Tag Archives: Social Studies Teachers

The country’s educators design Sept. 11 remembrances

Posted on by

Chad Denis, a social studies teacher at Old Orchard Beach High School in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, is one of many educators around the country who is designing Sept. 11 remembrance lessons. Photo Credit: Portland Press Herald

Today marks the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and once again educators all over the country are contemplating what is the best approach to teaching about this enormous historic event in their classrooms.

For example, Chad Denis, who teaches government and history at Old Orchard Beach High School in Maine, was just hours into his first day of student teaching at Brewer High School when the nation came under attack on Sept. 11, 2001. He was already understandably nervous, but the events of the day set everyone on edge. Thinking back to that day, Chad said he didn’t fully understand the magnitude of what was happening until he went home that night. “I don’t think it hit the kids, either,” he said. “In 2001, kids didn’t have phones. They weren’t pulling up all that information on Twitter.”

Years later, Chad’s classroom is full of young before who hadn’t even been born yet when Sept. 11 events occurred. Every year, when the anniversary of the terror attacks comes around, he and professional educators around the country how best to instruct their students about what was an unforgettable personal experience, and also a catastrophic historic event for the nation.

Some schools continue to hold a moment of silence on the morning of Sept. 11. Chad often prepares a lesson that includes showing videos of Sept. 11 events. He also leads a discussion about how the terror attacks changed foreign policy.

Often, teachers approach the topic by sharing with students where they were when it happened and giving an overview of the events and the aftermath. They compare Sept. 11 to Pearl Harbor and talk about how both events changed the course of history in the United States. And, of course, many teachers include a message against harassment of the Muslim or Middle Eastern community, with the goal of preventing prejudice or misdirected anger.

Every teacher and every school community approaches a remembrance of Sept. 11  in their own way. And it is appropriate and necessary that we do this. Despite the personal cost at reliving the events of that tragic day, it’s important to continue to acknowledge what happened. We must remember the historic events that happened on Sept. 11, recognize the many acts of heroism that were displayed at the time, and, more importantly, honor the lives that were los that day.

Native Hawaiian educator Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell, served as First Lady of Honolulu

Posted on by

Long-time educator and Native Hawaiian Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell served as First Lady of Honolulu during the term of her husband, Neal Blaisdell, pictured with her here in 1956. Photo Credit: Honolulu Advertiser

Many accomplished educators have also gained notoriety in the public eye. One of these was Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell, who once served as the First Lady of Honolulu while her husband was the city’s mayor.

Lucy was born on August 16, 1903, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Helen Kahanuulani Meek, was a Native Hawaiian, and her father, Charles Thurston, was a descendent of an American Revolutionary War soldier named Robert Thurston.

After Lucy’s high school graduation from Punahou School, she continued her education first at the Territorial Normal School and then at Colorado College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1926. That same year she married her childhood sweetheart, Neal Blaisdell, also of Native Hawaiian heritage. After their marriage, Neal accepted a position as football coach at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and Lucy accepted her first teaching position in Rochester, New York. Over the course of that year, she enrolled at Columbia University, where she earned her Master’s degree.

In the summer of 1927, Lucy and Neal returned to their home state of Hawaii. Upon her return, she accepted a position at her alma mater, the Territorial Normal School. In 1937, she returned to Rochester, New York, where for one year she taught social studies on a teacher exchange assignment. During the many years she taught in Hawaii she taught in schools in Honolulu schools, including Washington Intermediate, Liliuokalani, Stevenson, President William McKinley High School, Kaimuki High School, and Kaimuki Intermediate. The distinguished educator concluded her 36-year career when she retired from the profession in 1963.

When Neal was elected mayor of Honolulu in 1955, Lucy became the city’s First Lady. She served in this capacity until he retired from office in 1969. During these years, Lucy steadfastly declined opportunities to make public speeches, but she did work tirelessly for his campaign. Once he was elected, she continued to decline public speaking opportunities, but happily served as his hostess at formal and casual gatherings. Even though she was still teaching, after she had put in a full day at school she would attend social and political events with her husband in the evenings.

Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell passed away on December 16, 1986, at the age of 86. She is buried alongside her husband a Oahu Cemetery in Honolulu.

 

NY teacher Herbert Parmat: A major historian of American politics

Posted on by

High school social studies teacher and college professor Herbert Parmat earned acclaim as the author of many well-received biographies of American presidents. Photo Credit: The Portal to Texas History

Many talented educators have earned acclaim as accomplished authors. One of these is Herbert Parmat, a high school social studies teacher and historian who wrote many well-received biographies of American presidents. In fact, he has been described as a major historian of the American presidency and politics.

Herbert was born on Aug. 28, 1929, in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. As a youngster, he attended DeWitt Clinton High School in New York, graduating in 1948. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at State University of New York, Oswego, in 1951, and his Master’s degree from Queens College in 1957. During these years, Herbert also completed a stint in the US Army, where he served from 1952 to 1954, achieving the rank of Corporal.

In the 1960s, Herbert taught social studies at North Babylon High School in Long Island, and then at Mineola High School in Mineola in Long Island. At Mineola, he served as the school’s Social Studies Department. He also taught history courses at the Graduate Center of City University of New York and at Queensborough Community College. By all accounts, Herbert was an outstanding classroom teacher, dynamic and charismatic. When he retired in 1995, the former high school teacher was named a Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

While teaching at Mineola, Herbert decided to tackle a writing project with colleague Marie B. Hecht. The pair authored their first biography, Aaron Burr: Portrait of an Ambitious·Man (1967). Together, they also wrote Never Again: A President Runsfor a Third Term: Roosevelt versus Wi/lkie, 1940 (1968). This was followed by a pioneering biography, Eisenhower and the American Crusades (1972). Next, Herbert wrote The Democrats: The Years After FDR (1976). In a return to the biography genre, he authored Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy (1980) and JFK: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy (1983). Next, he penned the biographies Richard Nixon and His America (1990) and George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee (1997). His later works were Presidential Power from the New Deal to the New Right (2002) and a return to an earlier biographical subject in Richard M. Nixon: An American Enigma (2008).

This outstanding educator passed away on Jan. 25, 2017, in Newton, Massachusetts. He was 87 years old. To read more about Herbert Parmat, click on this link to History News Network.

Jerad Koepp of Washington named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Congratulations are due to History and Social Studies teacher Jerad Koepp of Washington, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.  Photo Credit: North Thurston Public Schools

Congratulations are due to History and Social Studies teacher Jerad Koepp of Washington, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Jerad, a Native American who is also known by the name of Wukchumni, has been a teacher of Native American education for over 12 years. Since 2013 he has served as the Native student program specialist for North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, Washington. In this role, he provides cultural and academic support for approximately 230 Native American students from more than 50 tribes, nations, bands, and villages enrolled in the 22 schools within the district. His students can be found at all grade levels from kindergarten to high school seniors, and in schools throughout the district. “My classroom is indoors, outdoors, in a commons or cafeteria, sometimes a library,” Jerad says. “My classroom is wherever learning is happening.”

In addition to his work in the classroom, Jerad serves as the district’s tribal liaison. He also provides training and support for colleagues, designing, leading, and presenting numerous workshops to help create culturally-responsive programs for school districts, state agencies, organizations, and institutions of higher education. He obviously takes the work he does for area Native Americans very seriously. “Public education still has a long ways to go, but in Washington state we’ve been making steady progress,” declares Jerad. “Especially with the implementation of the Since Time Immemorial curriculum, which is a statewide mandate to teach tribal history and sovereignty in our education system,” he explained. “It’s a great resource that’s been approved by all 29 tribes.”

Jerad earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2004 in Native Education in 2004 and his Master’s degree specializing in Native Education in 2008, both from Evergreen State College located in Olympia, Washington.

 

NJ’s Robert Fenster inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame

Posted on by

New Jersey Social Studies educator Robert Fenster is one of only five 2022 inductees into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) Photo Credit: NTHF

After a Covid-related hiatus in 2021, the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) has resumed honoring teachers for their exemplary work in the classroom. The five inductees for the class of 2022 have been announced. One of them is Robert Fenster, a high school teacher from Hillsborough, New Jersey.

Robert earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science in 1991 from Rutgers University. He earned his Master’s degree in Social Studies Education in 1993, also from Rutgers. His career in education started in 1993 at Hillsborough High, where he teaches Social Studies to sophomores, juniors, and seniors at Hillsborough High School in Hillsborough, New Jersey. His entire 28-year career has been spent at this school.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Robert serves as the advisor for his school’s Mock Trial team, Model United Nations, Model Congress, the Amnesty International Club, and the Podcasting Club. He also serves on the Township Recreation Committee. As if all this were not enough, Robert is a member of the National Education Association, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the National Council for History Education.

“Mr. Fenster’s teaching had such a profound impact on my life that I have mentioned it while testifying before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee,” declared his former student Nina Jankowicz. “I credit his classes and mentorship during my high school years not only with my interest in Political Science and international relations in college, which led me down the career path that took me to the halls of Congress, but also for instilling in me (and my classmates) the importance of being an active citizen,” she continued. “He is not only an excellent educator, but an empowering mentor, emboldening each student – male or female, quiet or outspoken, history buff or not – to truly shine,” Jankowicz concluded.

The honored educator’s induction into the National Teachers Hall of Fame is one of numerous honors this Chalkboard Champion has earned. He garnered the 2021 Paul A. Gagnon Prize from the National Council for History Education; the 2019 Secondary Education Teacher of the Year Award from the New Jersey Council for Social Studies; the 2019 Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Award from American Lawyers Alliance; and the 2017 Claes Nobel Top Ten Educator of the Year Award from the National Society of High School Scholars.

This honor is not the only one Robert has earned. He received the 2021 Paul A. Gagnon Prize from the National Council for History Education, the 2019 Secondary Education Teacher of the Year Award from the New Jersey Council for Social Studies, the 2019 Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Award from American Lawyers Alliance, and the 2017 Claes Nobel Top Ten Educator of the Year Award from the National Society of High School Scholars. To read m ore about Robert Fenster, see the link to Central Jersey.com.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame was founded in Emporia in 1989 to honor outstanding educators through a recognition program and museum. Nominees must be certificated public or non-public school teachers, active or retired, with at least 20 years of experience in teaching grades preK-12. Since the inaugural induction ceremonies in 1992, 140 educators from 40 states and the District of Columbia have been inducted. This year’s class of inductees represents the 30th anniversary of NTHF induction ceremonies when both the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2022 will be officially installed.