Tag Archives: Teacher Authors

Spanish teacher and social commentator Lillian Greer Bedichek

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Lillian Greer Bedichek

Lillian Greer Bedichek

Skilled classroom teachers are often recognized for advanced accomplishments in their field. One teacher that fits this description is Lillian Greer Bedichek, a world languages teacher who is known for her contribution to awareness of social issues in the American Southwest.

Lillian was born in 1885 in Keachie, Louisiana, the daughter of James and Virginia Greer. In 1893, her family moved to Waco, Texas, because her father had accepted employment as vice president of Baylor University.

Upon her high school graduation, Lillian enrolled at Baylor, but later she transferred to the University of Texas. There she majored in Greek and minored in Latin. Lillian earned her Bachelor’s degree from Baylor in 1903. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of Texas in 1926.

In 1910, Lillian married celebrated naturalist Roy Bedichek. Before her marriage, the young educator taught in Waco public schools, at Grayson College, and in Deming, New Mexico. When she became pregnant with her first child, Lillian took a break from the classroom. Before long, two additional children were born to the couple.

In 1917, Lillian returned to the classroom when she accepted a position as a Spanish teacher at Austin High School. Eventually, she became the chair of the Spanish Department there. She even published a textbook, Mastering Spanish, in 1945.

Outside of the classroom, Lillian joined a network of educators, folklorists, and writers who were active in raising awareness about social and cultural issues of the American Southwest. She contributed to the movement by writing book reviews and publishing articles about life in the Southwest, including her concerns about sharecropping and land ownership. For her efforts, Lillian was recognized in 1965 as an honorary member of the Texas Institute of Letters. In addition, the University of Texas distributes an annual scholarship named in honor of Lillian and her husband.

Lillian passed away in 1971 at the age of 86. She is buried in Eddy Cemetery in the city of Falls, Texas. To learn more about this amazing chalkboard champion, click on Lillian Greer Bedichek.

Mark Zubro: The Chicago teacher who became a best-selling author

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Mark Zubro

Mark Zubro

There are many examples of fine educators who have become successful authors. One of these is Mark Richard Zubro, a junior high school English teacher from Illinois who has earned a name as a celebrated author of bestselling mysteries.

Mark was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on August 9, 1948. When he was 13, his family moved to California, where the young boy was enrolled in Notre Dame High School, a private Catholic high school located in Riverside. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1966. Mark then enrolled in St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in English in 1970. Six years later, he earned his Master’s degree in Urban Teacher Education from Governors State University in University Park, Illinois. Mark was a teacher of English at Summit Hill Junior High in Frankfort Square, Illinois, in a career that spanned 34 years. He retired in 2006.

Mark’s novels have settings in the Chicago area of Illinois. His work has been widely praised as fast-paced, featuring engaging plots and well-rounded, personable characters. Typically treating gay themes, Mark’s longest running series features a high school teacher, Tom Mason, and Tom’s boyfriend, a professional baseball player named Scott Carpenter. The other series Mark is well known for is the Paul Turner mysteries, which are about a police detective from Chicago.

For his novel A Simple Suburban Murder, Mark earned a Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Men’s Mystery. The Lambda Literary Awards recognize the best books published with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender themes.

You can read more about this talented educator and gifted author in this interview published by the Windy City Times.

 

Duke Southard: Teacher, coach, and award-winning author

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I often meet talented educators who have also become successful authors. This is certainly the case with Duke Southard, an English teacher and coach from New Hampshire who is also an award-winning author.

Duke’s credentials are impressive. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Villanova University, a private research university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned his Master’s degree from Rowan University, located in Glassboro, New Jersey. In addition, Duke completed the requirements for a Certificate of Advanced Study in Media Technology from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Duke’s career as an educator began in 1962, when he accepted his first position as an English teacher and coach at Burlington City High School in Burlington, New Jersey. “The one important lesson I learned from a principal early on was to vary assignments at least every five years so that boredom and complacency did not set in,” recollects Duke. “Don’t have one great year of teaching, then use the same plans and approaches for the next thirty years trying to duplicate it.”

In addition to teaching, Duke coached football and track in New Jersey for eight years before moving to Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. He then accepted a position as a coach and Library/Media Director for the Governor Wentworth School District. In 1988, he relocated to Conway in New Hampshire to become the Library Media Specialist in the K-12 Conway School District.

After a 36-year career, Duke retired in 1998. “I loved my career in teaching and coaching,” says Duke. “While it had a few difficult times, such as teaching in a predominantly black city high school in 1968 when Martin Luther King was assassinated, I always felt indebted to my students, who supplied so much joy in my life.” For his outstanding contributions as a media professional and school librarian, Duke has been honored with an “EDie”, the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Award.

Since his retirement, Duke has published four novels and two nonfiction books. All of his novels have been selected as finalists for prestigious book awards, including the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards in 2013, 2014, and 2015. His short works have won first place and finalist awards in many competitions, including the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards and the Society of Southwestern Authors Writing Contests. His personal essay, “The Fallacy of Closure,” garnered first place in the 2016 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition

Duke currently lives in Green Valley, Arizona, where he is often engaged as a public speaker for schools, libraries, and community groups. You can view Duke’s works on amazon.com or visit his website at www.dukesouthard.com.

The campaign to establish Legendary Teachers Day

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At the Tucson Festival of Books last weekend I was excited to meet Dr. Nicholas I. Clement, a former teacher and superintendent of schools with a distinguished 38-year-long career as an educator. Nicholas is currently championing the cause of establishing a Legendary Teacher Day, to be celebrated on September 27, 2018. What a spectacular idea!

Nicholas explains that the definition of a legendary teacher is specific, yet simple. He says the premise is based on three tenets: building relationships, engaging deeply with students, and creating high expectations. “Legendary Teachers have frog eyes,” says Nicholas. “Frogs have great vision. They can see colors. They can see bugs at night. Some frogs have three lids, closing one for camouflage while still being able to see everything around them.” More about how to become a legendary teacher can be found in a slim little book Nicholas authored entitled How to Catch a Swamp Frog. The volume is available on amazon.com at this link: How to Catch a Swamp Frog.

Nicholas has spent many years in the field of education. This amazing educator began his career as a Special Education teacher, then moved on to become a principal at both the high school and junior high school level, and as an assistant superintendent. He also served as the superintendent of the Flowing Wells School District. Nicholas is currently the Dean of the College of Education at Northern Arizona University, where he is responsible for teaching and advocating for education throughout Arizona.

Nicholas earned his doctorate in Educational Administration at the University of Arizona. He earned his master’s degree in Educational Administration at the University of Nevada, and his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan.

Learn more about the campaign to establish Legendary Teachers Day at www.legendaryteacher.com.

 

Teacher and Television Personality Jedediah Bila

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Many former educators have distinguished themselves in the entertainment world. This is certainly the case with Jedediah Louisa Bila, a middle school, high school, and college educator who has earned a name for herself as a prominent television personality.

Jedediah was born on January 29, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York. As a youngster, she grew up in Staten Island where she attended an all-girls Catholic high school. Upon her graduation, she enrolled at Wagner College, a private liberal arts college in Staten Island, where she majored in Spanish and minored in business administration. She graduated from Wagner as the valedictorian of her class. After her college graduation, Jedediah earned her master’s degree in Spanish literature from Columbia University.

As an educator, Jedediah has taught various courses at the middle school, high school, and college levels. She has worked with learners from age three to adult, teaching them such subjects as creative writing, academic writing, Spanish, and public speaking. She has also been employed as a high school academic dean and adviser.

In the entertainment field, Jedediah served as a co-host on the popular television show The View from August, 2016, to September, 2017. In fact, in 2017, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. Jedediah has also served as a Fox News contributor and as a regular panelist on shows such as Red Eye, MSNBC, and Lou Dobbs Tonight. She has also published a book, Outnumbered: Chronicles of a Manhattan Conservative, in May of 2011. She has also held several leadership positions in the marketing field.

You can learn more about this amazing educator and television personality at this link: Jedediah Bila Biography.