Meet high school social studies teacher Michael Scruggs from Memphis, Tennessee. He is such an inspiration to his students! Every day he begins his classes with a motivational mantra such as, “You have everything it takes to be #1.”
This passionate chalkboard champion was featured last June in an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres Show. View the video below to see him in action, and to meet one of his former students.
I am always eager to share stories about passionate teachers who have dedicated their talent and influence to compelling social causes. One of these is Lyman Tefft Johnson, a high school teacher who worked towards racial justice during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s.
Lyman was born on June 12, 1906, in Columbia, Tennessee, the eighth of nine children born to Robert and Mary (Dew) Johnson. He was the grandson of former slaves.
In 1926, at the age of 20, Lyman earned his high diploma from the preparatory division of Knoxville College, a historically black institution in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1930, Lyman earned his bachelor’s degree in Greek from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, and the following year he completed the requirements for his master’s degree in history from the University of Michigan in Detroit, Michigan.
Once he completed his education, Lyman accepted a position as a teacher of history, economy, and mathematics at Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky. Lyman had already been teaching for 16 years when he won a legal case to integrate the University of Kentucky in 1949, a full five years before the US Supreme Court made its famous 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that outlawed segregation in public schools.
Lyman taught at Central High until 1966, then spent seven years working in the Jefferson County Public Schools as an assistant principal. During these years, he continued his civil rights work, leading efforts to integrate local neighborhoods, swimming pools, schools, and restaurants. He was also a major force behind a fight for equal pay for his both black and white teachers in his district. In addition, Lyman headed the Louisville Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for six years.
In all, Lyman devoted 34 years of his life as an educator. For his work as a teacher and civil rights activist, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Kentucky (1979), the Governor’s Distinguished Service Medallion for Volunteerism (1995), and the City of Louisville’s first Freedom Award (1988). Also, a Louisville school was renamed in his honor. In 1980, Parkland Junior High School was designated Lyman T. Johnson Middle School. This amazing chalkboard champion passed away on October 3, 1997. He was 91 years old.
To learn more about this amazing teacher and civil rights activist, click on Lyman T. Johnson Obituary. You might also want to read a biography of him written by Professor Emeritus Wade Hall of Bellarmine University entitled The Rest of the Dream: The Black Odyssey of Lyman T. Johnson.
One of the most pleasurable aspects of teaching is the vast opportunity the profession provides for innovation and creativity. Here is an inspirational video about a visionary teacher from San Francisco, Ninive Clements Calegari. Among Ninive’s wonderful accomplishments is the co-founding of a program called 826 Valencia, a nonprofit organization which supports writing skills and literary arts for under-resourced students age 6-18. Watch this presentation to learn more about this remarkable teacher and her leading-edge educational program.
There are many brilliant teachers working in many American schools, and each year the nation gets to meet several of them on the annual competition known as the “Teachers’ Tournament” featured on the game show Jeopardy. One such educator is Colby Burnett, who garnered first place in both the Jeopardy Teachers Tournament in 2012 and the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions in 2013.
Colby grew up in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. As a teen, he attended Fenwick High School, a prestigious private college preparatory school located in Oak Park, Illinois. Illustrious alumni of Fenwick include Illinois state senators Daniel Cronin and Chris Nybo, NASA astronaut Joseph Kerwin, author Philip Caputo, Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Twomey, Chicago Bears player Mike Rabold, Chicago White Sox player Mike Heathcott, and Olympic gold medalist Ken Sitzberger.
After his graduation from Fenwick, Colby enrolled in Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in both history and political science. Following his college graduation, Colby accepted a position as an Advanced Placement History teacher at his alma mater, Fenwick High School.
After Colby’s success on Jeopardy, he was honored by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, who designated December 18 as “Colby Burnett Day.” In his declaration, Governor Quinn described the talented teacher as, “a dedicated Illinois educator who demonstrated a passion for lifelong learning,” and said that Colby “has represented the State of Illinois admirably, and established himself as a role model to his students.”
Way to go, Colby!
You can read more about Colby’s Jeopardy win at this Huffington Post article, Colby Burnett Wins Jeopardy. You can also read the transcript of a Jeopardy interview of Colby at this link: J! Archive.com.
I love to share stories of courageous teachers who have earned a name for themselves as intrepid pioneers. One such teacher is Lorene Cuthberton Harrison, a music teacher and singer who ventured to Alaska while it was still a territory.
Lorene Cuthberton was born in March 7, 1905, in Sterling, Kansas. After her high school graduation in 1922, she enrolled in Sterling College in Kansas, where she majored in home economics. She earned her bachelor’s degree and her teaching certificate in 1928. She was 23 years old.
The same year she graduated, this pioneering lady traveled to Alaska Territory, where she became the first music teacher in Anchorage schools. She also taught courses in home economics, general science, and geography. When she arrived, Anchorage had only 2,500 residents and the high school had only six teachers. Her salary was $180 a month, compared to the $60 per month that her friends were paid as teachers in Kansas.
Two years after her arrival, the pioneer educator married Jack Harrison, a local railroad engineer. The couple had two daughters. While raising her children, Lorene continued to teach music and theater. She also continued to sing for others, performing at private and public events such as weddings and funerals. When World War II erupted, Lorene worked for the United Service Organizations (USO).
After her beloved husband passed away in 1968, Lorene opened her own boutique which she called Hat Box. The store sold clothing and hats that she personally designed. The former teacher ran her store for 30 years. She also launched herself into various cultural activities in Anchorage. She organized the United Choir of All Faiths, which was the forerunner of the Anchorage Community Chorus; she served as the first president of the Anchorage Concert Association; she was on the founding boards of the Anchorage Arts Council, the Anchorage Civic Opera, and the Anchorage Little Theatre, and she served as the director of the First Presbyterian Church Choir for 29 years.
This amazing chalkboard champion passed away at the age of 100 in 2005 in Anchorage, Alaska, and was interred in the pioneer tract of the Anchorage Memorial Park. In 2009, Lorene Harrison was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame. You can read more about this intrepid lady at the link AlaskaHistory.org. You can also purchase Mostly Music: The Biography of Alaskan Cultural Pioneer Lorene Harrison, which can be found on amazon.com.
