Tag Archives: Language Arts Teachers

Kimberly Dickstein named New Jersey 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Kimberly Dickstein named New Jersey’s 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations are in order for high school English teacher Kimberly Dickstein, who has been named New Jersey’s 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.

Kimberly teaches at Haddonfield Memorial High School. Her career at Haddonfield has spanned 11 years. During these years, the indefatigable educator advises the school’s Model United Nations, Shakespeare Troupe, and Stand With Camden. She also serves on the Community Advisory Board and advises the Youth Leadership Council. And as if all that wasn’t enough, she also contributes her many talents to her community’s Urban Promise, Cathedral Kitchen, Book Smiles, the Camden Rescue Mission, Camden Reads, and Camden Printworks.

Kimberly says she teaches her students to embrace her own spirit of volunteerism. She strives to help them understand that social justice begins with listening to others and standing together. “I have always felt the call to public service,” the teacher once confessed. “I can think of no better way to serve than in the classroom,” she said.

Over the years, Kimberly has earned many accolades. In June, 2019, Princeton University recognized her as a Distinguished Secondary School Teacher. For her contributions to her community, Camden County honored her with their Martin Luther King, Jr., Freedom Medal in 2019. To earn this honor, the hardworking educator inaugurated an advocacy campaign with her students in 2018. The group helped a former child soldier from South Sudan achieve his educational goals. The effort received local and national attention.

And that’s not all. South Jersey Magazine named Kimberly a South Jersey Super Woman in November, 2017. In 2017, the Victorious Foundation nominated the stellar educator for the L’Oreal Woman of Worth Award program, which recognizes women who make an extraordinary impact on their communities.

This amazing woman grew up in Camden County, New Jersey. There she attended Voorhees Township Public Schools. The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science in 2008, and her Master’s in English Secondary Education in 2009, both from Rutger’s University. She has also completed courses in Shakespeare studies at the Folger Shakespeare Library and Oxford University. In addition, Kimberly has furthered her understanding of her course material by participating in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Kimberly Dickstein: A true Chalkboard Champion!

To read more about Kimberly, see this online article posted by the State of New Jersey Department of Education.

Educator Donald Graves: Known internationally as a pioneer of teaching writing

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Former elementary school teacher Donald Graves became known internationally as a teacher of the writing process.

Many talented classroom teachers become excellent trainers for other teachers. One of these was Donald Graves, an elementary school teacher who became internationally known as a pioneer in teaching the writing process.

Donald Hillard Graves was born in September 11, 1930, in Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts. His father was a school principal, and his mother was a nurse.

Donald earned his Bachelor’s degree at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1952. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Bridgewater State University in Brdigewater, Massachusetts, in 1959. He completed the requirements for his Ph.D. in Education at the University at Buffalo in New York in 1973. Donald was also a veteran; he served four years in the US Coast Guard.

Donald launched his career as an elementary school teacher at East Fairhaven Elementary School, Fairhaven, Massachusetts, in 1956. Two years later he accepted a position as the school’s principal. Later he became the co-director of a teacher preparation program for urban educators. He also served as a professor of an early childhood program. In his later years, he became Professor Emeritus at the University of New Hampshire.

During his lengthy career as an educator, Donald pioneered new methods for teaching the writing process. In fact, he is known internationally as an expert in the field of teaching writing. In a career as an author that spanned 25 years, he published 26 books, most of them related to the topics of teaching and writing.

“Write yourself,” Donald often advised other teachers. “Invite children to do something you’re already doing. If you’re not doing it, ‘Hey,’ the kids say, ‘I can’t wait to grow up and not have to write, like you.’ They know,” he said. “And for the short term and the long term, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by writing. All of us need it as a survival tool in a very complex world,” he asserted. “The wonderful thing about writing is that it separates the meaningless and the trivial from what is really important. So we need it for ourselves and then we need to invite children to do what we’re doing. You can’t ask someone to sing a duet with you until you know the tune yourself,” he counseled.

Donald retired in 1992 and settled on his mountainside home in Jackson, New Hampshire. This Chalkboard Champion passed away on September 28, 2010, in Falmouth, Barnstable County, Maine. He was 80 years old.

For his work as an educator, Donald garnered many accolades. The National Council of Teachers of English established the Donald H. Graves Writing Award in his honor. To learn more about this amazing educator, read this interview about him that can be found at this link: Answering Your Questions about Teaching Writing.

Nebraska’s 2018 Teacher of the Year: Sydney Jensen

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Sydney Jensen

Nebraska’s 2018 Teacher of the Year is Sydney Jensen, a 9th grade Language Arts teacher from Lincoln, Nebraska.

Nebraska named Sydney Jensen of Lincoln as their 2018 Teacher of the Year. Sydney has taught 9th grade Language Arts at Lincoln High School since 2014.

Sydney is a native of Eatonton, Georgia. She credits her grandparents, who are both public school teachers, for the inspiration for her decision to become an educator. She also credited her own experience attending public schools. “I’m a product of public education,” she says. “I knew I wanted to be a public school teacher because I had so many great teachers who helped me,” she continues. She inaugurated her teaching career in 2013 as a seventh and eighth grade English teacher at Dawes Middle School. She has taught a total of six years.

In addition to her classroom experience, this inspirational educator is an instructional coach and certified Trainer of Trainers for the Classroom Instruction that Works model. She is also an Instructional Team Leader for the English Professional Learning Community.

For her work in education, Sydney has won several awards. She garnered a Golden Telephone Award from Lincoln High. She also earned the 2018 Lincoln Public Schools Inspire Educator Award.

“My message to all teachers is that we have to teach courageously for the sake of our students,” Sydney declares. “We absolutely must push ourselves to try new strategies, no matter how far outside of our comfort zones. This is the same message we want for our students – live and learn courageously,” she concludes.

Sydney earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Georgia in 2013, and she earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Doane University in Nebraska.

Teacher of English and Drama Jill Novick is a former actress

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Jill Novick

Teacher of English and Drama Jill Novick was formerly an actress

Many talented classroom teachers have also made a mark in fields other than education. This is certainly true of Jill Novick, a high school English teacher who is also a gifted actress.

Jill was born on January 20, 1966, in Westchester County, New York. She attended Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck, New York, where she graduated in 1984. Jill began acting when she was a child, and while still in high school participated in a program entitled the Performing Arts Curriculum Experience. While in the program, she performed in over 20 plays and musicals. At the age of 17, the young actress was accepted into NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Jill’s career as an actress spanned 20 years. During this time, she garnered roles in a number of commercials, but she is probably best known for her part as Tracy Gaylian in the 1996-1997 season of the hit series Beverly Hills, 90210. She also played the part of young Theodora Reed on the television series Sisters.

When Jill decided her Hollywood career was concluded, she returned to college to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming an educator. She spent two summers as a teacher and director for the Teenage Drama Workshop (TADW) at Cal State Northridge. TADW is an intense six-week summer program for teens. While working on her teaching credential, Jill taught drama for two summers at Panorama High School in Los Angeles. Once she earned her credential, she accepted a position as an English teacher at Culver City High School in Culver City, California, where she worked for six years. In 2012, she accepted a position as the Creative Director of Theatre for the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, a position she kept for five years

Currently, Jill is teaching English in Alburquerque, New Mexico. She is also working on her Master’s degree in Education at University of Northern Colorado.

Kudos, Jill Novick!

 

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.