Tag Archives: Latino American Teachers

IL educator Olga Nunez Johnson receives 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching

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Olga Nunez Johnson, a first grade teacher in Chicago, Illinois, has been named a recipient of the 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Photo Credit: Block Club Chicago

I always enjoy sharing stories of outstanding educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Olga Nunez Johnson of Chicago, Illinois. She has been named a recipient of the 2024 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Olga teaches first grade at Thomas J. Waters School in Chicago, where she has taught for 12 years. As a whole, her career as an educator spans 29 years.

In her classroom, Olga prioritizes her students’ needs, fostering a supportive and purposeful student-centered environment. According to her co-workers, her personality and commitment to creating a respectful, challenging, and inclusive classroom environment make her an outstanding educator.

Olga was born into a family of immigrants from Cuba. She was born in Spain before coming to the United States when she was just a toddler. Her mother, also named Olga, was a stay-at-home mom and her father, Luis, worked as a machinist in a factory.

The Golden Apple Awards honor outstanding teachers for leaving a lasting, positive effect on the lives of their students and in their school communities. Olga is one of ten educators in her state who were selected from over 600 candidates teaching at the Pre-K to third grade level.

“These exceptional educators have demonstrated an unwavering commitment, innovative spirit, and transformative influence on their students and school communities,” asserts Alan Mather, President of The Golden Apple Foundation. “They are not merely outstanding instructors, but impactful leaders as well,” he continues. “The 2024 award recipients will help shape the future of teaching, empowering the next generation of talented educators to make a profound difference in even more young lives,” Mather concludes.

Learn more about Olga Nunez Johnson by clicking on this link to Block Club Chicago.

IL teacher Sam Figueroa named the 2024 Far North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year

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Spanish teacher Sam Figueroa has been named the 2024 Far North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Illinois State Board of Education

There are many outstanding teachers working with our young people in our nation’s public schools. Some of these are singled out for special recognition. One is Sam Figueroa, a high school World Languages teacher from the state of Illinois. He has been named the 2024 Far North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Sam is a Spanish teacher at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He has taught there for 12 years. In addition to his foreign language courses, he coaches soccer, leads curricular teams, and serves as a club sponsor.

Originally, Sam pursued a career in finance. But while teaching English in Italy, he recognized his passion for working with young people. When he returned to the United States, he worked for two years as a substitute, and another two years as an aide in a therapeutic day school. All the while, he was taking night courses at North Eastern Illinois University in Chicago until he earned his degree.

Since he has been working as a professional educator, Sam has led a shift towards the practice of standards-based grading, he has developed articulation with district middle schools, he has facilitated the incorporation of social-emotional learning and culturally relevant practices in the classroom, and he has created a curriculum called Diversity Friday to highlight under-represented groups within Spanish-speaking countries.

Sam says much of his success with his students is due to the fact that he is open-minded, forgiving, accommodating, and genuinely interested in others. He declares these qualities are integral to his goal of helping others become better, because if students know they are valued, then they will reach their full potential.​

Dr. Arlene Kramer pioneered bilingual education programs in Colorado

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Arlene Kramer devoted her career as an educator as a pioneer and champion of bilingual education. Photo Credit: Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame

There are many educators who achieve monumental contributions to their profession. One of these was Arlene Vigil Kramer, a pioneer educator. She devoted her career to championing bilingual education for non-English speaking students.

Arlene was born April 1, 1938, in Colorado. As a young woman, she attended the University of Colorado, where she earned both her Master’s and PhD degrees. In fact, she was the first Latina to earn a PhD degree in Education.

After completing her education, Arlene inaugurated her career in public schools in 1959 when she accepted a position as a second grade teacher at Spann Elementary School in Pueblo, Colorado. At the time, 80% of her students had limited mastery of the English language. To help meet the needs of bilingual students, Arlene designed the first bilingual instruction curriculum used in the state of Colorado. Her efforts ultimately led to landmark legislation in 1975 that mandated bilingual education programs for all Colorado children who were learning English is a second language. Later Arlene expanded her work in to include high school and college-age students.

But Arlene’s contributions to the contributions did not end there. She was a founding member and the first Vice President of the Colorado Association for Bilingual and Bi-Cultural Education (CABBE). She was also a member of the National Head Start Bilingual Programs Overview Board, the Child Welfare League of America, and the National Council de La Raza. In 1979, she was a co-founder of Adelante Mujer, an organization that works to prepare high school and college Latinas for their future careers. She also served as a Dean of the School of Professional Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

For her body of work, Arlene was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016. That same year, she was named an inductee into the Latina Legacy Circle.

 

MD teacher Edwin Perez garners 2024 Latinx Educator of the Year Award

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Spanish teacher Edwin Perez of Maryland has garnered a 2024 Latinx Educator Award. Photo Credit: Maryland State Education Association

There are many outstanding educators throughout our country who have been honored for their work in the classroom. One of these is Edwin Perez, a teacher from Baltimore, Maryland. He has garnered the 2024 Latinx Educator of the Year Award from the Latinx Education Collaborative (LEC).

Edwin teaches at Parkville High School, where he has worked for three years. He instructs courses in Advanced Placement Spanish Language & Culture; Spanish IV Honors; and Spanish IV Honors for Heritage Speakers. Before teaching at Parkville, he taught in Baltimore City for seven years.

The honored educator received his award during the Latinx Educator Awards Reception held in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 8. This year, 116 educators from around the country were nominated. According to LEC community engagement director Ivan Ramirez, this is not Edwin’s first nomination for the award. “People see his impact year after year and continue to nominate him,” Ramírez remarked. “Edwin excels at embodying the Latinx Educator Values and has proven to be a leader in education.”

In addition to his work with students, Edwin serves as the Chair of the Minority Affairs Committee of TABCO (Teachers Association of Baltimore County). As an educational leader, Edwin takes his role very seriously. “My concept of leadership has evolved,” he says. “I learned that leadership is more than just a job. It is more than an assignment. It is greater than a title. It is for life. I see that successful leadership is not just a top-down approach—it must be collaborative and inclusive,” he continues. “And I have learned that training, empowerment, collaboration, opportunity, and representation are key to the success of minority leaders,” he concludes.

Edwin, who is a graduate of Baltimore public schools, earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music from Florida State University in 2003.

NV teacher Yamilet Lopez garners prestigious 2024 Milken Educator Award

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Nevada teacher Yamilet Lopez has garnered a prestigious 2024 Milken Educator Award. Photo Credit: Milken

Teachers all over the country are getting excited to learn that the winners of the prestigious 2024 Milken Awards are being announced. Today, I am excited to share the news that one of the recipients is Yamilet Lopez, an elementary school teacher from Nevada.

Teacher Magazine has described the Milken Educator Awards as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 3,000 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work together to strengthen best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Yamilet teaches kindergartners at Alice Maxwell School in Reno. There she develops hands-on, enriching instruction that not only prepares her students for the transition to first grade, but also equips them with language and vocabulary skills that surpass typical kindergarten standards. And the progress her students make is measurable. For example, by the end of the school year, her young students have mastered the entire alphabet, along with each letter’s sound, and they demonstrate the ability to compose short paragraphs. Always seeking new, exciting instructional strategies, Yamilet has developed a method called “spicy writing” to teach students how to add details to their narrative writing.

Yamilet also contributes to professional development. She has participated in the Department Chair Cohort through the Regional Professional Development Program (RPDP), where she plays a pivotal role in creating resources and webinars for teachers and promotes positive teacher and parent relationships within the district. Additionally, her involvement as a panelist for the school’s kindergarten town hall shows her dedication to connecting families to the program and ensuring sustained educational success for each child.

Yamilet earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2012. She says she will use her prize money to finance a Master’s degree.