Tag Archives: Vocational Education Teachers

Louise Archer taught in a segregated, rural one-room schoolhouse

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North Carolina teacher Louise Archer taught core academic subjects and life skills in a segregated rural one-room schoolhouse. Photo Credit: Louise Archer Elementary School

Our nation’s students are indeed fortunate to have so many dedicated and hardworking educators teaching in our public schools. One of these was Louise Archer, an elementary school teacher from North Carolina.

Louise was born on Oct. 23, 1893, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. As a young woman, she attended Livingston College, a historically Black Christian college located in Salisbury, North Carolina. She married Romulus Archer, Jr., in 1915. The couple relocated to Washington, DC, in 1922, and Louise continued her education at Morgan State College, a historically Black college in nearby Baltimore, Maryland. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree.

Louise inaugurated her career as an educator at the Oak Grove School in Southampton, Virginia, in a one-room schoolhouse for African American children. She taught there two years. In 1924, she became both the teacher and the principal for another one-room segregated school, the Vienna Colored School, located in Vienna, Virginia. The camped, unheated facility was the first in Fairfax County to educate African American students in fifth through seventh grades. For many, this was the only education they would receive.

The first boys who were the first to arrive at the rural school each morning chopped wood for the fire to keep the schoolhouse warm. Students brought water each day from a nearby spring and stored it in buckets in one corner of the classroom. Louise taught her students using tattered, secondhand textbooks, but she supplemented these with lessons in music and poetry. In addition, she taught her students life skills such as cooking, sewing, embroidery, cabinet-making, and rug-hooking.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Louise established a 4-H Club for African Americans in Fairfax County. Through this club, her students planted a garden and raised vegetables to add to a soup that was cooked each day on a potbelly stove.

By all accounts Louise was devoted to her young charges. For example, if they needed help getting to school, she drove them to the schoolhouse herself. She invited students to her home in Washington, DC, so they could experience a big city, and she let students use her home address when they enrolled in a DC high school so they could continue their education without paying expensive tuition fees.

Later in her career, Louise organized a Parent Teacher Association to raise money to buy much-needed classroom supplies. The group also raised money to construct a new schoolhouse, this one with three rooms, which opened in 1939. In 1941, she spearheaded fundraising efforts to pay for electric lighting, a music teacher, kitchen supplies, and bus transportation for the students.

Sadly, Louise suffered a heart attack and passed on April 1, 1948. In 1950, her school was renamed the Louise Archer Elementary School in her honor.

Felmon Motley: Teacher, Civi Rights activist, and stellar athlete

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Educator, veteran, Civil rights activist, and stellar athlete Felmon Motley.  Photo Credit: Find a Grave

Many excellent educators are also known for their careers as stellar athletes. One of these was Felmon Motley, a successful football player who was inducted into the Delaware Hall of Fame. He was also a veteran and an activist during the Civil Rights Movement.

Felmon was born on March 18, 1921, in Autaugaville, Alabama. He was raised in Anniston, where he attended Cobb High School. However, in his senior year, he moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he graduated from from Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in 1940.

After his graduation in 1940, Felmon enrolled in Alabama A&M University, where he played for the Alabama A&M Bulldogs as both a lineman and a fullback. In 1942, Felmon transferred to Delaware State College, where he played for the school’s Hornets.

During World War II, Felmon served his country from 1943 to 1945, playing on a military service team at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. While on this team, he played in the 1945 Copper Bowl, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game.

In 1946, Felmon returned to Delaware, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1947. He earned a Master’s degree from there in 1952. After earning his degrees, Felmon accepted a position as an industrial arts teacher at Seaford High. There he became the school’s first African American staff member. In all, his career as a teacher and guidance counselor spanned 37 years in public schools in Seaford, Dover, and Wilmington. He retired in 1984.

During the 1960’s, the former football player became an activist in the Civil Rights Movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson in Selma, Montgomery, and the 1963 March on Washington.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Felmon served was the President of the Delaware State Alumni Association from 1963 to 1967. He was a life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, serving the organization at the national, district and local levels. He was also a 32nd degree Mason.

Football player Felmon Motley was inducted into the Delaware State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. Photo Credit: Public Domain

For his lifelong achievements, Felmon was one of the first inductees into Delaware State University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. He was also inducted into the State of Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and was one of the first inductees the Delaware State University Alumni Hall of Fame.

This Chalkboard Champion, veteran, Civil rights activist, and stellar athlete passed away on Aug. 28, 2004, in Milford, Delaware. He was 83 years old. He is interred in Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bear, Delaware.

Illinois Home Ec teacher Amber George earns regional recognition

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High school Home Economics teacher Amber George has been named the Illinois Southeast Region Teacher of the Year for 2022. Photo credit: Herrin High School

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional teachers who have earned accolades for their work with students. One of these is Amber George, a high school Home Economics teacher who has been named the Illinois Southeast Region Teacher of the Year for 2022.

In all, Amber’s career as an educator spans 14 years. For the past six years, Amber has taught Family and Consumer Sciences at Herrin High School. She instructs courses in Child Development, Parenting, and Child Care. She leads a pre-school learning lab, known as Tiger Paws Learning Lab, where she teaches junior and seniors appropriate techniques and processes for caring and teaching young children. In addition, Amber serves as the adviser for her school’s Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) club, formerly known as Future Homemakers of America (FHA).

“Teaching is the best profession in the world!” declares Amber. “The number of positives far outweigh the negatives. My best advice when choosing to become an educator is to discover your ‘why,'” she continues. “Find the motivation behind your ‘why’ and never lose sight of it. Knowing your ‘why’ will help you stay focused on your goals, thus allowing you to continue growing in your craft and enhancing the quality of education your students receive,” she concludes.

Amber earned her Bachelor’s degree Workforce Education with a specialization in Family and Consumer Sciences in 2007 and her Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision in 2021, both from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. She also earned her National Board Teacher Certification in 2020.

 

Vocational ed teacher and US veteran Leland Huff

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Vocational education educator Leland Huff of San Bernardino, California, was also a US veteran. Photo credit: Lori Huff.

Many fine educators have also served our country in the United States military. One of these was Leland Huff, a vocational education teacher from San Bernardino, California, who served in the US Army during the Korean War.

Leland was born on March 18, 1932, in Inkster, Michigan. As a young man, he attended Western High School in Detroit, where he played football, ran track, and worked part-time at the Coca Cola Company. Once he graduated, Leland entered the US Army. During the Korean War, he served for two years in Hokkaido, Japan, as part of he Military Police.

Upon his discharge, Leland returned to Detroit and enrolled at Wayne State University on the GI Bill. There he earned first his Bachelor’s and then his Master’s degree in Special Education, with an additional Master’s in Industrial Education.

After teaching for several years in Michigan, Leland and his wife Mary decided to relocate to California. There he taught high school courses in wood shop and other subjects. He also conducted summer school instruction in working with wood, metal and plastic, and drafting. He also taught vocational education courses in the adult education program. As a teacher, Leland was appreciated for his encouraging words, advising his students to make all that they could of their lives, and he was well known for his sense of humor, telling jokes his students called “Huff Duds.” In all, Leland’s career as an educator spanned 41 years.

Sadly, this Chalkboard Champion passed away on May 7, 2021. He was 89 years old. Because he was a veteran, he was laid to rest at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California. To read more about Leland Huff, see this obituary published by Bobbitt Mortuary.

Voc Ed teacher Michael Bammer helped graduated students succeed

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Vocational education teacher Michael Bammer of Lapeer, Michigan, was determined to help his students succeed, even after they graduated from high school. Photo credit: Muir Brothers Lapeer.

Many educators are beloved for going the extra mile to help their students. One of these was Michael Bammer, a vocational education teacher from Lapeer, Michigan. He was so determined to help his students succeed, he even bought them a house to live in while they were pursuing their education after graduating from high school.

Michael was born on November 26, 1961, in Battle Creek, Michigan. He was a long-time resident of Lapeer, Michigan, where he lived with his wife and three children. As a young man, he worked in a variety of jobs related to the automotive industry, including working in an auto service center, a full-service gas station, and an auto repair facility. He even owned his own automative repair business for a while.

It was Michael’s ability to explain mechanics to his customers led him to pursue a career as a vocational education teacher. He began as a para-professional in Automotive Technology at Lake Orion High School. There he discovered a passion for the teaching profession. After he moved on to a position as a para-professional in Agricultural Mechanics at Lapeer County Vocational and Technical Center (Ed-Tech) in Attica, he decided to pursue a formal education. He completed first his Associate’s degree and then his Bachelor’s degree, while simultaneously teaching adult education classes in Automotive Technology. Ultimately, he added a Master’s degree to his accomplishments. In 1998, Michael became a full-time teacher of Agricultural Mechanics. The program later became Diesel Technology.

Mike’s widow, Grace Bammer, remembered that her husband would go to great lengths to help his students succeed, even after they graduated fro high school. “A lot of the kids went on to a tech college in Lima, Ohio, and Mike would help them get scholarships,” she recalled. “Housing, though, was still more expensive than many of them could afford. So we bought a house down there for these kids from Lapeer to live in while they attended school,” she continued. “Mike wanted these kids to succeed and showed them that hard work really is the answer,” she concluded.

Sadly, Michael Bammer passed away on March 10, 2021, from complications associated with Covid-19. He was 59 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this obituary printed by The County Press in Lapeer, Michigan.