Anne Sullivan Macy: Beyond the Miracle Worker

The Miracle Worker by William Gibson is an iconic piece of American literature that is frequently taught in public schools.
Exploring the extraordinary work of teacher Anne Sullivan Macy and her work with deaf /blind student Helen Keller, this award-winning play depicts the exact moment at which, due to Anne's intensive instructional efforts, Helen was able to grasp the concept of language. This knowledge unlocked a world of isolation for the little girl, allowing her to connect with her fellow human beings, and making it possible for her to earn a university degree
at a time when educating women was rare. The scene is sweet. Yet the fifty-year relationship between the teacher and her student was riddled with ambiguity and complexity, as author Kim E. Nielsen demonstrates in her in-depth biography of Anne, Beyond the Miracle Worker: The Remarkable Life of Anne Sullivan Macy and Her Extraordinary Friendship with Helen Keller, published in 2009. The book is a fascinating read for anyone who wants to know more about this remarkable teacher and the instructional strategies she used that were so unique. You can discover more about this book on amazon.com at the following link:

Beyond the Miracle Worker

I have also included an abbreviated but concise biography of this amazing teacher in my book, Chalkboard Champions, which can also be found at amazon.com at the following link:

Chalkboard Champions

Chalkboard Champions Mentioned in University of Arizona Web Site

Here is some exciting news! Stuart Glogoff of the University of Arizona has mentioned Chalkboard Champions in his blog on the web site Through Our Parents' Eyes. The reference is related to educator Eulalia Bourne, a remarkable teacher who worked with Native American and Mexican American youngsters in mining camps and cattle ranches in various Arizona schools. Her fascinating life story is described at length in Chalkboard Champions in Chapter 7. You can read Stuart Glogoff's post by simply clicking on the following link:

www.parentseyes.sites.arizona.edu

Julia Richman: A Champion for Jewish Immigrants

Julia Richman (1855-1912) was a truly remarkable educator. The daughter of Jewish immigrant parents, Julia declared at a surprisingly early age that she would reject the traditional role of wife and mother and opt for a career in teaching instead. At 15, she enrolled in college courses at New York City's Female Normal College, the precursor to Hunter College, graduating fourth in her class in 1872. She then devoted the next forty years of her life to teaching and improving the lives of the Jewish immigrant students who were entrusted to her care, first as their teacher, later as a principal, and finally as a district superintendent. During her tenure, she pioneered innovative programs for handicapped students, English-language learners, and troubled youth, and she instituted vocational education programs, and much-needed courses in health and hygiene. Many of her innovations are common practice in schools throughout the country today. In addition to her work in the schools, Julia worked indefatigably to better the lives of New York's Eastern European immigrants through the Educational Alliance, the most important Jewish charitable organization located in Manhattan's Lower East Side. A wonderful book about Julia Richman was recently published by scholar Selma Cantor Berrol; the book is entitled Julia Richman: A Notable Woman. You can find this book on the web site for Barnes and Noble and also on amazon.com. I have also devoted a chapter of my book, Chalkboard Champions, to this most extraordinary educator. My book can be found at amazon.com at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Chalkboard-Champions.

Resurrecting Educator Jaime Escalante

One of the most well-known teachers in twentieth-century American history, Jaime Escalante, passed away in 2010, but already his story is fading from our collective cultural memory. Recently I conducted an informal poll of the students, and even a few of the younger teachers, at my Southern California high school. "Do you know who Jaime Escalante is?" I questioned them. Almost every one said they didn't, until I mentioned he was the teacher portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver. The recipient of numerous awards and special praise from President Ronald Reagan, Jaime Escalante was a popular and talented teacher who challenged supposedly "unteachable" inner-city Latino students to achieve beyond a level anyone thought them capable of, eventually leading them to unparalleled success on the extremely difficult Advanced Placement Calculus exam. In researching the life story of Escalante for my own book, Chalkboard Champions, I learned some surprising facts about this remarkable educator. For example, the movie never mentions that prior to immigrating to the United States, Escalante earned a degree in mathematics and a teaching credential in Bolivia. Escalante was a veteran teacher with nine years of experience in prestigious schools when he decided to leave his politically unstable homeland and come to America in search of a better life for his family. Once he arrived, unable to speak a word of English, he discovered that his education, training, and experience held no value here. Determined to return to the classroom, Escalante set about learning the English language and earning his university degree all over again. It took him ten years to get back into the classroom, at a significant cut in pay, by the way, but to this dedicated teacher, it was well-worth the hard work. A well-researched and well-written account of Escalante's life can be found in the biographical book Jaime Escalante: The Best Teacher in America by Jay Matthews. For a condensed version of Escalante's life, check out chapter 12 my volume, Chalkboard Champions. Either way, you'll find his story compelling and inspiring.

Sugarcane Academy Showcases Attempts to Teach Evacuated Children Following Hurricane Katrina

As empathetic Americans continue to look for ways to help fellow citizens forced to rebuild their lives following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the New York Times today reported that 5,400 New York City students have now returned to their storm-ravaged schools in Brooklyn and Queens.

As I usually do during times such as these, I ask myself questions about what the teachers are doing during these times of upheaval. In this instance, I am reminded of a book I read recently which described a remarkable teacher who opened a school for New Orleans evacuees following Hurricane Katrina.

When surging flood waters from Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of families to flee from their homes, New Orleans residents had their minds more on survival than on whether their children would be missing school. But when a group of evacuee parents who landed in New Iberia, Louisiana, realized they would not be returning to their homes any time soon, they realized they had to find a strategy to help their children cope with their enforced and unexpected exile. They pooled their financial resources and hired a fellow refugee, teacher Paul Reynaud, to establish a one-room school for their children in an abandoned office building. The story furnishes valuable lessons for dealing with this latest example of nature's fury.

The book is entitled Sugarcane Academy: How a New Orleans Teacher and His Storm-Struck Students Created a School to Remember.The author of this intriguing true story is journalist Michael Tisserand, and the volume was published in 2007 by Harcourt. You can find the book on amazon.com at the following link:

For other intriguing stories about remarkable teachers in America's sometimes turbulent history, check out my book Chalkboard Champions. You will find it on the web site for Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

The Launching of Chalkboard Champions

In January, 2010, my husband, Hal, and I traveled halfway across the country to spend an extended weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas. Admittedly, Little Rock is not high on the list of popular tourist destinations, but we were on a mission. Our purpose was to visit the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. I am an English teacher working on special assignment in my school's library, and he is a lawyer, so I guess it makes perfect sense that we would enjoy exploring presidential libraries together.

While we were in Little Rock, we took the opportunity to visit a small, inconspicuous museum dedicated to the Little Rock Nine and the events surrounding their heroic Civil Rights struggle to integrate Little Rock's Central High School. The museum's exhibits were well-prepared, visually appealing, and very informative, an impressive feat for such a small enterprise. As I perused the exhibits, I learned much about the accomplishments of this group of courageous individuals and the year of angry mobs, racial epithets, and death threats they faced simply because they claimed the right to enter their school.

The educator in me wondered what Central High's teachers were doing during these historic events. Were they supporting the students openly, or secretly, if necessary, or were they contributing to the racist chaos? What can a teacher do, what is a teacher expected to do, in highly charged periods of social change, political upheaval, or times of war? Curiosity launched me onto a path of intellectual inquiry which led me to discover many accounts of remarkable teachers who worked with disenfranchised groups of students throughout American history. I selected twelve of the teachers I found intriguing and inspirational, and I retold their stories in my newly published book, Chalkboard Champions. My desire is that these stories will fill the beginning teacher with enthusiasm, reignite the joy of the classroom experience in the veteran teacher, and generate an admiration for the profession in the general reader.

Here is the list of teachers included in the volume:

• Charlotte Forten Grimke: She Taught Emancipated Slaves
• Elaine Goodale Eastman: She Was a Sister to the Indians
• Julia Richman: She Was a Champion for Jewish Immigrants
• Anne Sullivan Macy: She Pioneered Education for the Handicapped
• Carter Godwin Woodson: He Originated Black History Month
• Clara Comstock: She Found Homes for the Orphans
• Eulalia Collins Bourne: She Educated Little Cowpunchers
• Leonard Covello: He Was an Innovator of Cultural Pluralism
• Gladys Kamakakuokalani Brandt: She Taught Native Hawaiians
• Mary Tsukamoto: She Developed WWII Japanese Internment Camp Programs
• Sandra Adickes: She Taught in a Civil Rights Freedom School
• Jaime Escalante: He Championed Latino American Urban Youths

Chalkboard Champions can be found on the websites for Amazon and Barnes and Noble at the following links:

http://www.amazon.com/Chalkboard-Champions

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chalkboard-champions-terry-lee-marzell/1112448832

The fascinating life stories of these remarkable educators is well worth the time it takes to explore them. Whether you read about them in my book or from another source, enjoy!