Tag Archives: Latino American Teachers

Teachers who were Latino Americans, or who worked with Latino American student populations.

CA elem teacher Ofelia Valdez-Yeager served her local community

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Former California elementary teacher Ofelia Valdez-Yeager also served in many capacities in her community in many capacities. Photo credit: Hispanic Lifestyle

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to influential positions within their community. This is true of Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, a former elementary teacher from Riverside, California.

Ofelia was born in Tayoltita, Durango, Mexico, in 1947. The following year, she moved to Tijuana with her family, and ten years after that, they relocated to Montebello, California.  When she enrolled in American schools, she couldn’t speak English, but education was an emphasis in her home, so by the end of the year she finished at the top of her class. Once she graduated from high school, Ofelia began her college yeas at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), in 1965. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1969, and her elementary teaching certificate in 1971.

Ofelia inaugurated her career as an educator in the Cucamonga School District as a bilingual-bicultural Follow Through teacher, focusing on grades K-3. In those early years, she also worked as an Upward Bound residential tutor and counselor, a high school counseling assistant, and a bilingual resource teacher. Having married Ley Yeager in 1969, she also raised a family during those years.

In 1992, Ofelia was elected as the first Latina board member for the Riverside Unified School District. While in this role, she increased the school district’s outreach to Spanish-speaking families, thereby improving access, equity, and inclusion for Latino students. In her later years, this Chalkboard Champion also helped to raise $3 million to establish The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, which opened in June, 2022.

For her work in the community, Ofelia has earned many accolades. In 2016, she garnered both the UCR Distinguished Alumna of the Year and the UCR Alumna Service Award. In 2019, she garnered the Mission Inn Foundation’s Frank Miller Civic Achievement Award, and in 2022, she was named the Athena Award recipient.

Sadly, Ofelia passed away on Jan. 7, 2024, days before her 77th birthday.

Nevada teacher Liz Barnum garners prestigious 2023 Milken Educator Award

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Elementary teacher Liz Barnum of Las Vegas, Nevada, has garnered a prestigious 2023 Milken Educator Award. Photo credit: Milken Educator Awards

I always enjoy sharing the story about a talented educator who has earned accolades for her work in the classroom. Today’s story is about elementary school teacher Liz Barnum of Las Vegas, Nevada. She has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2023.

Liz currently teaches third graders at Katherine Dunn Elementary School in Sparks, Nevada. She. has taught there for the past seven years. In her classroom, Liz creates a positive and supportive classroom environment, and she recognizes the value of building strong relationships with her students and their families. Her curriculum includes student-led discussions, partner talks, and visual strategies to support her literacy goals for vocabulary and comprehension. In fact, almost all of Liz’s students are functioning at grade level by the end of the year, regardless of where they started.

In addition to her work with her youngsters, Liz collaborates with colleagues to improve school culture and student outcomes. She has served as a mentor teacher, a new teacher liaison, and as the Chair of the School Organizational Team.

Liz sometimes speaks about her humble beginnings. “Being the daughter of an immigrant family, receiving a free public education was a huge privilege,” she says. “In my family, doing well in school and continuing to higher education were hailed as a huge accomplishment. With opportunity at my doorstep, I wanted to become the first generation in my family to receive a college degree,” she continues. “It felt like a natural progression to pursue a career in education with a focus on English language learners,” she concluded.

The Milken Educator Awards are hailed by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” For more than 35 years, the program has recognized excellence in the world of education by honoring top educators around the country with a $25,000  cash prize. The honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary professional educators from all over the country. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Connecticut teacher Miguel Cardona now serves as US Secretary of Education

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Former Connecticut elementary teacher Miguel Cardona now serves as the US  Secretary of Education. Photo credit: Hop, Skip, Drive

Many excellent educators also make excellent politicians. One of these is Miguel Cardona, an elementary school teacher from Connecticut who is currently serving as United States Secretary of Education.

Miguel describes his Hispanic heritage as “half Guatemalan and half Portuguese.” As a child growing up in the Projects in Connecticut, he spoke only Spanish, which gave him a unique insight into the experience of students who identify as “English language learners” across the country today.

Miguel earned his Bachelor’s degree at Central Connecticut State University in 1997. He earned his Master’s degree in Bilingual/Bi-Cultural Education from the University of Connecticut, and in 2011 he earned his PhD in Education from the same institution. In addition, he completed the requirements for a certificate in the Executive Leadership Program.

Miguel inaugurated his career as a fourth grade teacher at Israel Putnam Elementary School in Meriden, Connecticut. By 2003, when he was only 28 years old, he was named the principal of Hanover School, also located in Meriden. He was the youngest principal serving in the state. In 2012, Miguel garnered the 2012 National Distinguished Principal Award for his state and the Outstanding Administrator Award from the University of Connecticut’s NEAG School of Education. He’s also a published author. He has published several articles in such prestigious publications as the AASPA Perspective, the National School Boards Association, District Administration, and the Scholars Strategy Network.

From 2015 to 2019, Miguel served as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in his home town. He also worked worked as an Adjunct Professor of Education in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut. In August 2019, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont appointed Cardona as the state’s Commissioner of Education, the first Latino to ever serve in the position.

President Joe Biden nominated the former elementary school teacher for the post of US Secretary of Education, and a coveted seat in the President’s Cabinet. On March 1, 2021, Miguel Cardona was confirmed to the post. He was sworn into office the next day by Vice President Kamala Harris.

To read more about Miguel Cardona, click on this link to Hop, Skip, Drive.

 

Jason Torres-Rangel named CA 2023 State Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Jason Torres-Rangel has been named the 2023 California State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Pomona College

It is always a pleasure for me to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for his work in the classroom. One of these is Jason Torres-Rangel, a high school English teacher from Los Angeles, California. He has been named his state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Jason teaches Advanced Placement (AP) English to juniors at Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. His career as an educator spans 19 years. In his classroom, Jason strives to create “curriculum that is student centered, culturally aware, (and) that tries to show minoritized voices in ways that challenge assumptions in society.”

The honored educator had excellent models to emulate when he chose to go into the teaching profession. Both his father and mother are math and computer science teachers who inspired him with their own dedication to creating science, technology, engineering, and math opportunities for East LA students.

Jason’s honors as California’s Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition he has earned. He was named the LAUSD and LA County Teacher of the Year in 2022. In 2020, he was recognized by the American Federation of Teachers for his work in the Community Schools Movement. In 2016, he was recognized by the White House for the Initiative Advancing Educational Equity for Hispanics. In 2015, he won the United Way Inspirational Teacher award, having been nominated by a student and her mother.

Jason earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from Pomona College. He earned a Master’s degree in Education from Harvard University, and a second Master’s degree in English from California State University at Los Angeles. He is working on his PhD in Education from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont.

Christina Melly named Missouri’s 2023 Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Christina Melly of St. Louis, Missouri, has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Christina Melly

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Christina Melly, an English teacher from St. Louis, Missouri. She has been named the 2023 Missouri State Teacher of the Year.

Christina teaches at Ritenour High School, where she haas worked for 13 years. The school just happens to be her high school alma mater. She has also coached her school’s speech and debate team, served as the Chair of the English Department, and , And as if all that were not enough, she is also a Gateway Writing Program teacher-consultant.

In addition, Christina is active in her local teachers’ union. She has served as the President of the Ritenour National Education Association. There she holds the position of the Missouri Resolutions Committee. Recently she was elected to a fourth term as a delegate on the National Resolutions Committee.

As a first-generation American, Christina understands the value of using writing to amplify her students’ voices, including publishing their experiences with writing through the National Council of Teachers of English’s English Journal. “I am the best teacher on the days I learn from students,” Christina declares. “It takes a lot of practice and courage to reach those days, but the lessons that define me as a teacher have student choice, voice, and experiences at the center; this creates shared ownership of our learning,” she continues.

Christina earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and a second Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010. She earned her Master’s degree in English and a graduate certificate in the teaching of writing from the same university in 2015.

To read more about Christina Melly, click on this link to an article published about her by UMSL Daily.