Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Former teacher, Iowa State Senator, and Ambassador Mary E. Kramer

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Former teacher, Iowa State Senator, and Ambassador Mary E. Kramer.

There are many accomplished educators who have also enjoyed successful careers in politics. One of these is Mary E. Kramer, a teacher and administrator who served as an Iowa State Senator and an ambassador.

Mary was born on June 14, 1935, in Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa, and was raised in Iowa City. As a young girl, she attended Iowa City High School. Upon her high school graduation, she enrolled at the University of Iowa where she majored in Piano Performance. There she earned both a Bachelor’s degree, and also a Master’s degree in Education.

Once she completed her education, Mary worked as a music teacher and school administrator in her home town. Her career as an educator spanned nearly 20 years. Mary left the teaching profession in 1975 to accept a position as Corporate Personnel Director for Younkers, Inc. She also worked for Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, where she served first as Vice President of Human Resources and then as Vice President of Community Investments.

In 1990, Mary was elected to the Iowa State Senate on the Republican ticket. She represented the cities of Clive, Des Moines, and West Des Moines. While serving in the Senate, the former teacher championed issues related to education, health care, and economic development. In 2002, Mary was appointed by President George W. Bush to be the Chairperson of the White house Commission for Presidential Scholars. In 2003, the President selected her the US Ambassador to the Seven Island Nations of the Eastern Caribbean. She remained in that post until she retired from politics in 2006.

In addition to her other accomplishments, Mary has also authored two books. Her first book, More than a Walk on the Beach: Confessions of an Unlikely Diplomat, was published in 2010. Her second book, An Unlikely Ambassador and Her Diplomatic Daughter: Stories & Recipes for the Life You Want. The volume, published in 2015, was co-authored with her daughter Krista Kramer-Hartman.

This chalkboard champion was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2015 was named a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Iowa. To read more about her, view this link at the Archives of Women’s Political Communication.

Michigan’s Maxine Berman: English teacher, politician, and women’s health care advocate

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Maxine Berman: Former high school English teacher and elected member of the Michigan State House of Representatives.

Many talented educators leave the classroom to go on to successful careers in politics. One of these is Maxine Berman, a high school English teacher who was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives.

Maxine was born on April 17, 1946. She grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, and attended Oak Park High School. After her high school graduation, she enrolled at the University of Michigan. Once she earned her degree, Maxine returned to her alma mater, Oak Park High School, to teach English.

After several years, Maxine left the teaching profession to run for political office. She won election to the Michigan State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She served there from 1983 to 1996. During her 14-year political career, the former teacher worked tirelessly as an advocate for women’s rights and other social justice issues. Representative Berman successfully pushed for mammography facilities in Michigan to be accredited, and then lobbied the federal government to require accreditation nationwide. She was a member of the House Bi-Partisan Team, which developed a new strategy for funding pubic schools. She also served on the House Elections Committee, where she created an expedited system for voter registration. Maxine also accepted the post of Chairperson for the Michigan Women’s Campaign Fund, a bi-partisan organization that raises money to assist women who run for political office.

Once Maxine completed her terms in office, she established an advocacy and consulting firm she named Capitol Strategies, Inc. She also became the leader of the Women’s Health Network of Michigan. In 2008, Maxine returned to her roots as a professional educator when she accepted a  position as the Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government at Central Michigan University. She was the first woman to ever be named to the position.

Maxine retired in 2013. Two years later she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. More about this at www.michiganwomen.org.

Sadly, Maxine Berman succumbed to lung cancer on March 2, 2018. She was 71 when she passed away. She is interred in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren: The presidential candidate who once taught Special Ed

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Former Special Education teacher Elizabeth Warren, now serving as a US Senator from Massachusetts. She’s also a candidate for president.

Many people who are paying attention to the upcoming presidential election may be surprised to learn that one of the candidates was once a Special Education teacher. The candidate I am speaking of is Elizabeth Warren, who in addition to serving as a US Senator from Massachusetts, is also running for president.

Elizabeth was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 22, 1949. She is the fourth child and only daughter of a middle-class salesman and a homemaker. At her political rallies, Elizabeth tells audiences she was in the second grade when she decided to become a teacher. Unfortunately, when young Elizabeth was only 12 years old, her father was debilitated by a heart attack. Then her mother had to take a minimum-wage job to support the family. Her mother was able to save the home they lived in from repossession, but there was no money left over for college tuition.

When she was a teenager, Elizabeth attended Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City. While there, she excelled at debate. Her exceptional skills earned her a state championship and a scholarship to George Washington University. At the time she was only 16 years old. After one year of study, she dropped out of college to marry her high school sweetheart. Later she completed her degree at the University of Houston, a commuter college in Texas. There Elizabeth earned a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology in 1970.

Once she earned her diploma, Elizabeth inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position teaching children with special needs at a public elementary school. She lost her job at the end of her first year when her principal learned she was pregnant.

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, back in the days when she was a teacher.

After moving to New Jersey, Elizabeth returned to college to earn a law degree. She graduated with her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers Law School at Rutgers University, Newark, in 1976. But she never lost her love for the classroom. She became a college law professor, instructing courses at a variety of institutions of higher learning, including Rutgers, the University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University. She taught classes on commercial law, contracts, and bankruptcy. In fact, Elizabeth is ranked one of the nation’s top experts on the effects of financial pressures faced by middle class families.

In 2012, Elizabeth was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent Massachusetts in the US Senate. She has served in this capacity since 2013. In the Senate, she is a member of the Special Committee on Aging; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. In 2019, the former Special Education teacher announced her candidacy for the 2020 US presidential election.

To read more about the life story of this chalkboard champion, you can examine her website at Elizabeth Warren.

President LBJ: Teacher of English-Language Learners

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President Lyndon B. Johnson, our nation’s 36th president, was a teacher for English-language learners in Texas before he went to Washington, DC.

The role of Lyndon B. Johnson as our nation’s 36th president is well-known, but did you know that he used to be a school teacher? Before he went to Washington, DC, LBJ taught English language learners at a junior high school in Texas.

In 1928, LBJ needed a way to pay for his education at Southwest Texas State College. To do this, he accepted a position as a teacher at Welhausen School in Cotulla, Texas, a town on the US southern border. There he taught English as a second language to Spanish-speaking junior high school students.

Despite the language barrier between himself and his students, the future president proved to be an enthusiastic and inspirational teacher, organizing speech and debate tournaments and other activities to help the youngsters learn English. “I shall never forget the faces of the boys and the girls in that little Welhausen Mexican School,” Johnson once remarked. “I remember even yet the pain of realizing and knowing then that college was closed to practically every one of those children because they were too poor. And I think it was then that I made up my mind that this nation could never rest while the door to knowledge remained closed to any American,” he said.

When LBJ became president in 1963, he didn’t forget his days as an educator. While in office, he passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965. The legislation granted federal aid to students in elementary grades to achieve his goal of ensuring that every child received a quality education.

To read LBJ’s own words about his teaching experiences, follow this link to “LBJ the Teacher” on Humanities Texas.

Robert P. Bryan: Teach for America alumnus and North Carolina politician

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Robert P. Bryan, Teach for America alumnus and North Carolina politician.

Many individuals who have made a name for themselves in politics have also distinguished themselves as talented educators. One of these is Robert P. Bryan, a former member of the State House of Representatives from North Carolina. He also served a two-year stint as an elementary teacher for Teach for America.

Rob was born on June 4, 1971, in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina. His mother enjoyed a career as a public school teacher and his father was an engineer. His younger sister is Melissa Bryan Kruger, a published author of renown.

As a teenager, Rob attended Sanderson High School, where he graduated in 1989. Following his high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History (1993). While in college, Rob was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, where he served as an officer. He was also active in student government and served as president of the Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship.

Following his college graduation, Rob accepted a position with the Teach for America program. Through this program, he taught second and third grade at Abbott Elementary School in Lynwood, California. His classroom was bilingual. Rob’s career as an educator lasted only two years, but during that time his students progressed exceptionally well. During the summer between the two years he was teaching, Rob interned at the Center for Education Reform in Washington, DC.

Once he fulfilled his commitment to Teach for America, Rob returned to North Carolina and enrolled at the Duke University School of Law. He graduated with honors from Duke in 1998.

In 2012, Rob was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. He represented Mecklenburg County,District 88, from 2013 to 2017. While in office, the former teacher served as the Chairman of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. He also served as the Co-Chairman of the Educator Compensation and Effectiveness Task Force. In addition, he chaired a House Judiciary Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, and he served on the Commerce and Job Development Committee.

Currently, Rob serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina, a post that he has occupied for the past two years. There he serves as the Chairman of the work group for online education. He also serves as the Vice Chairman for Education Planning and Policy.

To lean more about Rob’s work as a North Carolina legislator, consult this link: Ballotpedia.