Tag Archives: Social Studies Teachers

Teacher George Anderson named Iowa’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year

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Teacher and assistant football coach George Anderson named Iowa’s 2020 State Teacher of the Year.

Today we shine a spotlight on educator George Anderson, a teacher and coach from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. George has just been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator teaches at John F. Kennedy High School, where he has worked for 13 years. There he teaches history and also serves as the assistant football coach. He is also a member of his school’s leadership team.

George was raised in the Murrells Inlet area of Garden City, South Carolina. He graduated from Socastee High School. As a young man, he served his country in the US Marine Corps. While in the military, he was an infantry scout for the Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. When he received his discharge in 1999, he moved to Iowa and took a job as a construction framer. While working in this job, he worked his way through college. In 2006, he graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Science Education from the University of lowa.

“As a teacher, I like active rooms, students moving around and discussing the material with other students,” George says. “I like to see students engage with the material of history in a way that isn’t just fact recollection or sequencing events. I want student-centered dynamics in the classroom,” he continues. “I do not want to be the center of attention,” he confesses.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article published in The Gazette.

Teacher Tim Staples killed during a search and rescue mission for a lost hiker

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Chalkboard Hero Tim Staples, tragically killed on Sat., Dec. 14, during a search and rescue mission for a lost hiker.

When the community is in desperate need of volunteers, it is often the teachers who respond. They often give their all to help wherever they are needed. This is certainly true of Tim Staples, a beloved Social Studies and English teacher from La Verne, California. This Chalkboard Hero tragically lost his life on Sat., Dec. 14 while conducting a search and rescue mission for a lost hiker.

Tim volunteered for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department search and rescue team for nine years. His lifeless body was found on Saturday night at the bottom of an ice chute. It is believe his death was the result of a bad fall in the snow and ice. The accident occurred while Tim and 125 other volunteers were searching Mt. Baldy for Sree Mokkapati of Ivine, who went missing in the area a week ago. The conditions under which this search was conducted were described as extremely dangerous.

The intrepid educator taught Social Studies and English at Damien High School, an all-boys Catholic school in La Verne. Tim also coached track and was an avid supporter of the debate team. Prior to his two and a half years at the Damien, Tim taught for five and a half years at St Lucy’s Priory High School in Glendora, California.

To read more about this chalkboard hero, read this article published by the Los Angeles Daily News.

Middle school educator Anne Martin selected one of three VFW Teachers of the Year

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Middle school educator Anne Martin named one of three 2019 Teachers of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, also known as the VFW, named three stellar educators as their Teachers of the Year for 2018-2019. One of these is Anne Martin, a middle school teacher at Williams Middle School located in Tracy, California. Anne earned the distinction because of her dedication towards honoring America’s veterans.

Anne teaches seventh grade Language Arts and Social Studies. In a career that has spanned 24 years, this remarkable educator has used her experience as a Gold Star family member to help her students better understand the sacrifices made by America’s military. Anne’s work includes organizing school-wide campaigns to collect donations and thank you letters for deployed troops. She also coordinates the school’s annual Patriot Day celebration, which includes a patriotic door-decorating contest. In addition, the honored teacher oversees the school’s Associated Student Body elections, helping students to understand and navigate the democratic process.

Anne revealed that she began organizing military-related events and activities after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It was at that time that she encouraged her students to contribute to a “chain of thanks” to send to American soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. The chains have been used at the local VFW Post during a Veterans Day celebration. Anne says activities like this give students opportunities to appreciate the sacrifices of others. “The fact that they’re here going to school is really a privilege because of the [men and women who served our country],” Anne declares.

“Students who are lucky enough to have teachers like Anne develop a deep sense of patriotism and understand the values and freedoms upon which our nation was founded,” expressed VFW National Commander B.J. Lawrence. “The VFW is honored to recognize the vital role America’s educators play in nurturing and encouraging the civic-minded leaders of tomorrow,” he continued.

Each year, the VFW names one elementary, one intermediate, and one high school teacher for their National Citizenship Education Teacher Award. Bobbie Schamens, a fourth grade teacher at Meadowview Intermediate School in Sparta, Wisconsin, was named the elementary school winner. Kevin Wagner, an Advanced Placement History teacher at Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was chosen to represent the high school level.

To learn more about these amazing educators, view the article at VFW.

AP History teacher Kevin Wagner honored by VFW

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Shown above is Advanced Placement History teacher Kevin Wagner of Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Kevin garnered a Teacher of the Year award given by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He earned the honor for his unwavering dedication towards honoring America’s veterans.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, also known as the VFW, named three stellar educators as their Teachers of the Year for 2018-2019. One of these is Kevin Wagner, an Advanced Placement History teacher at Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Kevin earned the distinction because of his unwavering dedication towards honoring the memory of American veterans.

With colleagues, Kevin developed a research project for his students called “Silent Heroes.” To complete this project, the students must research the life and service of a local World War II veteran who perished in the Normandy Invasion. The invasion occurred on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944. The battle turned the tide of the war in Europe. Once the students complete their research, they create a web page that preserves the veteran’s legacy.

Last year, Kevin expanded his project to identify local Viet Nam War veterans. As a result, his students constructed a Viet Nam Wall of Honor where they display names of more than 213 veterans. The veterans Kevin’s students honor were former students of their school.

Each year, the VFW names one elementary, one intermediate, and one high school teacher for their National Citizenship Education Teacher Award. Bobbie Schamens, a fourth grade teacher at Meadowview Intermediate School in Sparta, Wisconsin, was named the elementary school winner. Anne Martin was named the middle school honoree. Anne is a seventh grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Williams Middle School in Tracy, California.

To view some of the projects created by Kevin’s students and other students, click on this link: National History Day Silent Heroes.

The inventive Jeremiah Murray uses “meat sweats” to teach history lesson

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US History teacher Jeremiah Murray shows up to class wearing “meat sweats” as a visual assist to teach concepts related to his course material.

Some educators will do anything to teach a lesson in their class. This is certainly true of Jeremiah Murray, a US History teacher at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California.

Jeremiah showed up at school this week in a set of Arby’s “meat sweats,” which he says are really difficult to obtain. “This may seem weird, but I have been trying to get these meat sweats from Arby’s for about two years,” confessed the inventive educator. “I have asked Arby’s on multiple occasions from multiple platforms, only to always be denied,” he continued. “I wanted them for when I teach about the Progressive Era and the Meat Inspection Act,” he explained.

Evidently one of Jeremiah’s students reached out to Arby’s, bombarding the company with daily emails until she finally got a response to the request. “It came with a handwritten note from corporate Arby’s thanking me for impacting students, and a gift card,” Jeremiah says. And all the credit goes to the student, the teacher claims. “She literally got me something that cannot be bought,” he said. “And the kicker, the student didn’t even seek credit. She said it was from the whole class,” he said.

“I absolutely love what I do and am incredibly blessed to have all of my amazing students,” Jeremiah concluded.