Tag Archives: Language Arts Teachers

Teacher and African American Folklorist Daryl Cumber Dance

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Daryl Cumber Dance

Former English teacher and celebrated African American folklorist Daryl Cumber Dance

I always enjoy sharing stories about talented educators who have accomplished impressive successes in their field. One of these is Daryl Cumber Dance, a former high school English teacher who is best known for her work in African American folklore studies.

Daryl Veronica Cumber Dance was born on January 17, 1938, in Richmond, Virginia. Her father, Allen Cumber, was a joiner and entrepreneur, and her mother, Veronica Bell Cumber, was an elementary school teacher.

As a young girl, Daryl attended Ruthville High School in Ruthville, Virginia. After her high school graduation, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Virginia State College in1957. She earned her Master’s degree in English in 1963, and in 1971 she earned her Doctorate in English.

After earning her undergraduate degree, Daryl accepted a teaching position at Armstrong High School in Richmond, where she worked until 1962. At that time, she became a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she taught from 1972 to 1993. In 1993, she joined the faculty of the University of Richmond, and in 2013, she accepted a position at historical Black Howard University.

Daryl is best-known for her work in African American folklore studies. In this field, she has authored nine books and contributed to many others, including Shuckin’ and Jivin’: Folklore from Contemporary Black Americans (1978); Fifty Caribbean Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical and Critical Sourcebook (1986); Honey, Hush! An Anthology of African American Women’s Humor (1998); and From My People: 400 Years of African American Folklore (2002).

For her work as a folklorist, Daryl has garnered many honors. Among these are the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education’s Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award; the Sister Circle Book Award for Outstanding Anthology; the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers Annual Conference; and The Sojourner Truth Award from The African American Studies Program of George Mason University.

Daryl Cumber Dance: a true chalkboard champion.

The Remarkable Kimberly Bearden, Educator in Atlanta, Georgia

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Kimberly Bearden

The remarkable Kimberly Bearden, educator in Atlanta, Georgia

I love to share stories about remarkable teachers. Today I will share a story about the amazing Kimberly Bearden, a middle school teacher from Atlanta, Georgia.

Following her graduation from Joseph Wheeler High School, Kimberly enrolled in the University of Georgia. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1987.

Following her college graduation, Kimberly accepted a position as a sixth grade Language Arts teacher at Floyd Middle School in Mableton, Georgia, where she worked until 1994. For the next ten years, she taught sixth and seventh grade at Dodgen Middle School in Marietta, Georgia. From 2004 to 2007 she taught middle school Language Arts and Social Studies at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy in Marietta.

Kimberly loves to make learning an adventure. She teaches her curriculum in innovative and inspirational ways. She has transformed her classroom into a beach, Mt. Olympus, a poetry coffeehouse, and a mountain retreat. Her students have experienced thunderstorms, an Italian restaurant, a hospital emergency room, a colonial village, and life on a fictitious planet, all without ever leaving the classroom. She has created Survivor tribal challenges and the All-Star Punctuation Bowl to teach grammar. Kimberly often teaches concepts through songs, kinesthetic games, and unique teaching strategies that motivate even the most restless learners.

For the past 11 years, Kimberly has practiced at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, which she co-founded. She serves as the school’s Executive Director, teacher trainer, and a teacher of fifth and sixth grade Language Arts. The Ron Clark Academy is an innovative middle school and educator training facility in Atlanta. To learn more about the Ron Clark Academy, visit their website at Ron Clark Academy.

In total, Kim’s career as an educator has spanned more than three decades. “I was one of those people who always wanted to be a teacher,” Kimberly confesses. “I was one of those people who always loved school… I really wanted to be in a school with children every day,” she says.

For her stellar work in the classroom, Kimberly has earned many awards over the years. These include the Milken Educator Award in 1999 and the Disney Teacher Award in 2000. She was named a Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2000. In 2012, Kimberly garnered the Making a Difference Award, in 2015, she won the InfluencHER Award, and in 2016, she earned the University of Georgia Outstanding Alumni Award. That same year, she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors the inspirational Jeff Baxter

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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

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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

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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.