Tag Archives: Teacher Authors

Ohio’s Helen Maria Chesnutt: Latin teacher, author, and notable African American

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Helen Maria Chesnutt was an African American teacher of Latin. She was also the author of a praiseworthy Latin textbook. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many excellent educators have taught in our nation’s public schools. One of these is Helen Maria Chesnutt, a secondary teacher in Washington, DC, and notable African American.

Helen was born on Dec. 6, 1880, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. When she was still a child, her family relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Central High School there in 1897.

As a young woman, Helen and her sister Ethel enrolled at Smith College, a private women’s liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. The sisters were the first to integrate that college. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1902. In 1925 she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Latin from Columbia University in New York City.

Once she earned her degree, Helen inaugurated her career as an educator at her alma mater, Central High School in Cleveland, in 1905. She first taught biology and Algebra, and later taught Latin for many years there. In fact, one of her students was celebrated poet Langston Hughes. Her career at Central High continued until 1943.

In addition to her duties in the classroom, Helen co-authored a beginner’s Latin textbook entitled The Road to Latin. The volume was originally published in 1932 to positive reviews, and was republished in 1938, 1945, and 1949.. The book emphasized oral presentation of Latin, intensive rather than extensive reading, and a paraphrase method.

After her retirement, Helen authored a biography of her father titled Charles Waddell Chesnutt: Pioneer of the Color Line in 1952. She was also an active member of the American Philological Association for many years. She was elected to their Executive Committee in 1920.

Sadly, Helen passed away on Aug. 7, 1969. She was 88 years old. In 2018, she was featured in an exhibition at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC. The exhibit celebrated the role of African Americans in classics.

Herbert Parmat of NYC was also a successful author of presidential biographies

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High school social studies teacher and college professor Herbert Parmat earned acclaim as the author of many well-received biographies of American presidents. Photo Credit: The Portal to Texas History

Many talented educators have earned acclaim as accomplished authors. One of these is Herbert Parmat, a high school social studies teacher and historian who wrote many well-received biographies of American presidents. In fact, he has been described as a major historian of the American presidency and politics.

Herbert was born on Aug. 28, 1929, in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. As a youngster, he attended DeWitt Clinton High School in New York, graduating in 1948. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at State University of New York, Oswego, in 1951, and his Master’s degree from Queens College in 1957. During these years, Herbert also completed a stint in the US Army, where he served from 1952 to 1954, achieving the rank of Corporal.

In the 1960s, Herbert taught social studies at North Babylon High School in Long Island, and then at Mineola High School in Mineola in Long Island. At Mineola, he served as the school’s Social Studies Department. He also taught history courses at the Graduate Center of City University of New York and at Queensborough Community College. By all accounts, Herbert was an outstanding classroom teacher, dynamic and charismatic. When he retired in 1995, the former high school teacher was named a Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

While teaching at Mineola, Herbert decided to tackle a writing project with colleague Marie B. Hecht. The pair authored their first biography, Aaron Burr: Portrait of an Ambitious·Man (1967). Together, they also wrote Never Again: A President Runsfor a Third Term: Roosevelt versus Wi/lkie, 1940 (1968). This was followed by a pioneering biography, Eisenhower and the American Crusades (1972). Next, Herbert wrote The Democrats: The Years After FDR (1976). In a return to the biography genre, he authored Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy (1980) and JFK: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy (1983). Next, he penned the biographies Richard Nixon and His America (1990) and George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee (1997). His later works were Presidential Power from the New Deal to the New Right (2002) and a return to an earlier biographical subject in Richard M. Nixon: An American Enigma (2008).

This outstanding educator passed away on Jan. 25, 2017, in Newton, Massachusetts. He was 87 years old. To read more about Herbert Parmat, click on this link to History News Network.

CA teacher Alex Friedrichs publishes award-winning children’s book

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Elementary school teacher Alex Friedrichs of California has written a children’s book that has garnered a Parents’ Pick Award. Photo credit: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Many outstanding classroom teachers achieve success as authors. One of these is Alex Friedrichs, an elementary school teacher from Menifee, California. He has written and published a children’s book that has garnered a Parents’ Pick Award!

Alex’s book, entitled Sweet Rescue, is a story about a caterpillar named Hungry Joe. When the caterpillar falls into a pie, his sister, Becky Butterfly, spearheads a major rescue effort. Once he is safe, Hungry Joe declares that he’s still hungry. The tale was was inspired by Alex’s experience competing with his former students on the game show Play-Doh Squished. A former instructional aide at the school, Kayne Carter, illustrated the volume. Sweet Rescue, recommended for children between the ages of 3 and 6, can be purchased on amazon.com.

Sweet Rescue earned the Parents’ Pick Award for 2025 because of its high entertainment value and its universal themes about teamwork and sibling love. The Parents’ Picks Award is the leading national program recognizing products approved by parents.

Alex teaches third graders at Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary School. He has worked as an educator for the past 31 years. He is unusual among elementary school teachers: he is a man. In fact, in 2025, CareerExplorer reported that only 13% of elementary school teachers nationwide are male. Alex also uses unconventional instructional strategies. “My classroom is very unique,” he asserts. “It is extremely competitive, and we have competitive games going on throughout the day to keep the kids’ interest and attention,” he continues. “I tell parents every year that I have to compete with You Tube and Tic Tok, so my classroom is extremely interactive.”

Alex, now age 55, was raised in Riverside, California, where he attended schools in the Alford Unified School District. He earned his degrees from California Baptist University, a private school which he attended on a baseball scholarship.

 

Teacher Annie Brown Leslie became one of the country’s first advice columnists

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Teacher Annie Brown Leslie was among the first advice columnists in the country. Thoughout the Great Depression, her readers chipped in thousands of dollars to finance philanthropic endeavors she supported. Photo credit: The Detroit News

Many fine classroom teachers are also successful journalists. One of these was Annie Brown Leslie, a teacher from Maine who earned acclaim as one of the country’s first advice columnists.

Annie was born on Dec. 11, 1870, in Perry, Maine, the daughter of a farmer and Civil War veteran. As a young girl, she attended high school in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Upon her graduation in 1888, she enrolled at Mount Holyoke College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1892.

After earning her degree, Annie inaugurated her career as a schoolteacher. Over the course of ten years, she taught in schools in Rockville, Connecticut; White River Junction, Vermont; and Mount Clemens, Michigan.

On Sept. 19, 1904, Annie married journalist and editor James Edward Leslie. After he died in 1917, she took over his position as the drama editor for the Pittsburgh Dispatch. Before long, using the pen name “Nancy Brown,” Annie began to publish an advice column entitled “Experience” for The Detroit News. The column ran from 1917 to 1942. In fact, she was among the first advice columnists in the country. Because of her common-sense philosophy, the former teacher won respect and widespread readership, and her column grew to be immensely influential. In 1929, her readers donated substantial funds to plant trees in a clearcut forest in Northern Michigan. At her suggestion, her readers contributed to a fundraising campaign in 1930 to purchase artwork for the Detroit Institute of Arts. They also funded a concert series by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Thoughout the Great Depression, thousands of readers chipped in pennies or a dollar, or two, or five, for philanthropic endeavors supported by “Nancy Brown.”

Sadly, Annie Brown Leslie passed away on Oct. 7, 1948. She was 77 years old. To read more about this amazing educator and journalist, see this article about her published by The Detroit News.

Author William H. Armstrong was a distinguished educator

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Distinguished educator William H. Armstrong earned acclaim as an author of novels for young adults, including the novel Sounder, and numerous study guides and self-help books. Photo credit: Godine Publishing

Many teachers are familiar with the classic young adult novel Sounder, and William H. Armstrong, the author of this long-time favorite. But did you know that he also had a long and distinguished career as a teacher?

William was born on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley in Lexington, Virginia, on Sept. 14, 1911. He had a difficult time in school as a youngster, since he was small for his age, wore glasses, stuttered, and suffered from asthma. As a teenager, he attended Augusta Military Academy in Fort Defiance, Virginia. After his high school graduation in 1932, William enrolled at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, where he wrote for the school newspaper and edited the literary magazine. He graduated cum laude in 1936, and then completed graduate courses at the University of Virginia.

Once his education was complete, William moved to Kent, Connecticut, where he established himself as a farmer, carpenter, and stonemason. In 1945 he accepted a position as a teacher at the prestigious Kent School, a private, co-ed, college prep boarding school. There he taught courses in the classics, ancient history, and general studies to high school freshmen. His career as an educator spanned 52 years.

William inaugurated his career as an author in 1956 when he published his first study guides. In the years that followed, he published numerous self-help books for students. His books were so highly regarded, that in 1963 he garnered the National School Bell Award from the National Association of School Administrators for his distinguished service in the interpretation of education. In 1986, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from his alma mater, Hampden-Sydney College.

In 1969, William published his first young adult novel, Sounder, a story about an African-American family of sharecroppers. Praised by critics, Sounder won the John Newberry Medal and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1970, and was adapted into a major motion picture in 1972 starring Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield. Over the course of his writing career, he published 14 more novels for adult and young adult audiences.

Sadly, William Armstrong passed away on April 11, 1999, at his home in Kent. He was 87 years old.