventually she was able to take courses at both Harvard University and the University of Chicago. In 1905, she opened a school at the University of Wisconsin, where by 1908 she had earned both a Bachelor’s and a Masters degree in History. After earning her degrees, Julia accepted a position at Tubman High School in August, where she taught for 17 years. Until the 1950s, Tubman was the area’s only public high school for girls. Later Julia served as the first female instructor at the Junior College of Augusta.

Throughout her years in the classroom, Julia was a hardworking teacher dedicated to the success of her students. During this period, she advocated for collective bargaining rights for teachers, which had been unheard of before her time. She also actively lobbied for women’s suffrage and state grants to pay for women’s higher education. Her rallying cry was “Give the girls a chance!”

To advance her campaign for women’s education, Julia published an anonymous letter to the editor in 1882 in the Augusta Chronicle which called for opportunities for women to pursue financial and social independence. She also spread her message through fiction, and her first novel, Ashes of Hopes, which depicted the story of three young women searching for independence, was published in 1886. The effort earned wide acclaim.

Julia Flisch passed away on March 17, 1941. After her passing, this Chalkboard Champion was described as having accomplished “more than than any other person to advance the cause of women’s education in the state of Georgia.” In 1994, she was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement.

To read more about Julia Flisch, see this article about her published in the New Georgia Encyclopedia.