Tag Archives: Social Studies Teachers

Veteran and Chalkboard Hero John Ardis Cawthorn

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175px-John_Ardis_Cawthon_(Louisiana_Tech)[1]Many of our nation’s talented educators are also distinguished veterans. This is true about John Ardis Cawthon, a high school history teacher from Louisiana who served in the US Army during WWII.

John was born on March 16, 1907, in south Bossier Parish, Louisiana. As a child, he was home-schooled by his mother. When he entered the fifth grade, he was enrolled in a local one-room schoolhouse. After John completed the eighth grade, his family moved to Doyline in south Webster Parish, where the young man completed high school.

After his high school graduation in 1934, John enrolled at Louisiana Tech where he majored in History and English. There he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education. He earned his Master’s degree from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge in 1938.

John accepted his first position as a teacher at a high school in Cotton Valley, where he taught from 1934 to 1935. Later he transferred to Sarepta and was employed there from 1935 to 1939. Next he taught at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School on the Louisiana Tech campus from 1939 to 1940. From 1940 to 1942 John was a professor at Northwestern State University, then known as Louisiana Normal.

When World War II erupted, John was drafted into the US Army. He was 35 years old at the time. The former high school teacher served in Europe in the Education Orientation Division. This position took him to the Biarritz American University in France. In 1974, he published an account of his experiences in the armed forces in an article entitled “A School Teacher Gets Drafted,” published in North Louisiana History.

When the war was over, John decided to pursue his doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin. After earning this advanced degree in 1954, he returned to Louisiana Tech University, where he remained until his retirement in 1972. During this time, he published many scholarly articles in North Louisiana History and wrote several books dedicated to regional history.

This talented educator and distinguished serviceman passed away on October 5, 1984. John Ardis Cawthorn: A true Chalkboard Hero.

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.