Tag Archives: Language Arts Teachers

Teachers who specialized in Language Arts.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors the inspirational Jeff Baxter

Posted on by
Jeff Baxter

The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors high school English teacher Jeff Baxter of Kansas

It is always gratifying to see a colleague recognized for outstanding contributions to the teaching profession. One such teacher is Jeff Baxter, a high school English teacher from Kansas who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) this past June.

Jeff earned his Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from the University of Kansas in 1971, and his Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the same institution in 1976. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from the Washburn University School of Law in 1985, and he completed post-graduate work at the University of Missouri.

Now 70 years of age, Jeff has spent a total of 30 years as a classroom educator. He currently teaches 12th grade Advanced Placement Literature and Composition at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas.

Jeff believes working with young people is the noblest profession there is. “By helping them appreciate the value of language, they develop problem-solving habits that make them lifelong learners,” he once declared.

For his excellence as an educator, Jeff has earned many accolades. In 2014, he was named the Kansas Teacher of the Year, and in 2017 he was named Inspirational Teacher of the Year by the Blue Valley West Honor Society. He is also a fellow of the National Writing Project, through which he has presented hundreds of writing workshops to middle and high school teachers and college professors throughout the Midwest. He’s also the 2015 Kansas Global Education Fellow, working with teachers internationally. In fact, in 2015 this amazing educator traveled to South America to work with Peruvian children and teachers.

Jeff is also the author of a book entitled More than One Way Home, a memoir about overcoming setbacks and finding hope. It’s about Jeff’s personal journey overcoming chronic depression and the resultant obesity that developed because of his inability to deal with the deaths of two important individuals in his life. You can find his book on amazon.com.

English teacher Walter Downing: A former pro basketball player

Posted on by
Walter Downing

High school English teacher and former professional basketball player Walter Downing of Illinois

I enjoy sharing stories about terrific educators who came to the teaching profession after enjoying success in other careers. One story like this is that of Walter Downing, a high school English teacher who was once a professional basketball player.

Walter was raised in a solid home environment with strict parents. As a teenager, he attended Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, Illinois. Even then, his prowess as an athlete was evident. He led his high school basketball team to a third place finish in 1978 and to a state championship in 1979. In ten state tournament games, Walter scored 184 points and grabbed 80 rebounds. However, he was best known as a shot-blocker. In a 1978 state quarter-final playoff game against Ottawa Marquette, he rejected a record 12 shots. His talent was so impressive that the year he was a senior, Walter was named “Mr. Basketball,” an honor given each year to the top high school player in Illinois. But Walter was the first-ever recipient of the title.

After his high school graduation, Walter enrolled first at DePaul University in Chicago, but later transferred to Marquette University, whee he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and Rhetoric in 1986. Marquette is a private, co-educational Catholic University located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Walter earned his Master’s degree in Education from Lewis University in 2006. Lewis is a private Roman Catholic university located in Romeoville, Illinois.

As a college graduate, Walter was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the sixth round of the NBA draft in 1986, but after he was cut by the Lakers, he went to Europe to play pro basketball there for four years.

After hanging up his athletic shoes, Walter accepted a position as a high school English at Hinsdale South, located in a southwest suburb of Chicago. It’s not a career he envisioned for himself when he was younger. “I definitely took the scenic route,” he once admitted. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a high school English teacher, but I’ve been here now for 20 years, and it’s been wonderful. I love being able to have a positive impact on kids,” he concluded.

Traveling teacher Lillie Marshall, a Massachusetts Literacy Champion

Posted on by
Lillie Marshall

Traveling teacher Lillie Marshall, a Massachusetts Literacy Champion

One of the biggest advantages a career in teaching has to offer is ample time to travel during the summers. Because traveling is such a terrific learning experience, teaching and traveling go hand in hand. One educator who can testify to this is Lillie Marshall, a high school English and Humanities teacher from Boston.

Lillie graduated from Brookline High School in 1999. Brookline is a public high school located in Brookline, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled in Brown University, a private Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature in 2003.

As soon as she earned her degree, Lillie landed a position as a teacher of English and Humanities at Boston Latin Academy. She enjoyed her work as an educator, but was soon feeling the effects of burn-out. “After five years as a high school English teacher, I was exhausted and frustrated. To continue in education, I knew I needed to step back and get perspective on what learning really is,” Lillie recalls.

To regain her passion for the profession, Lillie spent the next year traveling around the world. She taught in Ghana, did some writing in Thailand, and explored architecture in Spain. In 2009, she started writing a travel blog to chronicle her global experiences. “At the end of the year’s journey, I was energized and excited to teach in Boston again, and have been teaching happily here ever since… with travels every vacation possible, of course!,” she reveals.

For her work in advancing teaching and traveling, Lillie has been named a Massachusetts Literacy Champion. The Massachusetts Literacy Champion Awards Program recognizes outstanding literacy educators, their practices, and their programs.

To check out Lillie’s travel blog, simply click on this link: Teaching Traveling. To learn more about Lillie, check out the short YouTube video about her below.

 

Florida teacher Daniel Dickey: His enthusiasm for the profession is infectious

Posted on by
Daniel Dickey

Florida teacher Daniel Dickey: His enthusiasm for the profession is infectious.

Every once in a while there comes along an amazing teacher whose enthusiasm for the profession and dedication to his students is just plain infectious. Daniel Dickey, a high school English teacher in Florida, is a teacher like this.

Daniel earned his Bachelor’s degree in Writing and Rhetoric from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. After his graduation from college, Daniel signed up with the Teach for America organization. Through this program, he worked as a teacher of writing and debate at Northwestern High School, an inner city high school in Miami, Florida.

In the past, Northwestern had a reputation as a failing school, where students couldn’t read, write, or do math at grade level. Graduation rates were low. But after years of hard work, including improved instructional strategies and curriculum requirements at the District level, Northwestern is now considered an A-rated school. Part of the success that Daniel was able to achieve in his classroom was due to Teach for America’s Million Word Campaign, an effort designed to encourage his sophomore students to read more. Daniel launched the campaign because he believed that when students are avid readers, they become better writers and speakers. Before long, his program spread throughout the school.

Daniel used his considerable energy to help other teachers, too. During his two years in the classroom, Daniel raised over $105,000 for colleagues in low-income schools. For this work, he garnered praise from Randi Weingarten, who was then president of the American Federation of Teachers.

He was also selected to be an ambassador For the Fuel Your School campaign sponsored by the Chevron Corporation. In this role, Daniel volunteered to help teachers in Title 1 schools apply for and receive educational funding for their classrooms. This initiative led to more than $500,000 being distributed to teachers in high-need schools. For this effort, Daniel was honored by the Miami Marlins when he was invited to throw out the first pitch at their season opening game.

After he completed his obligation to Teach for America, Daniel returned to school, where he earned a Master’s degree in Higher Education from Harvard University.

Daniel Dickey: a true Chalkboard Champion.

Gail Giles of Texas: English teacher and author of young adult fiction

Posted on by
Gail Giles

Gail Giles of Texas: English teacher and author of young adult fiction

Many gifted teachers earn recognition for their artistic efforts outside of the classroom. One example of this is Gail Giles, a high school English teacher from Texas who has made a name for herself as an award-winning writer of young adult fiction.

Gail was born September 24, 1955, in Galveston on the Gulf Coast of Texas. She was raised in LaMarque, a suburb located just south of Houston. After her graduation from high school in Nacogdoches in eastern Texas, Gail enrolled at nearby Stephen F. Austin State University. There she earned degrees in English, speech, and drama. After her college graduation, Gail taught courses in English and remedial reading at Angleton High School in Angleton, Texas. Her career as an educator spanned 20 years.

A writer since childhood, Gail published her first of nine young adult novels in 2002. Her work won immediate acclaim. Her first novel, Shattering Glass (2002), was named a Best Books for Young Adults selection and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers selection by the American Library Association (ALA) the year after it was published. Her second novel, Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters (2003), was named a Top 10 Quick Pick by the ALA.

There is a good reason Gail’s books resonate with young adult readers. “When I taught the remedial readers I learned that one reason they didn’t like to read was that the books didn’t connect with their lives,” she once explained. “And frankly I thought having all the books out there being so—soft—and always offering hope—was doing a disservice to teens,” she continued. “The last thing to develop in a person’s brain is the sense of consequence, but the legal system decides someone’s not old enough to make a good decision about driving, getting married, buying alcohol, or joining the military until 18 or 20, but we can put them in jail forever at 12. So, I wanted to write some stories that shows that sometimes it can’t be fixed. That reality is harsh,” she concluded.

After living for a while in Illinois and Alaska, Gail and her husband, Jim Giles, returned to Texas where they currently reside.