Tag Archives: Science Teachers

Arizona teacher Chris Ackerly served in state House of Reps

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Arizona teacher J. Christopher “Chris” Ackerly is a science and math educator from Tucson, Arizona, who also served in his state’s House of Representatives. Photo credit: Amphitheater High School.

There are many hardworking educators throughout our country who have also achieved success as politicians. One of these is John Christopher “Chris” Ackerly, a science and math educator who was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives.

Chris was born and raised in Arizona, primarily in the Tucson area. He graduated from Green Fields High School in 1990. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Science from Northern Arizona University in 1999.

After 18 years as an educator, Chris made a bid for elected office. He was elected on the Republican ticket to represent District 2. He served there from 2015 to 2017. While in the Arizona House of Representatives, Chris served as the Chair of the Government and Higher Education Committee; he was a former member of the Committee on Children and Family Affairs; and he was a former member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As a legislator, Chris worked diligently for increased school funding, greater support for more resources for the classroom, an increase in structured sober living homes, and greater support for owners of mobile homes.

Once he left office, Chris returned to his position as a teacher of Physics and Mathematics at Amphitheater High School in Tucson. He has also taught Statistics and Geometry, and K-8 Science and Technology. In addition, Chris serves on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Education Association.

To read more about Chris, see his website at Amphitheater High School.

South Dakota’s Paula Hawks: Science teacher and politician

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Paula Hawks, a high school science teacher from South Dakota, has also served her community in her state’s House of Representatives. Photo credit: South Dakota Public Radio.

There are many fine educators who have also demonstrated a knack for politics. One of these is Paula Hawks, a high school science teacher who has also served in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

Paula was born on Sept. 11, 1975, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She was raised on a farm in Flandreau in her home state. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from South Dakota State University in 1998. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Technology for Education and Training from the University of South Dakota in 2008.

Paula began her professional career serving as a research assistant for South Dakota State University. She later worked as a residential instructor at SouthEastern Behavioral Healthcare. But then she discovered her niche in the field of education. Paula inaugurated her career as an educator by accepting a position as a teacher of Technology Integration in the West Central School District. She worked there from 2002 to 2012. During those ten years, she served as an Oral Interpretation Coach in the schools.

In 2012, the former science teacher was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent District 9 in the South Dakota House of Representatives. She held this position from 2013 to 2017. While in the South Dakota House, she served on the Committees for Education and Local Government. In addition, she was selected Minority Whip from 2015 to 2017. In 2019, Paula was elected her state’s party chair. Throughout her political career, her focus has been on seniors, farmers and ranchers, equality for women and education, and student loan debt.

Today, Paula works as a Career Services Coordinator and Student Success advisor at Southeast Technical Falls in Sioux Falls.

 

Stephanie Marshall: Inducted into Illinois Hall of Fame

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Stephanie Marshall, a mathematics and science educator from Chicago, Illinois, has been inducted into the Illinois Hall of Fame. Photo credit: Stephanie Marshall.

I enjoy sharing stories about exemplary educators. One of these is Stephanie Marshall, a mathematics and science educator from Chicago, Illinois. For her work in the field of education, she has been inducted into the Illinois Hall of Fame.

Stephanie was born and raised in The Bronx, New York. As a young girl, she attended East Meadow High School on Long Island, where she graduated in 1963.

Stephanie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Sociology from Queens College in Flushing, New York, in 1967. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1971. She completed the requirements for her Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Industrial Relations from Loyola University of Chicago in 1983. In addition, she has garnered honorary degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University, Aurora University, and North Central College.

Stephanie taught elementary and junior high in Alsip, Illinois. In addition, she taught graduate courses at National Louis University. Later in her career, she served as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction for the Batavia Public School district 101. From 1983 to 1985, she served that school district as the Superintendent. She has also served as the President of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Stephanie’s career and life’s work has been dedicated to one guiding principle. “Learning must liberate the goodness and genius that resides within each child; and its design must ignite and nurture the power and creativity of the human spirit for the world,” she asserts.

For her work in the classroom, Stephanie has earned many accolades. She received the Order of Lincoln Laureate Award from the Governor of Illinois in 2005. The award is the highest honor that bestowed by the state of Illinois. In 2007, the former classroom teacher was inducted into the Illinois Hall of Fame.

To learn more about this amazing educator, see her website at Stephanie Pace Marshall.

Tennessee’s John Scopes: Convicted for teaching evolution

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High school science teacher John Scopes was convicted in 1925  for teaching the theory of human evolution in his Dayton, Tennessee, classroom. His story was fictionalized in the movie Inherit the Wind in 1960. Photo credit: University of Missouri, Kansas City, School of Law.

Recently I had the opportunity to view the film Inherit the Wind, a fictionalized treatment of the famed Scopes Trial of 1925 written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The play was written in 1955, and the movie was released in 1960. The story centers around real-life high school science teacher John Scopes, and his conviction for teaching the theory of human evolution in his Dayton, Tennessee, classroom.

In 1925, it was unlawful to teach human evolution in a Tennessee public school, which was  then outlawed by the state’s Butler Act. To test the validity of the legislation, John Scopes allowed himself to be used as the test case. He was 24 years old at the time, had earned his Bachelor’s degree in Science from the University of Kentucky in 1924, and was a very popular general science teacher and football coach in his community.

The court case, which was viewed as a contest between religion and science, garnered national attention. The prosecutor was famed politician William Jennings Bryan, who was a former Secretary of State and three-time presidential candidate. The defense attorney was  accomplished lawyer and orator Clarence Darrow. John, who did not deny he taught evolution in his classes but who asserted that teaching scientific theory was not illegal, was found guilty of the charges. However, the verdict was later overturned on a technicality.

The Scopes trial didn’t bring the debate over the teaching of evolution to an end, but it did represent a setback for the anti-evolution coalition. Of the 15 states with anti-evolution legislation pending in 1925, only two states (Arkansas and Mississippi) enacted laws that prohibited or restricted the teaching of Darwin’s theory.

When the trial was over, John Scopes was invited to attend graduate school at the prestigious University of Chicago. A sort of Go-Fund-Me page of that period was organized to pay for his education. Later he accepted a position as a commercial geologist at United Gas in Shreveport, Louisiana. At age 67, the former teacher published his memoirs under the title Center of the Storm.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see the biography published about him written by Professor Douglas O. Linder of the University of Missouri, Kansas City, School of Law.

Ruby Fukiko Nakahara, chemistry teacher, succumbs to Covid-19

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Ruby Fukiko Nakahara, a former high school chemistry teacher who worked in Hawaii, California, and Germany, succumbed to Covid-19 on Feb. 3, 2021. Photo credit: Legacy.com.

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of Ruby Fukiko Nakahara, a former high school chemistry teacher originally from Hawaii. She succumbed to the disease on Feb. 3, 2021. She was 83 years old.

Ruby, whose grandparents were Japanese immigrants, was born in Honolulu in 1937 She was raised in Hawaii in the days before statehood was declared in 1959. Her mother died when she was just 12 years old, and Ruby was raised by an aunt.

As a young woman, Ruby graduated from McKinley High School in Oahu. Following her graduation, she put herself through college, earning a Master’s degree in Chemistry and a teaching credential from the University of Hawaii. Later she earned a scholarship to Oregon State University in Corvallis, where she earned a second Master’s degree.

Once she earned her degree, Ruby taught for several years at a junior high school in Kaimuki, a small, quaint neighborhood in Honolulu. When she was 24 years old, she relocated to Palo Alto, California, where she was able to find a better teaching position at Palo Alto High School in Palo alto, California. In 1970, Ruby accepted a position to teach children in a US military base in Kaiser-Slautern, Germany. There she met Masaru Nakahara, who was working as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft. The pair were married in a small ceremony in Basil Switzerland.

Two years later, the couple returned to the United States, landing first in Massachusetts and then settling in Southern California. Over the next five decades, the veteran teacher did some substitute teaching, but health problems prevented her from going back to the classroom full-time.

Sadly, Ruby Fukiko Nakahara succumbed to Covid-19 on Feb. 3, 2021. Her ashes will be scatteredin Hawaii when travel restrictions are loosened. To read more about her, see this online obituary.