Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

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.

Michigan’s June Teisan: Inspiring scientific minds for 27 years

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June Teisan

Michigan’s June Teisan: She’s been inspiring scientific minds for 27 years

I always enjoy sharing stories about remarkable teaches. That’s what this blog is all about! Today, I’m sharing the story of June Teisan, a retired junior high school science teacher from Michigan.

June earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1986 and her Master’s degree in Teaching in 1991, both from Wayne State University located in Detroit, Michigan. In addition, June is a National Board Certified teacher.

In a career that spanned 27 years, June worked as a seventh grade science teacher at Harper Woods Secondary School in Harper Woods, Michigan, where she was employed until 2014. Teaching junior high school students is a memory June carries with fondness. “It was fantastic. I loved it,” June remembers. “It is such  an exuberant age. They are self-maintaining because they are not little anymore, but they are not so cool yet that they go off on their own, and the doors are still open for inquiry and for new things,” she says.

After June left the classroom, she accepted a position in the Office of Education at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she served as an Education Outreach and Program Specialist. June has a reputation for being passionately committed to widening opportunities for under-represented and under-served students in the STEM fields. She is known for being committed to supporting urban and early-career educators with rich, innovative professional development.

Over the course of her career, June has collected many awards. In 2005, she garnered a White House Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. In 2008, she was named the Michigan Teacher of the Year and was named a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. She was also honored as a Smithsonian Teacher ambassador that year. In 2011, June was named a NASA TeacherNaut, and in 2015 she became an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. In 2016, this remarkable teacher was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Stephen Bowen, the teacher who served as a Maine State Representative

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Stephen Bowen

Stephen Bowen, the teacher who served in the Maine State House of Representatives

Many times excellent educators become successful politicians. This is true of Stephen Bowen, a social studies teacher from Maine who also served in his state’s House of Representatives.

Stephen was born in Portland, Maine, on June 6, 1969. Stephen earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, in 1991. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, in 1998.

After earning his degrees, Stephen taught middle school and high school social studies for ten years. He inaugurated his career as a teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, where he taught from 1997 to 2000. He then returned to Maine, where he taught in Camden from 2000 to 2006. During his tenure there, Stephen was elected to the Maine House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. There he represented the communities of Camden and Rockport from 2002 to 2006.

After completing his term of office, Stephen became the director for the Center for Education Excellence at the Maine Heritage Policy Center. In that position, he wrote reports on education policy, school finance, state spending and debt, government transparency, and welfare reform. In 2011, Stephen was appointed Commissioner of Education by Maine Governor Paul LePage. In that position, the former teacher advised the governor on matters related to education, government reform, budget, and marine resources policy. Two years later, Stephen accepted a position with the National Council of chief State School Officers.

Science teacher Bryce Carlson: He rowed solo across the Atlantic

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Bryce Carlson

Bryce Carlson, a high school teacher from Cincinnati, Ohio, who broke a world record when he successfully rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Some of the most amazing feats are accomplished by remarkable teachers. One of these teachers is Bryce Carlson, a high school science teacher from Cincinnati, Ohio, who was recently featured in the news because he broke the world record for rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. This extraordinary teacher is the first American to row solo and unassisted across the North Atlantic Ocean, and he did it in record time.

Bryce’s journey began in St. John’s in Newfoundland, Canada, on June 27. He arrived in St. Mary’s Harbor in the Isles of Scilly on the southwestern tip of England just 38 days, 6 hours, and 49 minutes later. The previous record was 53 days, 8 hours, and 26 minutes.

Bryce rowed a distance of about 2,000 nautical miles. This amazing teacher made the trip in a 20-foot, 700-pound boat made of carbon fiber he named Lucille. He packed the boat with navigation and safety equipment, a water maker, bilge pump, stove, mattress and sleeping bag, clothes, toiletries, a medical supplies kit, a few books, and a stereo with his favorite music selections. “If the boat or I get into real trouble, I can signal for help via an emergency beacon or VHF radio on the boat, a personal emergency beacon on my life vest, or by my tracking unit, satellite phone and a satellite Wi-Fi hotspot,” Bryce explained before he started out. These precautions were extremely important. During the journey, Bryce capsized several times and endured high waves, not to mention the remnants of a hurricane!

During his adventure, Bryce worked with a software company based in Cincinnati called Abre Everywhere, which will help him turn his experience and the data from his trip into courses available to other educators.

Bryce’s school is lucky to have him on their staff. He teaches biology, environmental studies, and psychology at the Seven Hills School, a private school located near Cincinnati, Ohio. The Seven Hills School, originally founded in 1906, aspires to foster natural curiosity, active inquiry, and self-discovery. Bryce certainly has modeled those characteristics in spades.

Bryce earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 2003 and his Ph.D in Biological Anthropology from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2011.

Right on, Bryce!