Ever wonder what strategies Annie Sullivan, often called the Miracle Worker, used to teach her deaf and blind student, Helen Keller? Watch this 5-minute video below for insights from author Terry Marzell.

Heather Whitaker of Gorham Middle School in Gorham, Maine, has been named the 2020 Teacher of the Year for the state of Maine.

I love to tell stories about classroom educators who have earned honors for their work in the classroom. One of these is Heather Whitaker, a middle school teacher who has been named the 2020 Teacher of the Year for her home state of Maine.

Heather has taught at Gorham Middle School for nearly 20 years. During that time, she co-founded a backpack program in her school district to provide meals for underprivileged students to eat on weekends and vacations. In addition, Heather inaugurated a school garden. Over the last 15 years, the garden has produced an average of 800 pounds of produce per year for the Gorham Community Food Pantry.  Students in her alternative education classes are active volunteers for both programs. Recently the program was awarded a State Farm Community Assist grant in the amount of $25,000.

The process by which Heather was selected for the 2020 honors was lengthy. She was chosen from more than 300 teachers who were nominated by a member of their community earlier this year. She was then named the 2019 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year. Next she was named one of three state finalists before finally being named the 2020 Teacher of the Year.

“It was an honor to be selected, and it’s extremely exciting because it helps highlight the work of alternative learners and how hard they work to get to school and to stay in school,” Heather expressed. “I think it also gives other alternative education teachers a platform and a voice, through me, to bring attention to the needs of youth who are at risk within our schools.”

The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with Moderate Special Needs from Boston College in 2000. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Literary Education from the University of Southern Maine in 2005.

To read more about Heather, see this press release from the University of Southern Maine.

Coronavirus claims the life of dedicated middle school special education teacher Milca Hernandez of Trenton, New Jersey.

Sadly, the coronavirus has claimed the life of yet another dedicated educator. Milca Hernandez, a middle school special education teacher from Trenton NewJersey, passed away on May 28, 2020. She was 55 years old.

Milca earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Arecibo, in 1998. She earned a Master’s degree in Education from Canyon University last year.

Milca was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. She was the eldest of five siblings. She graduated from Trenton Central High School. Once she completed her Bachelor’s degree in 1998, Milca returned to her home town of Trenton. She began her career as an educator the same year. At the time of her passing, she taught at Grace A. Dunn Middle School in Trenton.

During her career as an educator, Milca taught some of the district’s most intellectually challenged and disabled students. “She was a very warm, caring, knowledgeable educator who made all of her students feel valued,” remembered Addie Daniels-Lane, President of the Trenton School Board. “Ms. Hernandez was firm, yet fair, and held high expectations for her students. She was highly respected by her colleagues and deeply appreciated by the parents of her students,” she continued.

In fact, Milca’s dedication in the classroom was so exemplary that she was honored as a Teacher of the Year, not once, but twice, according to her family.

To learn more about Milca, follow this link to the story about her published in the Trentonian.

Special Education teacher Alyssa Pantilieris from PS/MS 15 in the Bronx, New York, succumbed to the coronavirus on April 5, 2020.

Sadly, the coronavirus has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Alyssa Pantilieris, a special education teacher in New York City, succumbed to the disease on April 5, 2020. She was only 45 years old.

Alyssa was born on November 11, 1974, in Catskill, New York. She was raised in Greenville, Green County, New York. While in high school, Alyssa was selected to be an exchange student to Denmark. In fact, she could speak Danish, Spanish, and Gtreek fluently. Alyssa graduated from Greenville Central School in 1992. After her graduation, she enrolled at the State University of New York, New Paltz. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree. She then completed courses at Hunter College, and then earned her Master’s degree at Phoenix University.

Alyssa launched her career as an educator when she accepted a position as a special education teacher at PS/MS 15. The school is also known as the Institute of Environment Learning. Her career there spanned nearly 20 years. Over the course of her career, she established a reputation as a staunch advocate for her students, both in and out of the classroom. She often bought lunch for her kids, organized field trips for them, tutored them after school, and bought them books to read. She even started a book club for her fifth graders.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Alyssa was an avid animal lover. She supported the Trampled Rose Ranch Animal Rescue and the Broome Animal Sanctuary.

To read more about this beloved educator, read her obituary published by the United Federation of Teachers, or  UFT.