Tag Archives: Language Arts Teachers

Florida teacher and entrepreneur Jimmy Dallas

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Jimmie Dallas

Florida teacher and entrepreneur Jimmy Dallas, Sr.

Since this is the last day of Black History Month 2018, it seems appropriate to close with the story of yet another distinguished African American educator from US history: Jimmie Dallas, a dedicated teacher and civic leader from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Jimmie, who was born James Albert Dallas, was born December 19, 1917, in Monticello, Florida. Sadly, before he was 12 years old, both his parents, Albert and Florida Dallas, had passed away. He was raised by his six siblings.

Jimmie graduated in 1936 from Middletown High School in Hillsborough County in 1936. After one year at Bethune-Cookman College, Jimmie enrolled at Florida A&M University, where he graduated in 1942. While there, he was accepted into the Kappa alpha Psi fraternity. Musically talented, he played the trombone in the university’s marching, jazz, and concert bands.

After his graduation from Florida A&M in 1942, Jimmie was admitted to the pharmacy program at Howard University, a historically Black college located in Washington, DC. However, because WWII was in full swing, Jimmie was drafted into the United States Army only ten days after his program at Howard began. His military service spanned four years, fist in Pacific Ocean Operations, and later as a First Sergeant in the 24th Infantry Division in Okinawa, Japan.

Once the war was ended, Jimmie accepted his first position as a teacher of English and public speaking at Dorsey High School in Miami, Florida. He also taught at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano and Sunrise Middle School in Fort Lauderdale. In all, Jimmie’s career spanned 36 years by the time he retired in 1982. “He was a hard worker,” remembered colleague James Crumpler. “He was a good English teacher. The kids liked him. He related real well with them,” Crumpler continued.

During Jimmy’s long career as an educator, he took time out to marry fellow educator Margie Street Dallas in 1950, and raise a family of three children.

In addition to his work in the classroom, Jimmie owned two nightclubs, O’Dell’s Lounge and Grill and The Big Savory, Many notable musicians performed at Jimmie’s venues, including Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and Lionel Hampton. For this achievement, the Dillard Historical Museum honored Jimmie’s contributions to his community. In fact, he is the first African American man to have a street in downtown Fort Lauderdale named in his honor.

James Dallas passed away from a colon illness on April 9, 2004. He was 86 years old.

Former Language Arts teacher and Mississippi State Representative Sara Richardson Thomas

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Sara Richardson Thomas

Former Language Arts teacher and Mississippi State Representative Sara Richardson Thomas.

Many fine educators who have made a mark in the political arena. One of these is Sara Richardson Thomas, a retired Language Arts teacher who has also served in the Mississippi House of Representatives.

Sara was born in Indianola, Sunflower County, Mississippi, on April 21, 1941. Her parents were sharecroppers. After her high school graduation, Sara attended Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University. Once she earned her college degree, Sara taught Language Arts in public elementary schools within Sunflower County, Mississippi. Her career as an educator spanned 21 years.

In 1998, Sara was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She succeeded her nephew, Bill Richardson of Indianola, who succumbed to cancer while in office. Sara represented the 31st District for an additional 21 years. While in office, she served on the State House Committees on Education, Youth and Family Affairs, Ethics, Public Property, Tourism, and Agriculture.

Sara holds membership in a number of prestigious organizations, including the Mississippi Association of Educators, the National Association of Educators, the Mississippi Retired Teachers Association, the Mississippi Valley State University Alumni Association.

Way to go, Sara!

Sandra Deal: Retired teacher and former First Lady of Georgia

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Sandra Deal

Former Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal, a retired Language Arts teacher, has visited over 1,000 classrooms throughout her state to read aloud to children.

Many times talented educators find themselves navigating within the political sphere. This is true of Sandra Deal, a retired Language Arts teacher who is the former First Lady of Georgia.

Sandra was born Emilie Sandra Donagan in Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia. Both her parents were teachers. Following her high school graduation in Gainesville, Sandra earned her college degree from Georgia College and State University. She then followed in her parents’ footsteps and also went into teaching. She taught Language Arts at public schools for over 15 years. When she retired, she was working as a sixth-grade middle school teacher.

Sandra is the wife of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who served in office from 2011 to January, 2019. As Georgia’s First Lady, she became a strong advocate for literacy and education throughout the state. Through her Read Across Georgia project, Sandra visited every one of Georgia’s 159 counties to read to students. Over the course of her husband’s eight years in office, she visited more than 1,000 classrooms, sometimes as many as eight in a single day.

On her classroom visits, Sandra read aloud to the children and encouraged them to use the library. “My goal is to encourage students to enjoy reading so that they will be prepared for a lifetime of learning,” declared Sandra. “Reading is the gift that keeps on giving, and education is essential for all children to succeed in their pursuits,” she continued. “I believe that knowledge is power, and when we teach students to love reading, we give them the confidence to learn on their own and acquire that power far into the future,” she concluded.

For her efforts as an advocate for education, the Georgia Association of Broadcasters recognized Sandra as their 2016 “Georgian of the Year.”

New Hampshire’s 2018 State Teacher of Year Heidi Crumrine

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Heidi Crumrine

Outstanding educator Heidi Crumrine of Concord High School recognized as new Hampshire’s 2018 Teacher of the Year.

Outstanding educator Heidi Crumrine of Concord High School has been recognized as New Hampshire’s 2018 Teacher of the Year.

Heidi was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was raised in New Hampshire. She is a graduate of Concord High School,where she now teaches.

This exemplary educator earned her degree in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her Master’s degree of Education with an emphasis in Teaching Reading from Grand Canyon University. In a career as an English teacher that spans 16 years, Heidi has devoted 13 of them to her alma mater, Concord High School. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Heidi coaches field hockey at nearby Rundlett Middle School.

“Every day I enter the classroom with a focus on what is important: the young people in front of me who are our best hope for our future,” remarks Heidi. “To spark a love of reading for a young person is to set in motion a pathway for success that will follow her wherever she goes,” she says.

Concord’s principal Mr. Tom Sica can’t praise Heidi enough. “Heidi has invested herself in creating an environment in which students are known and valued. Her knowledge of curriculum and of student learners are key elements which help to explain why her students thrive and succeed,” Sica asserts. “Consistently, she works to develop and implement lessons that engage students and challenge them to think critically,” he concludes.

Congratulations, Chalkboard Champion Heidi Crumrine.

Rosie Reid named California Teacher of the Year, 2019

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Congratulations to Rosie Reid, an outstanding educator from Walnut Creek, California, who has just been named a California Teacher of the Year for 2019.

Rosie’s career has spanned 16 years, the last two at Northgate High School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. She was the first in her family to go to college. She credits this achievement to her teachers, and says she decided to become a teacher to pay this forward.

Rosie, a Language Arts teacher, is a member of the English Learner Review Team which monitors English-language learners and mentors ESL teachers. Most recently, Rosie founded and leads an equity task force at her high school. “I strive to be a status quo disruptor and an agent of social justice, while engaging in a rigorous, standards-based English curriculum,” declares Rosie. “So often teachers feel that if they are thinking about issues of equity and implicit bias, they must compromise rigor in order for all students to be successful; in fact it is by helping our most socially marginalized students develop literacy (and numeracy) skills that we may achieve social equity,” she asserts.

Rosie employs a number of strategies to achieve success in her classroom. She uses standardized test data to view individual student progress, identify patterns with groups of students, and remediate achievement gaps for marginalized students. In addition, she invites guest speakers to come to her classroom, and she designs real world projects to give her students a broader perspective. In order to encourage participation from all students, Rosie requires daily practice of language skills. To ensure inclusivity, she selects materials from a diverse range of authors and articles about relevant and compelling social issues so that every student sees themselves in the coursework, feels the work is important, and realizes how much their voices matter.

Rosie Reid: a true chalkboard champion.