Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Elem teacher Carri Hicks serves in the Oklahoma State Senate

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Former elementary school teacher Carri Hicks now serves in the Oklahoma State Senate. Photo credit: The Oklahoman

Many excellent educators also earn acclaim in the political arena. One of these is Carri Hicks, an elementary school teacher who currently serves in the Oklahoma State Senate.

Carri earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and Political Science from Oklahoma City University (OCU). She earned a Master’s degree in Leadership Management and a second Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, both from Capella University.

Once she earned her degrees in 2011, Carri accepted a position as an elementary school teacher in the Putnam City School District. After three years of teaching kindergarten at Tulakes Elementary, she transferred to the Deer Creek School District, where she taught first grade for two years and fourth grade math. She then taught science for two years at Grove Valley Elementary. During these years, Carri also served as a site representative for the Oklahoma Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union.

Outside of the classroom, Carri has worked as an adjunct professor at OCU, where she instructed courses in the College of Education. She has also earned recognition for her work as an educator. In the summer of 2019, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame designated her as a Fellow of the Gaylord McCasland Education. Her work with that organization was to reshape the museum experience for young learners. She has also been named the CEO of Rainbow Fleet, a nonprofit located in Oklahoma City that supports early childhood education and quality child care.

In November, 2018, Carri was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent Oklahoma’s 40th District. There she serves on the Committees for Education; Health & Human Services; Transportation; and Finance. Her focus in the legislature has been to restore decades of budget cuts to public education, improve access to health care, and address the state’s massive labor shortage.

Former teacher Judy Hawley also served in Texas House of Reps

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Former teacher and tennis coach Judy Hawley also served four terms in the Texas State House of Representatives. Photo Credit: Caller Times

Many excellent educators also fill positions of prominence in the political sphere. One of these is Judy Hawley, a former teacher from Texas who also served in her state’s House of Representatives.

Judy was born on Dec. 7, 1945, in Portland, Texas. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1967 from Knox College, a private liberal arts college located in Galesburg, Illinois. Once she earned her degree, Judy inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position in the Gregory-Portland Independent School District. She also served as a tennis coach there.

In 1995, with support from the Texas Classroom Teachers Association and the Texas State Teachers Association, Judy was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent District 31 in the Texas House of Representatives. There she served as Vice Chair of the Transportation and Energy Resources Committees and Chair of the Rural Caucus. She also represented Texas as Vice Chair of the Southern States Energy Board and as a member of the National Energy Council. She was a member of the Texas House for a total of four terms.

Once she left the Texas State House, Judy served on the Corpus Christi Port Commission. She held that position from 2004 to 2016. In her last two years on the Commission she served as the Chair. Her biggest accomplishment during her tenure on the Port Commission was her effort to spearhead the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge replacement project. For her stellar work there, Judy was elected to the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor in 2019. The former teacher also served as the Chair of the Texas State Aquarium Board and Co-Chair of the Chamber Infrastructure Committee.

In rent years, Judy has served on numerous community boards, including those of the South Texas Institute of the Arts, South Texas Public Broadcasting, the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation, Texas Maritime Museum, Regional Leaders Forum, and Citizens for Educational Excellence.

Today, she is 76 years old.

Former teacher and First Lady of North Carolina Jeanelle Moore

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Former elementary school teacher Jeanelle Moore also served as the First Lady of North Carolina in the 1960’s. Photo Credit: Sate Archives of North Carolina

Many fine classroom teachers also serve as excellent politicians. One of these is Jeanelle Moore, an elementary school teacher who also filled the role of First Lady of North Carolina.

Jeanelle was born on July 13, 1911, in Pikeville, Tennessee. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Western Carolina Teachers College located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It was in 1931, during her college years, that Jeanelle met her husband, Dan K. Moore. The pair were married in 1933. Once Jeanelle earned her degree, she taught second grade in Sylva, North Carolina. She left the classroom after the birth of her first child.

During her husband’s 1964 campaign for governor of North Carolina, Jeanelle traveled throughout the state making appearances and giving speeches. At one point, she accompanied Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady of the United States, aboard Mrs. Johnson’s train, the Lady Bird Special, on a campaign tour of the state. The story goes that Mrs. Johnson was immensely impressed with the former teacher’s speaking ability. Lady Bird even told Jeanelle she would give anything to be able to speak as easily.

When Dan was elected Governor of North Carolina in 1965, Jeanelle became the state’s First Lady. She served in this capacity until 1969. During her tenure, the former teacher began a campaign to increase public awareness for the historic and cultural significance of the governor’s official residence. She established the Executive Mansion Fine Arts Advisory Committee and spearheaded fundraisers to provide for refurbishments, furnishings, and works of art for the building. In 1970, the mansion was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

After her husband left office, Jeanelle served as a trustee of the Raleigh Boy Choir. She also became a trustee on the North Carolina Museum of Art, and she served as a member of the museum’s Education Committee. In addition, she served on the Board of Advisors at Meredith College and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Raleigh Rescue Mission. For this work, she and her husband were honored with the North Carolina Award for Public Service in 1980.

Jeanelle served on the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina School of the Arts and also became a member of the school’s foundation. She was also a generous financial supporter of the school. For these contributions, she earned a Giannini Award in 1996.

This tireless Chalkboard Champion passed away on Oct. 20, 1999, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is interred beside her husband in Historic Oakwood Cemetery.

Marilyn Johnson: Teacher, Diplomat, WWII US veteran

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Many talented classroom educators also exhibit exceptional talent in the diplomatic arena. This is certainly true of Marilyn Johnson, a high school foreign language teacher who also served our country as a diplomat. Ultimately, she became the US Ambassador to Togo.

Marilyn was born on June 19, 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Radcliffe College in 1944. As a young woman, she was quite athletic, and at one time considered pursuing a career as a physical education teacher, but chose liberal arts instead. Later, Marilyn completed courses at the University of Geneva and at the Sorbonne. Then she returned to the US and enrolled at Middlebury College in New England, where she earned her Master’s degree in French in 1952.

Marilyn was also a military veteran. During World War II, between the years of 1944 to 1946, she served in the US Navy. She trained as a midshipman, but ended up working in communications security in a job that focussed on breaking codes. She also worked for a time as a counselor at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, where she provided occupational therapy and training to blinded servicemen.

Once she earned her Master’s degree, Marilyn accepted a position as a high school French teacher at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts. There she taught French for the next seven years, while taking courses in educational psychology, the history of education, and methodology at both Harvard and Smith College. In 1960, she was selected to be part of the Fulbright teacher exchange program. Through the program, she traveled to Orleans, France, where she taught at the Lycée Jeanne d’Arc for two years. 1962, Marilyn traveled first to the African country of Cameroon and then to Mali, where she taught English as a foreign language in several schools. She left her last teaching position in 1964 when she became a diplomat in the Foreign Service.

In the Foreign Service, Marilyn accepted a position as a Cultural Affairs Officer, first in Bamako, Mali, and later in Tunis, Tunisia. She also served as a Public Affairs Officer in Niamey, Niger, and from 1971 to 1974 she served as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Information Centers Program. The following year she attended the Seminar in Foreign Policy, and after learning the Russian language, she was assigned to be a Cultural Affairs Officer in Moscow in the former Soviet Union. That was in 1976.

On Sept. 23, 1978, Marilyn was appointed to the position of Ambassador to Togo by President Jimmy Carter. She served in that position until July 29, 1981.

Today, Marilyn Johnson is 99 years old. She’s a true Chalkboard Champion!

 

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden continues to teach despite big responsibilities

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First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, a former high school English teacher and current community college professor, continues to teach despite her numerous responsibilities as America’s First Lady. Photo Credit: the hill.com

You may be familiar with Dr. Jill Biden, the nation’s current First Lady. But did you know that she is a former high school English teacher? In addition to her experience at the secondary level, Jill has been a professor of English at Community College since 2009. She has declared her intention to continue teaching during her entire tenure as First Lady.

Jill was born on June 3, 1951, in Hammonton, New Jersey. She was raised in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. After she graduated from Upper Moreland High School in Montgomery County, Pennsylvnia, in 1969, Jill earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Delaware (1975). She earned two Master’s degrees, one in English from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and one in Education from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Education from the University of Delaware.

After earning her degrees, Jill accepted a position teaching English and reading in high school. She taught for three years at Claymont High School in Delaware, and then at Brandywine High School in Wilmington, Delaware (1991-1993). For five years she taught adolescents with emotional disabilities at Rockford Center Psychiatric Hospital.

From 1993 to 2008, Jill taught English and writing at Delaware Technical & Community College. Since 2009, she has worked as a professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College.

When her husband was elected to serve as the Vice President under the Obama Administration, Jill continued to teach full time, even though she had many responsibilities as the wife of the Vice President. She is believed to be the only Second Lady in history to hold down a full-time job while serving as Second Lady. Despite her workload in the classroom, Jill still found time for public service. During her husband’s Vice Presidential term, which spanned the years from 2009 to 2017, the hardworking educator co-founded the Book Buddies program and the Biden Foundation. She also spearheaded a nonprofit organization to support women’s health and another to support military families.

And her work as a public servant and educator continue. Dr. Jill Biden: A true Chalkboard Champion.