Tag Archives: Immigrants

Teachers who were immigrants, or who taught student populations that were primarily immigrants.

Theresa Maughan named NJ’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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High school Social Studies teacher Theresa Maughan has been named New Jersey’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.. Photo credit: New Jersey Education Association

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work. One of these is Theresa Maughan, a high school Social Studies teacher in East Orange, New Jersey. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Theresa teaches at East Orange STEM Academy in East Orange, New Jersey. In a career that has spanned 40 years, she has spent the last 34 of them at East Orange. “I love everything about my job,” expresses Theresa. “Every day is fresh and different, and I really enjoy giving my students an opportunity to become the best version of themselves,” she says.

The honored educator immigrated from Belize when she was only five years old. When her family was threatened with deportation, her social studies teacher dedication herself to helping her family stay in their adopted country. “My father had an issue with his visa that threatened our immediate family’s status in the US,” recalls Theresa. “My teacher, Mrs. Roman, launched a letter-writing campaign and arranged for coverage in the Jersey Journal about our situation. The school community rallied around us and we were able to go through the naturalization process, eventually becoming American citizens,” she continues. This effort, says Theresa, is what led her to recognize the immense impact educators have on their students’ lives and inspired her to pursue a career in education.

When she grew up, Theresa earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Education from Rutgers University. She earned her Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from New Jersey City University. She is also working on her second Master’s degree, in American History, from Pace University.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Theresa writes curriculum, and she has developed and presented interdisciplinary professional development workshops for her school district. She has mentored new teachers and pre-service teachers. Furthermore, she has attended the New Jersey Amistad Commission’s Summer Teacher Institute for more than a decade, and she serves as an Amistad Scholar.

Besides her honors as New Jersey’s Teacher of the Year, Theresa has been named 2021 Essex County Teacher of the Year, and she was a nominee for the National History Day Patricia Behring Award the same year.

To read more about Theresa Maughan, see this article published by the New Jersey Education Association.

Immigrant and progressive educator Leonard Covello

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Leonard Covello

Teacher Leonard Covello, the immigrant who developed progressive educational reforms. Photo credit: Ralph Morse, TiimeLife Images

Leonard Covello was just nine years old in 1896 when he immigrated to New York City with his family from the little village of Avigliano in southern Italy. But he grew up to become one of America’s greatest educators, developing and instituting progressive community-centered educational programs. These programs are characterized by close links between the school, the home, and the community, and are still a model for today’s educational institutions.

As an immigrant student himself, Leonard understood the unique needs of this particular group of students, and, as an Italian immigrant, he recognized the specific conflicts between the home and the family experienced by most Italian immigrant children. Drawing from his personal experience, Leonard was able to develop innovative school programs that allowed Italian immigrant students to succeed in American public schools in ways they had never realized before. His observations and solutions are still applicable to certain groups of students we find in today’s classrooms.

You can read more about this innovative teacher and principal in my book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students, available from amazon at the following link: Chalkboard Champions. You can also learn more about this remarkable educator in Teacher with a Heart: Reflections on Leonard Covello and Community by Vito Perrone. This volume is available from amazon at the following link: Teacher with a Heart. In addition to analysis by Perrone, the book contains lengthy excerpts from Leonard Covello’s autobiography, now out of print.

NY teacher Julia Richman worked tirelessly for immigrant children

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Julia Richman

Teacher, principal, and social reformer Julia Richman worked tirelessly on behalf of immigrant children in New York City. Photo credit: Public Domain

Just about everyone agrees that a teacher can profoundly influence the lives of the students in his or her classroom. But Julia Richman, an educator, philanthropist, author, and social reformer from New York City, influenced the lives of students in an entire city.

Julia was born October 12, 1855, in New York City, the daughter of German-speaking Jewish immigrants from the Czech Republic. At a young age, Julia made some important decisions about her own future. “I am not pretty…and I am not going to marry,” she once declared, “but before I die, all New York will know my name.”

Julia was determined to become a teacher, a decision her very traditional father vehemently opposed. In the late 1800’s, an eighth grade education was considered sufficient for girls. However, after a protracted battle royal, Julia convinced her father to allow her to pursue her goal of becoming a professional educator. In 1872, Julia realized her dream when she graduated from Hunter College.

Over the next four decades, Julia worked tirelessly as a classroom teacher, principal, school superintendent, and social reformer. Inside the classroom and within her community, she improved the lives of countless newly arrived immigrants, special needs students, and delinquents: the children 19th-century society typically considered “throwaway kids.” This innovative educator tossed away the conventional methods of instruction of her day, and designed model programs that educators from all over the world came to observe. She instituted numerous progressive practices that are still used in public schools today.

When Julia passed away in 1912, the New York City Board of Education ordered the flags of all NYC public schools be flown at half mast in her honor. It appeared that Julia’s prediction as an eleven-year-old had come true: all New York City knew her name.

Want to learn more about Julia Richman? I’ve written an entire chapter about this amazing educator in my book, Chalkboard Champions, available on amazon or bn.com. Available in print or ebook versions.

Immigrant Jorge Pulleiro named 2021 Idaho Teacher of the Year

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Jorge Pulleiro, who immigrated to the United States from Argentina, has been named the 2021 Idaho State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Idaho State Department of Education.

I enjoy sharing stories about talented educators who have earned recognition for their dedication to their students. One of these is Jorge Pulleiro, a middle school teacher who has been named the 2021 Idaho State Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator, who was born in Argentina, overcame many obstacles to achieve his goal of becoming a teacher. His father died when he was a youngster, and his mother didn’t go to school beyond the third grade. But even as a teenager, Jorge knew the value of education. He began to rehearse his teacher strategies at the age of 16, and by 18 he was tutoring Argentinian high school students in English. Two years later, he immigrated to the United States when he won a scholarship to Brigham Young University in Utah.

After his college graduation, Jorge spent six years in the US Army, from 1999 to 2005. He worked his way up the ranks to become an officer. During these years, he lived in Germany, and later he worked as a rear detachment commander during the war in Iraq. He left the service in 2005 and, through a program called Troops to Teachers, started teaching Spanish at Grant Union High School in John Day, Oregon. He relocated to the Blaine County School District in Idaho in 2012.

Today, Jorge teaches dual immersion (Spanish and Language Arts) to students in grades 6, 7, and 8 at Wood River Middle School in Hailey, Idaho. In addition to his work in the classroom, Jorge serves as the Department Head for the World Language Department, and he has served on various school-improvement teams. His career as an educator spans 27 years.

For his work in the classroom, Jorge has earned many accolades, in addition to his recognition as Idaho State Teacher of the Year, he was named a Spotlight Teacher by the Department of Defense, he has earned the attention of the White House, he garnered a Fulbright teacher exchange to Mexico, and he received the Loretta Wollet Award for Outstanding Teaching at the K-12 level.

Jorge earned his Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from Brigham Young University. He earned a Master’s degree in Teacher Education from Eastern Oregon University, and a second Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Boise State University in Idaho.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, read this article published by the Idaho State Department of Education.

Italian immigrant and progressive educator Leonard Covello

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Leonard Covello

Teacher Leonard Covello, an Italian immigrant, developed progressive educational reforms that are still in use today. Photo credit: Ralph Morse, TiimeLife Images.

Leonard Covello was just nine years old in 1896 when he immigrated to New York City with his family from the little village of Avigliano in southern Italy. But he grew up to become one of America’s greatest educators, developing and instituting progressive community-centered educational programs. These programs are characterized by close links between the school, the home, and the community, and are still a model for today’s educational institutions.

As an immigrant student himself, Leonard understood the unique needs of this particular group of students, and, as an Italian immigrant, he recognized the specific conflicts between the home and the family experienced by most Italian immigrant children. Drawing from his personal experience, Leonard was able to develop innovative school programs that allowed Italian immigrant students to succeed in American public schools in ways they had never realized before. His observations and solutions are still applicable to certain groups of students we find in today’s classrooms.

You can read more about this innovative teacher and principal in my book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students, available from amazon at the following link: Chalkboard Champions. You can also learn more about this remarkable educator in Teacher with a Heart: Reflections on Leonard Covello and Community by Vito Perrone. This volume is available from amazon at the following link: Teacher with a Heart. In addition to analysis by Perrone, the book contains lengthy excerpts from Leonard Covello’s autobiography, now out of print.