Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Hawaii’s Pat Saiki: History teacher and former member of US House of Representatives

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Many fine educators go on to successful careers in politics. This is certainly true of Patricia Hatsue (Fukuda) Saiki, a history teacher from Hawaii who has served in the both her Hawaii State House of Representatives, Hawaii State Senate, and in the US House of Representatives.

Pat was born on May 28, 1930, in the city of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. She was the oldest of three girls born to Kazuo and Shizue Fukuda. Her father was a tennis coach at Hilo High School and her mother was a seamstress.

Pat graduated from Hilo High School in 1948. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1952. She then became a history teacher at Punahou School, a private co-educational college prep school in Honolulu. She also taught at Kaimuki Intermediate and Kalani High, both public schools in Honolulu. At one point, Pat taught in Toledo, Ohio, where she had moved with her husband, Stanley M. Saiki, so that he could complete his medical school residency.

A talented classroom teacher, Pat originally decided to go into politics when she became dissatisfied with working conditions that she and her fellow teachers in Hawaii faced. With her colleagues, she worked with the Hawaii Government Employees Association to establish a teachers’ chapter. Her colleagues then elected her to be the president of that chapter. In 1968, Pat joined the Republican Party and ran successfully for a seat in the Hawaii State House of Representatives, a post she held until 1974. It was at that time that the former educator was elected to the Hawaii State Senate, where she served her district until 1982. Later, Pat was elected to the US Congress, a post she held from 1987 to 1991. After she left Congress, she was appointed by President George HW Bush to be the Administrator of the Small Business Administration. She served in this capacity from 1991 to 1993.

In 1993, Pat returned to the teaching profession when she became a professor at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Today, Pat devotes her energy to advocate for women, minorities, and the elderly.

To read more about this amazing educator, see the articles about her at Densho Encyclopoedia and at US House of Representatives.

 

Linda L. Baker of Maine: Educator and Legislator

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Talented educators often make equally talented politicians. This can certainly be said of Linda L. Baker, a high school English teacher who has also served in the State Senate for her home state of Maine.

Linda was born in 1948.  She graduated from the University of Southern Maine. In 2001, she earned her National Board Teacher Certification, a prestigious credential.

Her career as an educator has spanned more than three decades. Linda taught in public schools in Bath, Maine, from 1980 to 1985, and at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine, from 1985 to 2011. She taught English, creative writing, and history, and for five years she served as the Academic Coordinator at Mt. Ararat. In addition, she spent ten years working for Merrymeeting Adult Education. Today, she teaches an adult education course through the University College at Bath and Brunswick.

Linda got her feet wet in local politics having spent three years as a selectwoman on the Topsham Town Council, and eight years on the Topsham Finance Committee. In 2014, she was elected on the Republican ticket to represent District 23 in the Maine State Senate, a position she held for two years. While there, Linda served as the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services. During her tenure in the state senate, Linda sponsored a bill that would dock the pay of legislators that had a history of absenteeism. She also initiated legislation that would require school administrators to complete fifty hours of direct student instruction to renew their credential. And she was honored by Maine’s League of Conservation Voters for co-sponsoring the Kids Safe Products Act, a bipartisan bill which dealt with toxic chemicals.

In 2002, this chalkboard champion was honored with the World of Children Award given by the Girl Scouts of America. She still lives in Topsham, Main.

Brittney Marie Miller: The Middle School English Teacher Serves in the Nevada State Legislature

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Many gifted classroom teachers go on to become successful politicians. One of these is Brittney Marie Miller, a middle school English teacher who now serves in the Nevada State Assembly.

Brittney was born in 1974 in Detroit, Michigan. Her father, a former Marine who served in Viet Nam, was a police sergeant in Detroit. Her mother, a former civilian employee for the US Army Tank Arsenal, was a registered nurse.

Brittney earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saginaw Valley State University located in University Center, Michigan. She has two master’s degrees: one in public administration from Oakland University located in the cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, and the other in teaching from Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village, Nevada.

For the past six years, Brittney has taught Language Arts at Canarelli Middle School in the Clark County School District in Nevada. “After years developing programs in public schools, work force development, and prisoner re-entry, I knew that becoming a teacher was one more way I could serve,” Brittney once said. “Indeed, I reduced my salary by over a third when I became a teacher, but that’s how passionate and devoted I am to service. I believe strongly in education. To build a future, we must invest in our children first,” she added.

In 2017, Brittney was elected to represent District 5 in the Nevada State Assembly, where she still serves. She succeeded Republican Assemblyman Erv Nelson who resigned from his post to run for the state Senate. As a representative, Brittney is a member of four committees: Education; Corrections, Parole, and Probation; Health and Human Services; and Judiciary.

To learn more about this accomplished chalkboard champion, check out this interview by Nevada Public Radio or her profile at Project Vote Smart.

Mississippi’s Doug Anderson: The Former Teacher and Legislator Who Championed Historically Black Colleges

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Many talented classroom teachers have gone on to successful careers in politics. This is certainly true of Douglas Leavon Anderson, a mathematics teacher who served as a very capable politician in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in his home state of Mississippi.

Doug was born in 1939, the 11th of 12 children in his family. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Dillard University, a private historically Black liberal Arts college located in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned his master’s degree from Oklahoma University, a public research university situated in Norman, Oklahoma.

Doug’s career as an educator spanned the years 1965 to 1987. He taught in the Meridian Public School system in Meridian, Mississippi, and in his home town of Jackson, Mississippi. He was also an associate professor of mathematics at Jackson State University from 1965 to 1987.

In 1976, Doug was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent District 27 in the Mississippi State House of Representatives. There he served until 1980, serving on the committee for public health and welfare and the committee for universities and colleges. In 1980, Doug was elected to the Mississippi State Senate, where he served until 1992, serving on the committees for the state budget, the judiciary, and universities and colleges. While in office, the former teacher was an active and outspoken advocate for historically Black colleges. In 1993, Doug joined the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, where he served for 19 years. In all, this amazing chalkboard champion devoted more than 36 years of his life to public service.

Doug passed away from complications from diabetes on April 13, 2013, at the age of 74. He was interred at Garden Memorial Cemetery in Jackson. To read more about this accomplished educator, see the Mississippi State Resolution 507 or the Doug Anderson Obituary.

Rod Paige: from classroom teacher to US Superintendent of Schools

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I love to share stories about talented educators who have also served successfully in the political arena. Today’s story is about Rod Paige, the first African American to serve as the US Secretary of Education.

Rod was born Roderick Raynor Paige on June 17, 1933 in Monticello, Mississippi, the oldest of five children. His father, Raynor Paige, was a public school principal, and his mother, Sophie Paige, was a public school librarian. After his high school graduation in 1951, Rod earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned both his master’s (1962) and doctorate degrees (1980) from Indiana University at Bloomington. Rod is also a veteran, having served as a medical corpsman in the US Navy from 1955-1957.

After completing his military service, Rod accepted his first teaching position when he went to work as a health and physical education teacher at Hinds Agriculture High School in Utica, Mississippi. He taught there and coached football from 1957-1963. From 1971 to 1984, Rod served as the head coach and athletic director for Texas Southern University.

In 1980, Rod accepted a position as a professor at Texas Southern University, where he taught until 1984. While there, he became the Dean of the College of Education, a position he held until 1994. During this time, probably his greatest achievement was the establishment of the university’s Center for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility focusing on issues related to instruction and management in urban school systems. During this time, Inside Houston Magazine named the former classroom teacher as one of “Houston’s 25 most powerful people” in guiding the city’s growth and prosperity. In 2001, Rod was honored as National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators.

Rod’s next job was as the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District in 1994. While there, Rod earned a reputation for outstanding leadership skills and innovative reforms. His professional goals were to focus on best instructional strategies, accountability at all levels, and developing of a core curriculum. Next, Rod returned to Texas Southern University, where he served as the Dean of the College of Education.

In 2001, Rod was named by President George W. Bush to be the seventh US Secretary of Education, a post he held until 2005. The major push in education during Rod’s tenure was the controversial No Child Left Behind legislation.

After leaving the Education Department, Rod became a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where he helped fashion public policy. Recently, Rod has served as the interim president of his alma mater, Jackson State University in Mississippi.

To read more about this chalkboard champion, you can read Rod’s biography at the US Department of Education.