Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

Matinga Ragatz: Globally educated and global educator

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Matinga Ragatz

Matinga Ragatz: Globally educated and global educator

It’s always a pleasure to share stories about exceptional educators. One of these is Matinga Ragatz, a former high school social studies teacher who is globally educated, who has become a global educator.

Even as a youngster, Matinga traveled the world. Born in Spain, she was an elementary student in such places as Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Spain. She earned her high school diploma from Black Forest High School in Kandern, West Germany.

As an adult, Matinga earned her Bachelor’s degree at Messiah College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1988. She completed the requirements for her teaching credential at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan, in 1989. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching at Marygrove College, in Detroit, Michigan, in 2015.

After earning her undergraduate degree, Matinga accepted her first teaching position at Lansing Christian Schools in Lansing, Michigan. She taught social studies and world language there until 1993. That’s when she moved to a position at Grand Ledge High School in Grand Ledge, Michigan, where she taught until 2011. Matinga spent the next year in Arusha, Tanzania, working as a Curriculum Development Specialist in Flood Garden School. When she returned to the United States, she worked for three years in professional development at the Eaton Regional Education Service Agency. Currently, this chalkboard champion works as an Instructional Innovation Specialist and Learning Coach at Communications by Design. She has led instructional activities in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Lain America, and she has been an innovator in developing online learning spaces. In all, Matinga has spent 22 years as a professional educator.

For her outstanding work in classrooms around the world, Matinga has earned many honors. In 2008, she garnered a Microsoft Partners in Learning Innovative Teacher Award, and in 2010, she was named the Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning Outstanding Educator Award. In 2011, she was honored as Michigan’s State Teacher of the Year, and in 2017, she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. She has been honored at the White House by both President Obama and President Trump.

To learn more about this remarkable teacher, her teaching philosophy, and her work, view this three-minute YouTube video below:

 

Accolades to special ed teacher Ashli Skura-Dreher of New York

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Ashli Dreher

High school special education teacher Ashli Skura-Dreher of New York

It’s always a pleasure to learn about a colleague who has earned special recognition for his or her work in the classroom. Today, the spotlight falls on Ashli Skura-Dreher, a high school special education teacher from Youngstown, New York.

Ashli earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, in 1995. She received her Master’s degree in Special Education from D’Youville College in Buffalo in 1998. In addition, she completed the requirements for a Certificate of Advanced Study from the State University of New York at Buffalo in Educational Leadership in 2002, and she earned her national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards the same year. In 2017, Ashli was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas.

Currently Ashli directs the life skills program in the Special Education Department of Youngstown’s Lewiston-Porter High School. She has worked there since 1998. Between 2002 and 2015, she also taught special education and reading at Ulster Community College. Since 2004, Ashli has served as a coordinator for the Education and Learning Trust, which provides professional development courses to teachers across the state. In total, her career as a professional educator has spanned 21 years.

“She handles each individual child with a caring, fair approach by taking time to listen and to be a proactive voice for her students,” declares Andrew Auer, Ashli’s principal at Lewiston-Porter High School. “Her professionalism, effectiveness as a teacher, and her love and concern for students are traits that are certainly worthy of emulating.”

Parent Jennie Welder agrees. “Ashli Dreher has become more than just a great teacher. She’s also a mentor and a great friend,” says Jennie. “She is loved so much by all of her students and their families because of her awesome way of teaching, her caring ways, and her perseverance of never giving up on any child,” Jennie concludes.

Biology teacher Joseph Ruhl: A 2017 National Teachers Hall of Fame inductee

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Joseph Ruhl

Biology teacher and 2017 NTHF inductee Joseph Ruhl features individualized instruction, hands-on projects, and technology in his courses.

I truly enjoy sharing stories about hardworking and dedicated educators. Today I’d like to share the story of Joseph Ruhl, a biology and genetics teacher from Lafayette, Indiana, who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2017.

Joseph attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1977 and his Master’s degree in Biology Education in 1980.

His career in the classroom spanned a total of 38 years in the classroom. During this long career, he has taught at Lanier B High School in Macon, George, at LaCrosse High School in la Crosse, Indiana, at North White high School in Monon, Indiana, and at Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Indiana. “Teaching is one of the most important jobs in the world,” declares Joseph. “It’s also one of the most difficult, but teaching is a profession that will being authentic joy and satisfaction.”

Joseph offers a unique teaching style, which features individualized instruction, hands-on projects, technology, and what he calls a “smorgasbord menu” that allows students to make their own choices.

For his outstanding work in the classroom, Joseph has been singled out for many honors. In 1988 he was awarded a Golden Apple Teaching Award by the Lafayette, Indiana Chamber of Commerce. In 1989, he garnered the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. In 2012, he won the Shell National Science Teaching Award, and in 2015, he was given the Robert E. Yager Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2017, he earned the Sagamore of the Wabash Award presented by the Governor Indiana. That same year, he was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

The TED Talk YouTube video below is almost 18 minutes, but it provides an inspirational speech from this distinguished chalkboard champion. Enjoy!

Former students gather to honor music teacher Robert Moore

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Every once in a while I stumble upon a heartwarming story about a teacher that just warms my heart. Here is one about Robert Moore, a retired high school music teacher from Ponca City, Oklahoma.

Robert’s 30 year career as an educator began in 1966 and ended when he retired in 1996. He just celebrated his 80th birthday, so as a special surprise, nearly 300 of his former students decided to pay homage to their former music teacher. In an effort that took nearly a year to organize, they traveled from all over the country and from three foreign countries back to their home town of Ponca City. There they rehearsed and performed a surprise tribute concert for Robert. Some of the selections they performed brought Robert to tears, such as “Kumbaya” and the Christmas song “Still, Still, Still.”

Many of the former students described their teacher as a strict disciplinarian who pushed them to perform beyond what they thought they had in themselves. “He expected the best out of us, and therefore we gave the best that we had,” remembered Katy Cutler-Art, class of 1975. “He would stop you in the hall and ask you to sing a specific note,” recalled Susan Clay Vitkavage, class of 1979. Because of Robert’s expert guidance, the Ponca City Chorale won choir competitions all over the country every year that he served as their director. Many of the former students said they pursued successful careers in music or became educators because of the inspiration they gained from Robert.

Despite his rather tough teaching style, Robert obviously still harbors great affection for his former students. “Thank you so much for this,” he told them at the conclusion of the concert. “You’ll never know what it means to me and to my family. I loved you then, and I love you now.”

View this four-minute YouTube video for more about this amazing chalkboard champion. I just recommend you keep the tissue box handy.

 

Social studies teacher Peggy Jackson inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Peggy Jackson

Social studies teacher Peggy Jackson of New Mexico has just been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Those of us in the teaching profession are always delighted when one of our colleagues earns a prestigious honor or award. One teacher who has earned recognition recently is Peggy Jackson, a government and US history teacher who hails from Moriarity, Torrance County, New Mexico.

Peggy earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and History from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, in 1963. She earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of New Mexico, and a second Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of New Mexico in 2007. That university is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Peggy’s lengthy career as an educator has spanned 35 years. Since 1999 she has taught government and US History at Moriarty High School. Previously she taught Honors English at MacArthur High School and Churchill High School from 1965 to 1973. She then accepted a position to teach English at Hope Christian High School, where she worked from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 1999, she was a humanities instructor in the Albuquerque Public Schools.

Peggy actively promotes peer teaching in her classroom. When students teach each other, this “empowers them to value their own learning and to accord respect to their peers,” she declares.

Peggy has earned a great deal of recognition for her work in the classroom. In 2005, she was named New Mexico Social Studies Teacher of the Year, and in 2010, she was recognized as the New Mexico Teacher of the Year. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, from 2016 to 2017 she served as the President of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).

To learn more about the National Teachers Hall of Fame, click on this link: NTHF.