Tag Archives: Veterans

President William McKinley: The former country schoolteacher

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President William McKinley was a country schoolhouse teacher when he was a young man.

In my research about former residents of the White House who have also been teachers. I have been very surprised to learn just how many of them there are. For example, did you know that President William McKinley was once a teacher?

William McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio, and was raised in Poland, Ohio. When he was a youngster, education was very important to William, and he studied diligently at  the school he attended that was run by the Methodist seminary in his hometown.

After William graduated from high school, he briefly attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. However, he had to drop out because of health and financial difficulties. As the seventh child in a large family, he needed to go to work to help support his family. Like two sisters, William decided to go into teaching. He inaugurated his career as an educator as a teacher at a one-room country schoolhouse not far from the home of his parents.

In his classroom, the 17-year-old William taught 50 students of all ages and skill levels. For this work he earned $25 a month. According to the custom of the day, the neophyte educator boarded with the families of his students, although at times he walked several miles to and from school to stay at home with his parents.

William hoped to eventually earn enough money to return to college but, when the Civil War broke out in 1861, he decided to enlist in the army on the Northern side. He fought in the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, where he rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant.

Once the war was over, William moved to Canton, Ohio, and returned to the classroom. Later, he shifted careers and went into the practiced of law. Eventually, the former teacher became the governor of Ohio, and then, in 1896, he was elected the 25th President of the United States.

“How priceless is a liberal education!” President McKinley once declared. “Our hope is in the public schools and in the university. Let us fervently pray that they may always be generously supported,” he concluded. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link provided by the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.

Recognizing Georgia teacher and US veteran Shane Larkin

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While recognizing our nation’s veterans, here is Shane Larkin, US Army vet and high school social studies teacher from Columbus, Georgia. Photo credit: Ledger-Enquirer

Our nation is indeed fortunate that many individuals who serve our students in the classroom have also served in the US military. One of these is Shane Larkin, a high school social studies teacher in Columbus, Georgia.

Before he became an educator, Shane served ten years as a staff sergeant in the US Army. While in the military, he participated in firefights with combat units deployed to Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq.

It was while he was stationed in Kosovo that Shane accepted his first position as a teacher. There he taught the English language to Serbian students. “I loved almost everything about being an infantry squad leader,” he once told the local newspaper, the Ledger-Enquirer, “but I felt completely comfortable and inspired while teaching those students for several hours a week,” he said. “It was truly rewarding for me to be part of making a safe zone for those kids who were not safe to even go into neighboring towns,” he continued. “It was at that point I realized the true meaning and power of education.”

Currently, Shane teaches history and world studies at Early College Academy in Columbus, Georgia. The school partners with Columbus State University to expose students to resources, rigor, and the intensity of college-level academics.

For his work in the classroom, Shane has earned many accolades. In 2017, he was named the Muscogee County Schools Teacher of the Year. In 2018, the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation (MEEF) selected him their Teacher of the Year. To read more about him, see this article published in Education Week Teacher.

 

Teacher and veteran Matthew Bundy earns 2020 VFW honors

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US Air Force veteran Matthew Bundy, a high school Government teacher from Mountain Home, Idaho, has earned national honors from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Photo Credit: Mountain Home News.

It’s a privilege to share stories about dedicated educators who have also served in our nation’s military. One of these is US Air Force veteran Matthew Bundy, a high school Government teacher from Mountain Home, Idaho. He’s just earned national honors from the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Michael was raised in Ogden, Utah. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Weber State University. He completed his Master’s Degree at the University of Utah. He completed the requirements for his teacher certification at Boise State University. In addition, he earned a Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Idaho.

Matthew teaches American Government to seniors at Mountain Home High School in Mountain Home, Idaho. His career as an educator spanned 16 years. The honored educator is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel who served 20 years in the US Air Force. While in the military, he worked as a combat aviator.

Michael’s service in the military gave the Chalkboard Hero valuable insight when it comes to teaching his students about the attacks on 9/11, the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes, and the importance of their involvement in civic and community activities.

For his work in the classroom, Matthew has been named a 2020 Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award at the high school level. Matthew was sponsored by VFW Post 5423 in Mountain Home. The exemplary teacher was chosen because of his passion and innovation in developing patriotic lessons, and for going above and beyond to develop civic responsibility and activism in his students.

The award program is co-sponsored by former VFW National Commander John Smart and retired VFW Quartermaster General Larry Maher. The program was established in 1999 to recognize three exceptional teachers from around the country for their commitment to promoting patriotism and civic responsibility in their students. Each recipient receives a $1,000 award for professional development and $1,000 for their school and two commemorative plaques, one for their school and one to keep.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this article published about him in the Mountain Home News.

Ohio’s Audrey Keagy: Kindergarten teacher and WWII veteran

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Ohio kindergarten teacher and US Coast Guard veteran Audrey Keagy. Photo credit: WikiTree.

There are many American veterans who have chosen to serve in the classroom after they have served their country in the military. One of these is Audrey Keagy, a kindergarten teacher from Ohio who also served in the US Coast Guard.

Audrey was born on August 17, 1923, in Jefferson County, Ohio. When she was a child, her family moved frequently because her father worked for the New York Central Railroad.

After she graduated from high school in Ohio in 1941, Audrey took a job as an office worker at the Timken Roller Bearing Company in Canton. When World War II broke out, Audrey supported the war effort by working in Republic Steel, a factory that assembled airplanes. In October, 1944, she joined the SPARs branch, the Women’s Reserve of the US Coast Guard. The military sent her to Toledo, where she worked as a switchboard operator.

Once the war was ended and her service was over, Audrey returned to Canton. She used her GI Bill benefits to enroll at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, where she earned the education necessary to become a kindergarten teacher. She was the first person in her family to attend college. “My mother was absolutely thrilled that I was attending college,” Audrey once remembered.

Audrey got her first teaching job as a kindergarten teacher in Canton. Eventually she transferred to the Williamsburg, Ohio, school system where she taught for 26 years. After her retirement, she continued to serve her community as a literacy tutor at her local library.

This amazing Chalkboard Hero passed away on May 18, 2012. To learn more about Audrey, click on this link to WikiTree.