Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

Washington teacher Jamie Smith bids for seat in State House of Reps

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Jamie Smith

Washington teacher Jamie Smith runs for a seat in her state’s House of Representatives.

Today’s political climate has spurred many talented and hardworking educators to run for public office. One such educator is Washington teacher Jamie Smith, who is bidding for a seat in her state’s House of Representatives. After winning the Democratic primary last August, Jamie will face off against Republican Kelly Chambers to represent the state’s District 25A.

Jamie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Pacific Lutheran University in 2004. She majored in both history and secondary education, and she minored in communications. In 2007 she earned a Master’s degree in Leadership Development Program from the same university. In addition, Jamie is a National Board Certified Teacher.

Jamie has spent her twelve-year career as an educator  teaching history, civics, and government at Puyallup and Rogers High Schools. She has also served as a cross country and track coach there. In addition, she has been employed as a Regional Curriculum Trainer for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, a national non-profit which helps to develop courage, commitment, citizenship, integrity, and patriotism in students.

If elected, Jamie says her priorities will be education, the economy, homelessness, rising housing costs, lack of transportation, the opioid crisis, and the environment. “Our state faces many tough choices,” asserts Jamie. “As a teacher, I know our schools desperately need support to provide the best education to our children, wages have stagnated and we need more living wage jobs, small businesses need support to compete in the 21st century economy, (and) we must take action to protect our environment from the ravages of climate change,” she continues. “We need leaders who care about our needs. I am the advocate who will make sure every child in our state gets a high quality education. I will fight for workers and help Washington grow,” she concludes.

Teacher Larry Proffitt runs for Tennessee State House of Reps

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Larry Proffitt

Middle school teacher Larry Proffitt runs for a seat in the Tennessee State House of Representatives.

Today, more than ever, the American political environment offers opportunities for dedicated educators to step into elected public office as they attempt to achieve positive social change in their communities. One of these educators is Larry Proffitt, a junior high school history teacher who is running for a seat in the Tennessee State House of Representatives.

Larry’s career as an educator spans 13 years. He currently works as an eighth grade history teacher at Dickson Middle School. Larry says he believes in community schools throughout his home state. He declares he wants every child to have a great public education like the one he received, and he believes that a quality education is the foundation of our republic and its democratic ideals. But, he asserts, there is definitely work that needs to be done. “We need to get a hold on things and go back to developing relationships with our children,” declares Larry, “teaching our children to grow up and be socially responsible and teaching them in depth in the things we do.”

Larry is running on the Democratic ticket unopposed. His goal is to represent Tennessee’s District 66, which covers Robertson County. In order to learn as much about his state government as possible, Larry says he spends every snow day at the General Assembly speaking to legislators about improving schools in his state in every way possible.

To learn more about this chalkboard champion, visit his campaign website at Larry for Rep.

Missouri’s Jan Alderson: an exemplary high school science teacher

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Jan Alderson

Missouri’s Jan Alderson: an exemplary high school science teacher.

I always enjoy sharing the awe-inspiring stories of exemplary educators. One of these is Jan Alderson, a high school science teacher from Overland Park, Kansas.

Jan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Central Missouri in 1969 and her Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1973.

Now retired, Jan has taught such courses as life science, earth science, physical science, biology, and human anatomy and physiology. She has worked at both the junior high school and high school levels, teaching at Pittman Hills Junior High School, Raytown South High School, and at Shawnee Mission South High School. In all, her career as an educator spanned an impressive 45 years.

Jan’s work has earned a great deal of praise from her distinguished colleagues. “Mrs. Alderson’s classroom is a carefully designed studio of experiments, research, and meaningful information intentionally organized to educate, not overwhelm,” says School Board member Joan Levens. “She is constantly growing, learning, and mentoring. We are all beneficiaries of her quest to grow the next generation of well-rounded scientists.” Dr. Charles Wurrey of the University of Missouri at Kansas City agrees. “In all of her teaching efforts, she emphasizes ‘hands-on’ and ‘minds-on’ learning by involving student research and ‘learning by doing’ by having her students tutor and mentor others and provide service to the community,” he says.

For her work in the classroom, Jan has earned many accolades. In 1975, she was named Outstanding Missouri Conservation Educator by the Conservation Federation of Missouri. In 1991 she garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. In 2011, Jan earned the Burroughs Audubon Outstanding Educator Award. She was even named an alternate from Missouri for the NASA Teacher in Space program! In 2014, this chalkboard champion was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Jan Alderson: a truly exemplary educator.

 

Nationally recognized educator Brigitte Tennis of Washington

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Brigitte Tennis

Nationally recognized educator Brigitte Tennis of Washington state

I truly enjoy sharing stories about terrific classroom teachers. That’s what this blog is all about! Today I’m sharing the story of Brigitte Tennis, a multi-subject teacher from Redmond, Washington.

Brigitte earned two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington in 1981, one in Violin Performance and the other in Teaching. She attended the university on an academic scholarship. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from City University in Redmond. In 2006 she earned her National Board Certification.

Brigitte inaugurated her career teaching a full time program for gifted students second, third, and fourth graders at Mark Twain Elementary School. She worked in that position from 1981 to 1985. She spent the next year teaching third and fourth grade at the same school, and then transferred to Ben Franklin Elementary School, where she taught sixth grade for four years from 1986 to 2000. She then established and became the headmistress of Stella Schola Middle School, located in Redmond, Washington. There she teaches Latin, history, science, algebra, and English. In all she has devoted 36 years to the profession of teaching.

Brigitte has collaborated with the Department of Neurosensory Engineering at the University of Washington for the past four years, designing lessons for students and teaching a summer workshop for educators in the area of neuroscience. In addition, this chalkboard champion takes her high school students to Italy each year as the culminating experience after four years of Latin.

Brigitte has earned many awards for her work in the classroom. In 2004 she was named a Disney Hand American Teacher honoree. In both 2008 and 2009 she earned Sylvan Learning’s Teachers Who Make a Difference Award. And in 2015, this amazing educator was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas.

Comedian Lennon Parham: a former high school French teacher

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Lennon Parham

High school French teacher and comedian Lennon Parham

Anyone who has been up in front of a classroom knows that teaching is, in part, a performance. So it’s no surprise when talented teachers make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry. One teacher who has done this is former high school French teacher Lennon Parham, who now works as a celebrated actress and comedian.

Lennon was born on October 27, 1976, in Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia. Her parents named her after the musician John Lennon. As a young girl, she attended Parkview High School in Lilburn, Gwinnett County, Georgia.

After her high school graduation, Lennon enrolled at the University of Evansville, a small private university located in Evansville, Indiana, under the Teach for American program. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Theater.

Once she completed the requirements for her degree, Lennon accepted a position as a French teacher at T.L. Weston High School in Greenville, Washington County, Mississippi, where she taught for two years.

After fulfilling her obligation for Teach for America, Lennon began her career in the entertainment industry in earnest. Over the years, she has wracked up an impressive resume. She has made appearances in 26 episodes of the television show Playing House, 18 episodes of Accidentally on Purpose, 12 shows of Lady Dynamite, six episodes of Veep, and six shows of Best Friends Forever. She also appeared in roles on Children’s Hospital, Parks and Recreation, Bad Judge, and Arrested Development. Lennon also performed in the movies Pretty Bird, Confessions of a Splinterheads, Shopaholic, and Horrible Bosses 2.

Despite her success, the former French teacher has not entirely left the classroom. She has taught improv classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) training center in Los Angeles. The UCB is the only accredited improv and sketch comedy school in the country. You can learn more about this organization at this link: UCB.