Tag Archives: Special Education Teachers

Charismatic First Lady Grace Coolidge: She taught the deaf

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Grace Coolidge, former teacher of the deaf  and charismatic First Lady.

Several of our First Ladies have had experience as educators. One of these was Grace Coolidge, wife of President Calvin Coolidge. She taught at the Clarke Institute for Hearing and Speech in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Grace Goodhue was born and raised in Burlington, Vermont, She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Vermont. Following her graduation, she traveled to Massachusetts to study and teach at the Clarke Institute. The school was made famous by Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, and other prominent educators of the deaf. There she worked first with students in the primary grades and later with middle school students. As a teacher, Grace had a reputation for being charismatic, and for bringing energy and warmth to her classroom. Her students loved her, and she felt she had truly found her calling.

While teaching at the Clarke Institute, she began to date a man who was known for being exceedingly shy and quiet. His name? Calvin Coolidge. In fact, he was so reserved that he became known as “Silent Cal.” During the time Grace and Calvin were dating, he gifted the young teacher with a beautiful illustrated children’s book to share with her students. In the book he wrote this inscription: “I wonder if your students realize what a good teacher you are.”

Grace and Calvin married in 1905, and, following the custom of the day, she retired from the teaching profession. Once they returned from their honeymoon, the ambitious but introverted man launched his career in politics. When President Warren G. Harding passed away in office in 1923, Calvin became president. Grace became First Lady, serving in that roll until her husband left office in 1929. During her tenure, Grace Coolidge did volunteer work for the Red Cross, the Civil Defense, and the Visiting Nurse Association. For this work, she garnered a gold medal from the National Institute of Social Science. In 1931 she was voted one of America’s twelve greatest living women.

To learn more about this amazing educator and First Lady, click on this link to the Encyclopedia Brittanica.

Texas Special Ed teacher Carmen Canales succumbs to Covid-19

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Texas Special Education teacher Carmen Canales succumbed to Covid-19 on July 21, 2020. Photo credit: Legacy.com

Sadly, we must report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Carmen Canales, an elementary teacher in San Antonio, Texas, succumbed to the disease on July 21, 2020. She was 48 years old.

The beloved teacher worked in Special Education Inclusion and Resource Intervention at Ira C. Ogden Academy in the San Antonio Independent School District since 2017.

“The loss of Carmen is one that will be felt forever at our school. She was an integral part of our Ogden Lion family,” remarked Nicanora Martinez, Principal of Ogden Academy. “Each day, she gave her best to our students. Her legacy will live on as we remember her as a Lioness who was willing to go above and beyond for the academic, social, and emotional needs of her students,” Martinez continued.

Co-worker Elissa Gonzalez expressed similar sentiments. “I worked with Ms. Canales and observed how dedicated and strong she was,” remembered Elissa. “She was relentless and always put forth her best. I admired her balance of toughness with kindness,” she said. Her friend Yvonne Munoz agreed. “Carmen was such a passionate person and educator who wasn’t afraid to say anything that was on her mind. I admired that about her. I’m glad to have known her. She’ll truly be missed,” she said.

As a young girl, Carmen attended McAllen High School in the town of McAllen,Texas. She graduated in 1991. In 1996, she was certificated as a licensed vocational nurse at Coastal Bend College. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M University at Kingsville in 2002.

To read more about this beloved educator, click on this link to her obituary: Carmen Canales.

Wisconsin Special Ed teacher Koren Jackson earns top state honors

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Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, is one of five educators selected for their state’s top honors as Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

I always enjoy sharing stories about excellent teachers who have been recognized for their work in the classroom. One of these is Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, who is one of five educators who have earned their state’s honors as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year.

Koren has been employed at Milwaukee Transition High School in the Milwaukee Public School District since 1999. She works with post-expulsion or adjudicated students.To help her students succeed, Koren created a project-based curriculum which gives them multiple opportunities to earn credits towards graduation. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Koren does volunteer work for the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force and the Wisconsin Special Olympics.

Koren has earned other accolades in addition to her state’s top honors. She has been recognized as one of 86 stellar Wisconsin educators to earn a place in the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation’s Teacher Fellowship Program. The program honors and supports teaching excellence and innovation across the state. The honorees were selected by a diverse committee to represent voices, contexts, and perspectives as educational leaders throughout Wisconsin.

Koren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health at Carroll College in Milwaukee in 1996. She completed the requirements for her post-baccalaureate certification in Special Education (learning disabilities and emotional behavioral disabilities) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2002. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Special Education from Concordia University in 2012. In addition, in 2018, Koren earned an alternative education certification from Concordia University.

In addition to Koren, the other four who were selected as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year were Trisha Kilpin, Brooke Kintzle, Derrick Meyer, and Susan Richardson.

To learn more about Koren, see this link to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Mercedes Munoz: Oregon’s 2019 State Teacher of the Year

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High School special education teacher Mercedes Munoz has been named Oregon’s 2019 State Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: Oregon Public Broadcasting)

I enjoy sharing stories about educators who have been recognized for their dedication and hard work in the classroom. One of these is Mercedes Munoz, a high school special education teacher who was named Oregon’s 2019 State Teacher of the Year.

Mercedes says some of her students have come from a rough place, and grounding them in education is her primary goal. “To be an anchor in someone’s life, and to tell them that they can make it, and there are other moments to look forward to, that is a special joy that I get in teaching,” she declares.

The honored educator speaks from personal experience. As a teenager, she only needed a few more credits to graduate when she decided to drop out of Portland’s Benson High School. She was one of those kids, she conceded, who needed just a bit of encouragement to stay in school.

Eventually Mercedes did go back to school. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English/Language Arts from Portland State University in 2011. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education and Teaching from the same university in 2013.

Once she graduated, Mercedes was hired to teach at Franklin High School in Portland. There she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the special education “push-in model.” The model features close collaboration between the special education teacher and the general education teacher to maximize the student’s inclusion in general education classes. In addition to this work, Mercedes is a member of her school’s Equity Team, the Safety Committee, and the Poetry Slam Committee. She is also highly involved in the recruitment of historically under-served students in Franklin’s Advanced Placement Program.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this article published by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

New York teacher Gabrielle Gayle stood up for her colleagues

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New York special education teacher Gabrielle Gayle stood up for the rights of her colleagues, literally.

I often encounter stories about educators who work towards bettering the lives of their colleagues. This is true of Gabrielle Gayle, a fourth grade special education teacher from New York City. Sadly, this particular educator passed away from complications of Covid-19 on April 25, 2020.

Gabrielle Gayle taught at Merrick Academy, a public charter school located in the Queens. In a career that spanned 12 years, four of them were spent at Merrick Academy. Her fellow teaches remember her fondly as a generous person, willing to help both students and co-workers. She was known for her long days. One time she even stayed so late she got locked in the building!

This indefatigable educator was also a union representative. During the most recent contract negotiation, her colleagues describe what they describe as Gabrielle’s “Norma Rae” moment. “Our Board of Trustees was not giving us a date to negotiate, and Gabby and I organized staff to come to the Board meeting,” recalled colleague Christine Hernandez. “We all wore black and agreed we would determine the right time to stand up and be recognized. Gabby texted me, ‘I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to stand up.’ She stood up and she said, ‘We, the Merrick Academy teaching staff, demand that you recognize us. We’ve been waiting for a date for negotiations and we’re not going to wait any longer,'” Hernandez continued. Everyone stood up with Gabby, and educators soon got their negotiation date. “She really lived her principles and would not back down. She was not afraid to be vocal and stand up for what she knew was right,” Hernandez concluded.

While educating New York City schoolchildren, Gabrielle also served as a softball coach for Roosevelt Middle and High schools. At Utica College, where she double majored in special education and general education, Gabrielle mentored other students and fought for equity for women and students of color. She was also pursuing an advanced degree. She had only one semester to go before completing the requirements for her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University.

When she passed away, Gabrielle was only 34 years old, and pregnant with her second child. She leaves behind a husband and four-year-old daughter. To read her obituary, see this link to New York State United Teachers.