Tag Archives: Social Studies Teachers

Jessica Eschbach named Oklahoma’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Educator Jessica Eschbach of Norman, Oklahoma, has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher o f the Year. Photo Credit: Oklahoma Education Association

Many talented educators have earned recognition for their dedicated work with students. One of these is Jessica Eschbach, a teacher librarian and learning coach from Norman, Oklahoma. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Jessica currently serves as an Innovative Learning Coach at Norman North High School in the Norman Public School District. In this position, she provides professional development, technology integration, and inquiry-based units for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Prior to that assignment, Jessica taught social studies and English at Alcott Middle School, and she also served as the Library/Media Specialist at Kennedy Elementary School.

Jessica is originally from Salem, New Hampshire, but she moved to Oklahoma in 2008 to attend the University of Oklahoma, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English/Language Arts in 2012. She earned her first Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 2019. She earned her second Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, in 2021.

During her nine years in public education, Jessica has worked diligently to close the equity gap within her district. She is committed to doing everything in her power to ensure that all students, regardless of where they grow up or attend school, have access to opportunities that will lead them to successful futures.

The honored educator is truly dedicated to her profession. “Being a teacher permeates every aspect of my life, in the best way possible, and working with students and teachers has taught me to be a more thoughtful, compassionate, and responsible human being,” Jessica declares. And her admiration for her colleagues is also evident. “Teachers are superheroes,” Jessica asserts. “They know how to collaborate and work in the trenches with each other to give their students the most opportunities and best futures they can,” she continues.

Teacher Annie Tietze served five terms in Kansas State House of Reps

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Former Social Studies teacher Annie Tietze served five terms in the Kansas State House of Representatives. Photo credit: legislators.gov

Many excellent educators have also served their community in public office. Annie Tietze, a Social Studies teacher from Kansas, is one of these. She served five terms of office in her state’s House of Representatives.

Annie was born on Oct. 7, 1950, in Topeka, Kansas. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Emporia State University in 1972. She earned a Master’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas in 1986.

After she earned her degrees, Annie taught Social Studies, speech, debate, and English in Topeka. Her career spanned from 1974 to 2006, a total of 32 years. She also worked as a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

Annie was elected to the Kansas State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. There she represented the 56th District from 2007 to 2013. She represented the 53rd District from 2013 to 2016. In the Kansas House, Annie was a member of three Committees: Corrections & Community Justice; Commerce, Labor, & Economic Development; and Judiciary.

For her work as a legislator, Annie has earned some impressive recognition. She was named Legislator of the Year by the National Alliance of Mental Illness in 2010. She was also honored as the Spiral of Influence by the Kansas City Organization of Women Enterprises.

Today, at age 72, Annie is retired from teaching. But she has not left the profession entirely. She serves as the local president of the Kansas National Education Association.

Theresa Maughan named NJ’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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High school Social Studies teacher Theresa Maughan has been named New Jersey’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.. Photo credit: New Jersey Education Association

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work. One of these is Theresa Maughan, a high school Social Studies teacher in East Orange, New Jersey. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Theresa teaches at East Orange STEM Academy in East Orange, New Jersey. In a career that has spanned 40 years, she has spent the last 34 of them at East Orange. “I love everything about my job,” expresses Theresa. “Every day is fresh and different, and I really enjoy giving my students an opportunity to become the best version of themselves,” she says.

The honored educator immigrated from Belize when she was only five years old. When her family was threatened with deportation, her social studies teacher dedication herself to helping her family stay in their adopted country. “My father had an issue with his visa that threatened our immediate family’s status in the US,” recalls Theresa. “My teacher, Mrs. Roman, launched a letter-writing campaign and arranged for coverage in the Jersey Journal about our situation. The school community rallied around us and we were able to go through the naturalization process, eventually becoming American citizens,” she continues. This effort, says Theresa, is what led her to recognize the immense impact educators have on their students’ lives and inspired her to pursue a career in education.

When she grew up, Theresa earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Education from Rutgers University. She earned her Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from New Jersey City University. She is also working on her second Master’s degree, in American History, from Pace University.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Theresa writes curriculum, and she has developed and presented interdisciplinary professional development workshops for her school district. She has mentored new teachers and pre-service teachers. Furthermore, she has attended the New Jersey Amistad Commission’s Summer Teacher Institute for more than a decade, and she serves as an Amistad Scholar.

Besides her honors as New Jersey’s Teacher of the Year, Theresa has been named 2021 Essex County Teacher of the Year, and she was a nominee for the National History Day Patricia Behring Award the same year.

To read more about Theresa Maughan, see this article published by the New Jersey Education Association.

Michigan’s Laura Osborn: Teacher, campaigner for school reform, and suffragist

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Laura Osborn was a teacher, campaigner for school reform, and suffragist from Detroit, Michigan. Photo Credit: Detroit Historical Society

Many fine educators have also made significant contributions to their community. One of these was Laura Osborn, a teacher, campaigner for school reform, and suffragist from Detroit, Michigan.

Laura was born in 1866 in Huntington, Indiana, and raised there. As a young woman, she taught mathematics and civics in public schools in Huntington until her marriage in 1891. Later, she served many years as a member of the school board for Detroit Public Schools during the early decades of the 20th century.

Laura was first elected to the school board in 1917, the first woman elected to a citywide office in Detroit. She served on that body until 1955. For many of those years she was the school board’s president. In all, her service on the school board spanned 38 years. During her tenure, Laura worked tirelessly for school board reform, advocating specifically for non-partisan school boards within her state.

Laura was responsible, in part or in whole, for innovations which are now considered standard practice, including school lunch rooms supervised by trained dietitians, special instruction for handicapped children, health education, classes in manual and domestic arts, and courses for gifted and talented students. She devised better business methods for school administrators and insisted upon fire-proof school buildings as well as classes for children in custody at the Juvenile Detention Home. In fact, because of Laura’s innovations, Detroit schools became the model for best practices all over the state.

In addition to her work in the public schools, Laura is also credited with having mobilized women into the causes of women’s suffrage and temperance.

Sadly, Laura Osborn passed away in 1955. She was 89 years old. After her passing, Detroit name their newly-built Osborn High School in her honor. In 1995, this Chalkboard Champion was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.

 

NH teacher Sara Casassa named her state’s Teacher of the Year

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Middle school teacher Sara Casassa has been named the 2022 New Hampshire State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Barnard School

It is always a pleasure to share stories about talented educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Sara Casassa, a middle school teacher from New Hampshire. Sara has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Sara’s career as an educator spans more than three decades. Since 2009, she has taught Language Arts and Social Studies courses to students in grades 6 through 8 at Barnard School in South Hampton. She also serves as the cross county coach and the yearbook advisor. As if all this were not enough, the indefatigable educator has also worked as a technology integrator and as her school’s webmaster. She has presented inservice on technology and literacy at a variety of workshops and conferences.

It was due to her innovative work with technology that Sara became the first choice for New Hampshire’s top teacher honors, says South Hampton School Board Chair Jim Kime. He praised the middle school English teacher for “leveraging technology,” even before Covid-19 forced widespread school closures. Kime noted that before the pandemic, Sara created a virtual classroom for a student who was forced to leave school for three to four weeks because of an illness. The virtual classroom she created became the prototype once COVID hit, and her expertise was invaluable to both the students and staff.

Despite this success, Sara insists that establishing and maintaining strong relationships are still at the heart of her teaching. “While teaching pedagogy has changed and needs of students and families are much different then they were 20 years ago, the importance of creating relationships, engaging in meaningful learning opportunities, and meeting students where they are has remained constant,” she declares.

Sara earned her Bachelor’s degree with a dual major in English and History and her Master’s degree in English, both from Boston College. She has also completed courses on her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in curriculum and instruction.

To read more about Sara Casassa, see this article published by the New Hampshire Union Leader.