Tag Archives: History Teachers

History teacher Edith Jordan Gardner championed many causes

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High school history teacher and social activist Edith Jordan Gardner worked to secure the right to vote for women. Photo Credit: Public Domain

In American history, there are many examples of excellent educators who are dedicated not only to their students, but also to the important social causes of their day. Edith Jordan Gardner, a California history teacher, is one of these. She was a social activist who championed many important causes  including education reform, women’s suffrage, environmental issues, and international causes.

Edith Jordan was born on Feb. 17, 1877, in Indianapolis Indiana. Her father, David Starr Jordan, was a prominent professor of natural history at North Western Christian University. Sadly, her mother, Susan Bowen, passed away when Edith was only eight years old. Edith was a young teenager in 1891 when she moved to California because her father accepted a post as the first President of newly-opened Stanford University. Six years later, Edith graduated from the fledgling university. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in History there in 1897. She earned her Master’s degree from Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, in 1901.

Once she earned her degrees,, Edith inaugurated her career as an educator in California schools. She taught at various school throughout the state, including Marlborough Preparatory School in Los Angeles, Salinas High School in Salinas, and Los Angeles Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles, and John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley. By all accounts, Edith was a captivating classroom lecturer. When she developed her course curriculum, she incorporated aspects of art, architecture, archeology, and additional lessons she learned from her extensive overseas travels into her lessons.

Edith was interested in a number of important causes during her day. She worked towards securing needed relief for the Belgian people, raising awareness about pressing political issues in India, and environmental issues. During this period, Edith married Nathaniel Gardner a respected professor of botany at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1915.

In addition to her work as a teacher and social activist, Edith served as the Chairman of the Department of Legislation Oakland Forum, and the League of Women Voters. She was elected President of the Southern California Social Science Association, and served as a member of the Standard Women’s Club, the Berkeley City Club, the Town and Gown Club, and the Cornell Women’s Club of Northern California, among others.

Chalkboard Champion Edith Gardner passed away on June 16, 1965, in Redwood City, California. She was 88 years old.

Mary Ann Esposito: Teacher, chef, television host, and cookbook author extraordinaire

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Former high school history teacher Mary Ann Esposito became an internationally-renowned chef, television host, and cookbook author. Photo Credit: pdaspeakers.com

Many talented teachers can boast of successes outside of the classroom. This is true of Mary Ann Esposito, a former high school teacher who became an internationally-renowned chef, television host, and cookbook author.

Mary Ann was born on Aug. 3, 1942, in Buffalo, New York. As a young girl, she spent her childhood in the kitchens of both her Italian grandmothers—one from Sicily and the other from Naples—learning their techniques for producing delicious and nutritious Italian dishes.

After her 1960 graduation from St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster, Mary Ann earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in 1964 from what was then Rosary Hill College in Amherst, New York. The school is now known as Daemen College. She then taught history at the high school level for a few years. After she discovered her passion for Italian cooking, Mary Ann earned a Master’s degree in Food History with a specialty in Italian Renaissance cooking from the University of New Hampshire. That was in 1991.

Mary Ann inaugurated her career as a teacher-chef when she accepted a position to instruct cooking courses through the Continuing Education Department at the University of New Hampshire. In the mid-1980s, she submitted a proposal for a cooking show to New Hampshire Public Television. In 1989, the accomplished educator launched Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, a thirty-minute cooking show produced for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The show, which ultimately ran for 30 years, featured Mary Ann’s recipes and cooking tips and visits from guest chefs. Mary Ann has also appeared on The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, Martha Stewart Radio, the Food Network, the Discovery Channel, FOX, Pax, and RAI International (Italian television). And as if that whirlwind of appearances were not enough, she has also published 13 cookbooks, plus she maintains several social media accounts plus her Ciao Italia website, which features nearly 2,000 recipes, instructional videos, commentaries, cultural facts, and personal stories.

Ever the educator, Mary Ann has taught in numerous cooking schools throughout Italy over the decades. She has also taught an online credit course at Boston University’s Metropolitan Campus, and she has been part of the Seminar in the Arts program for close to 30 years. She is a regular contributor to Boston University’s School of Lifelong Learning program, as well as a Board Member of Cordon Bleu, the Atlantic Culinary Academy, and she is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier.

For her work in the culinary industry, Mary Ann has earned many accolades. She received Johnson and Wales University’s Distinguished Author Award, and in 2006, St. Anselm College awarded her an honorary doctorate for her dedication to teaching and preserving authentic Italian cuisine. She received the Order of the Star of Italy Cavaliere from the President of the Italian Republic, and the Premio Artusi award for her work in promoting Italian food. The Italian Trade Commission named her a Hall of Fame honoree, and The Order Sons of Italy in America presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Culinary & Cultural Arts of Italy.

To learn more about this remarkable teacher-chef, click on this link to an article published in 2020 by the St. Anthony Messenger. You can also check out her website, Ciao Italia.

 

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.