Tag Archives: History Teachers

Educator and basketball coach Arnold Obey succumbs to Covid-19

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Educator Arnold Obey, center, coached boys varsity basketball at  Staten Island Academy for eight seasons. (Photo credit: Staten Island Advance)

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of several beloved educators. One of these is Arnold Obey, an accomplished teacher and principal from New York.

Arnold was born on March 5, 1947, in the Bronx, New York. He was the oldest of six children. As a young man, he was a star athlete on his school’s basketball team. He helped lead DeWitt Clinton High School to a 38-1 record, two public school city championship games, and one city title.

His  prowess was so impressive that he earned a basketball scholarship to Wagner College on Staten Island. During the years he attended Wagner, 1965 to 1968, the stellar athlete earned over 1,018 points cumulatively in his basketball games. He also participated in track and field, running the 100 and 200 yard dashes and a leg in the 4×400 yard relay. Also a long and triple jumper, Arnold established a school record in the triple jump with a leap of 44’ 11 ½.”. He held that record for over 30 years. In fact, he was inducted into Wagner’s Hall of Fame in 1991.

After college, Arnold served as an Assistant Basketball Coach at Wagner for three seasons. He also became the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach at Staten Island Boys Academy. There he guided his team for eight seasons, from 1977 to 1985.

After earning his college degree in 1968, Arnold inaugurated his career as an educator. He accepted a position as a history teacher in the Mariner’s Harbor neighborhood of Staten Island. Eventually he became the assistant principal at PS 16 in Tompkinsville. He also served as the principal of PS 31 in New Brighton, also on Staten Island. Arnold retired from the teaching professoin in 2002.

During his lengthy career in education, Arnold also established himself as an avid runner. He completed the NYC Marathon an astounding 38 times, even after suffering a stroke in 2012. His personal best time was 3 hours, 31 minutes.

Sadly, Arnold passed away from Covid-19 on March 22, 2020, while on vacation in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with his family. He was 73 years old. You can read his obituary published by the New York Times on March 30, 2020.

Educator Sue King: History teacher and founding member of DKG

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High school History teacher Sue King helped colleagues become better educators through the organization Delta Kappa Gamma.

Many talented classroom teachers are also devoted to assisting their colleagues to become better educators. One of these was Sue King, a high school  history teacher from Texas. Sue worked to provide professional training and support to fellow women teachers through the organization Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG).

Sue was born January 8, 1886, in Pilot Point, Texas. After she graduated from high school, she enrolled at North Texas State Normal School in Denton. There she earned a reputation for a proficiency in languages and history.

After completing her courses at Denton, the novice educator taught history in high schools in Denton and Mineral Wells. Later she taught history in Fort Worth. By all accounts, her students found her inspiring.

During vacation periods Sue read widely for her own pleasure as well as to select supplementary materials for the school library. At one point in her career she served as the Chair of the History Department at the University of California in Berkeley.

In 1929, Sue was one of 12 educators who founded the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society (DKG) in Texas. Because of a long-standing custom in those days, women were prohibited from meeting together professionally. Nevertheless, the group of women believed there was a need for an organization in which women educators could assist each other in their efforts to become better teachers. The 12 co-founders extended membership in their newly-formed organization to rural and urban teachers; preschool, elementary, high school, college, and university teachers; librarians; and school administrators. Today, DKG members still work together to improve professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to fund scholarships to those who need support to improve their professional skills.

Sadly, Sue King passed away May 4, 1930. To read more about this amazing educator, see this biography on the website of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society. To read more about the organization, click on this link: DKG.

Educator Chris Dier named Louisiana Teacher of the Year

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Chris Dier, a high school history teacher from Louisiana, has been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. Now he’s one of four finalists for the national title of Teacher of the Year.

I love to share stories about educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Chris Dier, a high school history teacher from Louisiana. He’s been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. And he’s one of four finalists for the national title of Teacher of the Year.

At one time, Chris planned to become an attorney. However, during his senior year in college, frustrated by a constitutional law course, he accepted his mother’s invitation to observe her teaching a class at Chalmette High School. As he watched his mother, a veteran educator of more than 30 years, Chris was inspired to consider a career in education for himself. “I was immediately taken aback by the atmosphere in her classroom,” he recalled. “Students were learning, discussing, asking questions and developing a sense of self in real time. It was the first time I watched a class from the teacher’s perspective. After that day, I decided to give teaching a go,” he confessed.

St. Bernard Parish School District Superintendent Doris Voitlier cannot praise Chris enough. “His ability to connect with students from various backgrounds and abilities is a true testament to his compassion and professionalism,” declared Voitlier. “Dier’s passion is deeply rooted in providing an equitable education to all students and supporting fellow teachers to be culturally responsive,” she continued.

Chris earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from East Texas Baptist University in 2010. He had moved to Texas in high school after evacuating from Hurricane Katrina. After college, he returned to Louisiana. He completed a Master’s degree in Education 2013 and a second Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2018, both from the University of New Orleans.

After he earned his degree, Chris inaugurated his career as a Special Education teacher at Trist Middle School. He taught there for two years. He also taught at St. Bernard Middle School for three years. Currently, Chris teaches World History and AP Human Geography at the Chalmette High School in St. Bernard Parish. He’s taught there for the past five years.

To read more about Chris, see this link from the University of New Orleans.

AP History teacher Kevin Wagner honored by VFW

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Shown above is Advanced Placement History teacher Kevin Wagner of Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Kevin garnered a Teacher of the Year award given by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He earned the honor for his unwavering dedication towards honoring America’s veterans.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, also known as the VFW, named three stellar educators as their Teachers of the Year for 2018-2019. One of these is Kevin Wagner, an Advanced Placement History teacher at Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Kevin earned the distinction because of his unwavering dedication towards honoring the memory of American veterans.

With colleagues, Kevin developed a research project for his students called “Silent Heroes.” To complete this project, the students must research the life and service of a local World War II veteran who perished in the Normandy Invasion. The invasion occurred on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944. The battle turned the tide of the war in Europe. Once the students complete their research, they create a web page that preserves the veteran’s legacy.

Last year, Kevin expanded his project to identify local Viet Nam War veterans. As a result, his students constructed a Viet Nam Wall of Honor where they display names of more than 213 veterans. The veterans Kevin’s students honor were former students of their school.

Each year, the VFW names one elementary, one intermediate, and one high school teacher for their National Citizenship Education Teacher Award. Bobbie Schamens, a fourth grade teacher at Meadowview Intermediate School in Sparta, Wisconsin, was named the elementary school winner. Anne Martin was named the middle school honoree. Anne is a seventh grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Williams Middle School in Tracy, California.

To view some of the projects created by Kevin’s students and other students, click on this link: National History Day Silent Heroes.

Marzell recommends sharing “Harriet” with your US History students

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Last weekend I viewed the movie Harriet, a historical fiction version of the life of Harriet Tubman. Harriet was born into slavery, but she was determined to be free. I loved this film! I would highly recommend that US History teachers share it with their students. The film goes a long way towards helping students better understand this remarkable woman’s life. It also leads to increased knowledge of the workings of the Underground Railroad.

The story line follows the heroine who was faced with her impending sale as a slave, separating her from husband and family. To avoid this, she made a daring and harrowing escape North to freedom. She had some help from the Underground Railroad, but traversed the better part of 100 miles to freedom all on her own. Once she tasted freedom, Harriet determined to lead members of her family and other slaves to freedom, too. Despite the danger of capture and return to slavery, not to mention beatings and other reprisals, this intrepid woman ventured back into the South to accomplish her goal. The movie credits her with engineering and executing the escapes of at least 70 slaves, but I have read historical accounts that place the number closer to 300. The effort earned her the epithet “The Moses of her People.” In fact, Harriet Tubman became one of the most important and most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad.

The production was released by Focus Features on November 1, 2019. Cynthia Erivo stars in the title role. Leslie Odom, Jr., Joe Alwyn, and Janelle Monae perform in supporting roles. The film is rated PG-13, and there are no scenes that I would say are unacceptable for classroom viewing. The movie’s length spans 2 hours, 5 minutes, which is a bit long for classroom purposes. However, I would be hard pressed to suggest which scenes could be cut. I think it would be best to show the film in its entirety.

The trailer above serves as a teaser. You can watch the movie yourself and come to your own conclusions. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.