Tag Archives: Social Studies Teachers

US Mint to produce coin that honors teacher Christa McAuliffe

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The US Mint will produce a commemorative coin to honor high school social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe, the first Teacher in Space.

Chalkboard champion and first Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe will soon be honored with a $1 silver coin to be produced by the US Mint. Christa was a social studies teacher from Concord, New Hampshire. In 1985, she was selected from over 11,000 teacher applicants nationwide to participate in NASA’s Teacher in Space program. Tragically, she perished on January 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff. The accident was the result of a faulty rocket booster. Six other astronauts were also lost in the disaster.

In 2021, the US Mint will issue 350,000 coins to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. To authorize the minting of the coin, the US House of Representatives passed the Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 on Thursday, September 19. The US Senate approved the bill last July. Next, the legislation will go to the White House for the president’s signature.

The Secretary of the US Treasury will have the final say in the appearance of the coin. Currently, plans are to place the name and likeness of the intrepid educator on one side, and an image that depicts Christa’s work as an educator on the other side. The public will be able to buy the coins at a price that will include the $1 face value of the coin, plus the cost of their design and issue, and a $10 surcharge per coin. The money raised through the surcharge will benefit an organization known as For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). FIRST organizes robotics competitions to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Some of you may recall that Christa’s motto as the Teacher in Space was ‘I touch the future, I teach,’ and she was looking forward with such excitement, not only to leave the bounds of Earth, but to return to Earth and engage with her students, to share her experience, to share the excitement and adventure of going into a new frontier that we call space,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD). The lawmaker personally knew Christa. He met her when her husband served as his law clerk in the late 1970s.

To read more, see the article at space.com.

Bill Fink: Educator, debate coach, and Iowa State Senator

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William (Bill) Fink, retired high school social studies teacher and former Iowa State Senator.

Many superb educators also become excellent politicians. One of these is Bill Fink, a high school social studies teacher who also served as a state senator for Iowa.

Bill was born on May 5, 1955. He was raised in Ringsted, Iowa. Following his high school graduation from Ringsted High School in 1973, he enrolled in Iowa State University. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and his teaching certificate in 1977. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Drake University in 1984.

Following his college graduation, Bill accepted a position teaching social studies at Carlisle High School. He also coached the school’s debate team. During these years, he was instrumental in founding the Iowa Debate League, which still exists.

In 1992, Bill was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent the 45th District in the Iowa State Senate. He left the classroom to devote his energy to the legislature full-time. Bill spent a total of ten years in office. While in the legislature, he spent four years as the chair of the Natural Resources Committee. In this role, he was instrumental in establishing clean energy sources throughout his state. For his efforts, Bill garnered a prestigious legislative honor when he was named a BILLD Fellow. He was even invited to the White House in 1995.

In 2001, Bill criticized an attempt by the Iowa State Legislature to make Iowa the first state in the country to base its salaries for public school teachers on their performance in the classroom. Bill called the proposal “…tragic and misdirected.” He felt that teachers had been allowed too little input on the proposal.

Following his career as senator, Bill returned to the classroom at the high school level, where he taught government and economics. He served as a well-respected educator for the next three decades.

During his career, Bill joined many community organizations. He was a member of the Carlisle Community Education Association, the Polk Suburban Uniserve Unit, the Iowa State Education Association, the National Education Association, and the Iowa State University Alumni Association.

Bill’s 36-year career as an educator came to a conclusion in 2015 when he retired. The veteran educator left with sage advice for those who are new to the profession. His best advice, he says, is to know what you’re teaching. “New teachers will learn more by teaching than they ever will by being a student,” Bill asserts. “If you really want to learn something, teach it. If you do that well, you expand beyond just a text book. You expand beyond your own knowledge and that broadens your horizons,” he says.

To read more about Bill Fink, click on this link from the Des Moines Register.

Pennsylvania history teacher Jennifer Wahl: She shares a passion for travel

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High school social studies teacher Jennifer Wahl teaches a love for travel. The talented educator earned recognition as the 2018 Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year.

I love to write about talented educators who share their passions with their students. One of these is Jennifer Wahl, a high school history teacher from Pennsylvania. In her classroom in a small-town school, she shares her monumental love for international travel.

Jennifer has been teaching at Loyalsock Township High School in Lycoming County since 2006. There she teaches courses in history, psychology, and sociology. She also teaches courses at the Pennsylvania State College. Her career as an educator has spanned the last 13 years.

Jennifer is originally from New York City, but she spent much of her childhood overseas with her mother, who is from the Middle East. The young teacher’s love of travel has only expanded since she has become an educator. Jennifer has been involved in numerous professional development opportunities that have taken her to some pretty amazing places. She was chosen by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia to travel to China for a two-week study tour In 2011. The following year, the Japan Society chose her to travel to Japan to attend a three-week study tour. In 2013, she studied restorative justice and teaching for Peace in Delhi, India, at the International School for Jain Studies.

Jennifer is eager to share her love of travel with her students. She uses pictures, artifacts, and food to bring history alive for her students, some of whom have grown up to share her love of world travel. “I’m happy for those students that they got out of a small-town environment to see the world and then brought it back here,” Jennifer declares. “I love that they broadened their horizons.”

In addition to her work in the classroom, Jennifer belongs to a number of professional organizations. She is a member of The Japan Society, the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, the International School for Jain Studies, the College Board, the National and State Teacher of the Year Pennsylvania Chapter, and the Pennsylvania State Education Association. She is also an active member of her union and served as the vice president and member of the negotiations committee of her local chapter.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education from Cabrini University located in Radnor, Pennsylvania. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Pennsylvania State University. For her work in the classroom, Jennifer was named the 2018 Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year.

To learn more about this accomplished chalkboard champion, visit this link: CCSSO.

Connecticut’s David Bosso just inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

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David Bosso, a high school social studies teacher from Berlin, Connecticut, was recently inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

It’s always gratifying when an outstanding educator receives national recognition for their work in the classroom. One such educator is Dr. David Bosso, a high school social studies teacher from Berlin, Connecticut. He was one of just five educators nationwide who were inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame last month.

David earned his Bachelor’s degree at Eastern Connecticut State University in 1997 and his Master’s degree at the University of Hartford in 2004. He completed the requirements for his Ph.D. at the American International College in 2014.

David inaugurated his career as a professional educator in 1997, when he accepted a position as a junior high school history and reading teacher at Holy Cross School. The next year he transferred to his alma mater, Berlin High School, where he still teaches today. In all, his career has spanned 21 years.

“Good teachers are driven by a sense of moral purpose, and they have a keen appreciation for the difference they can make in students’ lives,” asserts David. “They know that many times, it is paying attention to the little things that will pay important relational dividends,” he continues. “And this can mean the world to some students,” he concludes.

For his work in the classroom, David has earned many accolades in addition to this newest honor. In 2012 He was selected the Connecticut State Teacher of the Year, and he was also named the Social Studies Secondary Teacher of the Year by the National Council for the Social Studies. The Lowell Milken Center designated him an Unsung Heroes Fellow in 2014. In 2017 David garnered the Addazio Award by the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies.

To read more about this chalkboard champion, see the article entitled Berlin Teacher to be Inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame published online by the Connecticut Education Association.

Teacher Joanne Lyles White: Champion of the needy

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Joanna Lyles White

Teacher Joanne Lyles White: Champion of the needy.

Very often chalkboard champions are well-known for their achievements outside of the classroom, and this is certainly true about Joanne Lyles White of Alexandria, Louisiana, a tireless champion for the needy.

Lillian Joanne Lyles White was born in Lecompte, Louisiana, on September 12, 1929, the eighth of twelve children born to Samuel and Marie Lyles. She and her siblings were raised on Compromise Plantation in Lloyd’s Bridge, Louisiana. Her parents were sharecroppers for many years, but eventually they leased and operated a farm of over 800 acres. Although the Lyles family operated one of the most productive cotton farms in the South, they never owned their own home or land. Joanne’s parents believed the most important inheritance they could leave their children was the opportunity for a college education.

As a youngster, Joanne was actively involved in the local 4-H club, serving as its president when she was in high school. In an era of Jim Crow laws and the Ku Klux Klan, many of her closest friends and playmates were the sons and daughters of African-American sharecroppers. At a very early age, Joanne became a champion for civil rights, a cause she publicly and vigorously supported throughout her entire life.

Joanne graduated from Lecompte High School at the age of sixteen. In 1950, she graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s degree in speech and social studies. After graduating from college, the young teacher accepted her first job at Bolton High School in Alexandria, Louisiana. She held this position from 1950 to 1963. She taught World History, American History, government, economics, and speech. She also served as the coach of Bolton High School’s speech and debate team. The indefatigable teacher was instrumental in creating a statewide forensics circuit; she founded and became the first president of the Louisiana High School Speech League and Tournament of Champions.

On April 30, 1951, Joanne married Paul Donald White, Sr. Together, they had six children.

All her life, Joanne was a tenacious and passionate advocate for the poverty-stricken, the dispossessed, single mothers, orphaned children, and the disabled. In 1989, she was one of the founding members of Hope House, a homeless shelter for women, mothers, and their children. The former teacher arranged for the donation of an expansive historic home on Bolton Avenue, and she raised both private and public funds to renovate and operate the facility. Since its creation, Hope House has provided thousands of women and children a new beginning. The dedicated teacher was especially honored when Hope House was selected by President George H.W. Bush to receive the 1,000 Points of Light Award.

After her second grandchild, Lamar Jr., was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Joanne created Angel Care, an early childhood development center that provided networking opportunities and resources for families with mentally or physically challenged children. She was also the co-designer of the Aiken Optional School, an alternative school program to help students at risk of dropping out of school or who had already dropped out. In addition, she helped create the Kuumba Center, an inner-city educational and recreational institution.

In 1983, Joanne became one of the founding members the Shepherd Center, an ecumenical ministry comprised of 29 church congregations that worked together to assist the poor and the dispossessed.  As a part of her work with the Shepherd Center, Joanne created the Christmas Cheer for Children program, which provided computerized cooperative aid to over 4,000 children annually. She was also a founding member of the Rapides Parish Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, an executive committeewoman for the Job Training Partnership Act State Council, the chairperson of the State Committee on Illiteracy and Education, the chairperson of the Rapides Parish Workforce Investment Board, and a founding member of the Central Louisiana Food Bank. This tireless educator also worked with the governor’s office and the Department of Corrections to spearhead and chair a task force that investigated the treatment of incarcerated women and juveniles.

Among her many honors and awards, Joanne was named the recipient of the National Association of Social Worker’s Public Citizen of the Year Award, the Lions Club’s Outstanding Citizen Award, the Louisiana Methodist Church’s Children and Families Service Award, the Young Women’s Christian Association’s Outstanding Community Leader Award, the Zeta Phi Beta’s Outstanding Community Leadership Award, the Sojourner Truth Award, the Central Louisiana Professional Women’s Network’s Visionary Award, and Cenla Focus’s Cenla-ian of the Year. Joanne’s work was also commended by the Louisiana Department of Safety and Corrections, the Louisiana Department of Education, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rapides Parish Police Jury, and the Alexandria Human Relations Commission.

This very amazing chalkboard champion passed away in Alexandria, Louisiana, on March 9, 2011, at the age of 81.