Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

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.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors the inspirational Jeff Baxter

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Jeff Baxter

The National Teachers Hall of Fame honors high school English teacher Jeff Baxter of Kansas

It is always gratifying to see a colleague recognized for outstanding contributions to the teaching profession. One such teacher is Jeff Baxter, a high school English teacher from Kansas who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) this past June.

Jeff earned his Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from the University of Kansas in 1971, and his Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the same institution in 1976. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from the Washburn University School of Law in 1985, and he completed post-graduate work at the University of Missouri.

Now 70 years of age, Jeff has spent a total of 30 years as a classroom educator. He currently teaches 12th grade Advanced Placement Literature and Composition at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas.

Jeff believes working with young people is the noblest profession there is. “By helping them appreciate the value of language, they develop problem-solving habits that make them lifelong learners,” he once declared.

For his excellence as an educator, Jeff has earned many accolades. In 2014, he was named the Kansas Teacher of the Year, and in 2017 he was named Inspirational Teacher of the Year by the Blue Valley West Honor Society. He is also a fellow of the National Writing Project, through which he has presented hundreds of writing workshops to middle and high school teachers and college professors throughout the Midwest. He’s also the 2015 Kansas Global Education Fellow, working with teachers internationally. In fact, in 2015 this amazing educator traveled to South America to work with Peruvian children and teachers.

Jeff is also the author of a book entitled More than One Way Home, a memoir about overcoming setbacks and finding hope. It’s about Jeff’s personal journey overcoming chronic depression and the resultant obesity that developed because of his inability to deal with the deaths of two important individuals in his life. You can find his book on amazon.com.

English teacher Walter Downing: A former pro basketball player

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Walter Downing

High school English teacher and former professional basketball player Walter Downing of Illinois

I enjoy sharing stories about terrific educators who came to the teaching profession after enjoying success in other careers. One story like this is that of Walter Downing, a high school English teacher who was once a professional basketball player.

Walter was raised in a solid home environment with strict parents. As a teenager, he attended Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, Illinois. Even then, his prowess as an athlete was evident. He led his high school basketball team to a third place finish in 1978 and to a state championship in 1979. In ten state tournament games, Walter scored 184 points and grabbed 80 rebounds. However, he was best known as a shot-blocker. In a 1978 state quarter-final playoff game against Ottawa Marquette, he rejected a record 12 shots. His talent was so impressive that the year he was a senior, Walter was named “Mr. Basketball,” an honor given each year to the top high school player in Illinois. But Walter was the first-ever recipient of the title.

After his high school graduation, Walter enrolled first at DePaul University in Chicago, but later transferred to Marquette University, whee he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and Rhetoric in 1986. Marquette is a private, co-educational Catholic University located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Walter earned his Master’s degree in Education from Lewis University in 2006. Lewis is a private Roman Catholic university located in Romeoville, Illinois.

As a college graduate, Walter was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the sixth round of the NBA draft in 1986, but after he was cut by the Lakers, he went to Europe to play pro basketball there for four years.

After hanging up his athletic shoes, Walter accepted a position as a high school English at Hinsdale South, located in a southwest suburb of Chicago. It’s not a career he envisioned for himself when he was younger. “I definitely took the scenic route,” he once admitted. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a high school English teacher, but I’ve been here now for 20 years, and it’s been wonderful. I love being able to have a positive impact on kids,” he concluded.

Jordan A. Harris: The high school teacher who was elected to Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives

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Jordan A. Harris

Philadelphia’s Jordan A. Harris, former high school languages teacher, now serves in his state’s House of Representatives.

Often accomplished classroom teachers make excellent politicians. One of these is Jordan A. Harris, a Philadelphia school teacher who currently serves in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives.

Jordan graduation from Philadelphia’s John Bartram Motivation High School in 2002. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Governmental and Political Affairs from Millersville University in Millersville, Pennsylvania, in 2006. He earned his Master’s Degree in Education from Cabrini College in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, in 2008. He has also done work towards his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Neumann University in Aston, Pennsylvania.

Jordan taught school for several years in the Philadelphia Public Schools.  He was employed as a languages teacher at Union Area High School located in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. While there, he was instrumental in designing Slam Dunk, a summer program that assisted over 600 high school students to meet credit requirements for graduation.

In 2013, Jordan was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He represents the 186th District. For the 2017-2018 legislative session, he was elected to the Chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. He is also part of the Career & Technical Education Caucus, the Community College Caucus, and the Early Childhood Education Caucus.

In his effort to serve young people, Jordan has worked as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Youth Commission, where he used his influence to improve conditions for  the city’s youth and young adults. In this office, Jordan was able to extend the hours of the city’s recreation centers and create alternative activities. In addition, Jordan has served as the President of the Board of Directors at Lincoln Day Educational Center, the oldest continuously operating African American Day School in the country. And he has  served as a Member of the Board of the Hardy Williams Education Fund and the Christian Street YMCA.

For his efforts, the former classroom teacher has won many accolades. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Magazine. He was also honored with Odunde 365’s 2017 Community Service Award for Positively Impacting Lives.

Traveling teacher Lillie Marshall, a Massachusetts Literacy Champion

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Lillie Marshall

Traveling teacher Lillie Marshall, a Massachusetts Literacy Champion

One of the biggest advantages a career in teaching has to offer is ample time to travel during the summers. Because traveling is such a terrific learning experience, teaching and traveling go hand in hand. One educator who can testify to this is Lillie Marshall, a high school English and Humanities teacher from Boston.

Lillie graduated from Brookline High School in 1999. Brookline is a public high school located in Brookline, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled in Brown University, a private Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature in 2003.

As soon as she earned her degree, Lillie landed a position as a teacher of English and Humanities at Boston Latin Academy. She enjoyed her work as an educator, but was soon feeling the effects of burn-out. “After five years as a high school English teacher, I was exhausted and frustrated. To continue in education, I knew I needed to step back and get perspective on what learning really is,” Lillie recalls.

To regain her passion for the profession, Lillie spent the next year traveling around the world. She taught in Ghana, did some writing in Thailand, and explored architecture in Spain. In 2009, she started writing a travel blog to chronicle her global experiences. “At the end of the year’s journey, I was energized and excited to teach in Boston again, and have been teaching happily here ever since… with travels every vacation possible, of course!,” she reveals.

For her work in advancing teaching and traveling, Lillie has been named a Massachusetts Literacy Champion. The Massachusetts Literacy Champion Awards Program recognizes outstanding literacy educators, their practices, and their programs.

To check out Lillie’s travel blog, simply click on this link: Teaching Traveling. To learn more about Lillie, check out the short YouTube video about her below.