Teacher Margaret Clark Formby: The Champion of the Texas Cowgirl

Not many teachers can say they were also cowgirls, but one who can is Texas native Margaret Clark Formby. Margaret Formby was born in 1929 in Van Horn, Texas, near El Paso, the daughter of ranchers. She graduated from Van Horn High School in 1946, the salutatorian of her class. She went on to college at Texas Tech, earning her bachelor's degree in English and speech in 1950. Upon her graduation, she worked as a teacher at Hereford High School, before relocating to Fort Worth.

Growing up in a western environment, Margaret fought to have women recognized for their many contributions to western culture. She founded the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Hereford, Deaf Smith County, in the basement of the public library. The museum was later moved to Fort Worth. Margaret also worked as the editor for the Cowgirl Hall of Fame magazine, Sidesaddle.

In addition to her cultural preservation efforts, Margaret labored tirelessly on behalf of young people. She was one of two women in the state who was named to a commission to investigate child pornography, and she also served on the Texas House Speaker's committee to research teen pregnancy.

Margaret earned many honors for her work. In 2000, her name was added  to the list of "100 That Made a Difference: History Makers of the High Plains" by the Amarillo Globe News.  She also received the Pioneer Woman Award from the American Cowboy Culture Society.

Margaret Formby passed away in 2003 at the age of 73. She will forever be remembered as a teacher who worked to preserve an important part of our western heritage.

The Original "Betty Crocker" Was an English Teacher

Betty Crocker was an icon of American housewifery in the 1950s, but did you know her image was actually that of Adelaide Hawley Cumming, an English teacher? This remarkable educator portrayed the fictional Betty Crocker on television in a half-hour show called The Betty Crocker Show, and she also starred in walk-on commercials on the Burns & Allen Show, where comedian George Burns would say to his wife, "I don't know how to bake a cake, Gracie, but here is Betty Crocker to show us how."

Adelaide was born in 1905 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. A vaudeville performer and broadcast pioneer, Adelaide majored in piano and voice at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, New York. Following her graduation from college, she taught music for two and a half years at the Alabama College School of Music in Montevallo, Alabama. From 1937 to 1950 she was the host of the Adelaide Hawley Program, first on NBC radio and then on CBS. At the height of her career, Adelaide was a nationally recognized figure, second only to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. According to Adelaide's daughter, Marcia Hayes, the teacher/actress was a feminist in her private life, and was not especially fond of cooking. "I am merely the manifestation of a corporate image," she once told autograph-seeking fans. She practiced her autograph as Betty Crocker by copying the signature from the top of the cake mix box.

When General Mills replaced her with a more updated image in 1964, Adelaide went back to school, earning a doctorate in speech education from New York University in 1967. She taught English to second-language learners in Washington state until her death at age 93 in 1998, a career as an educator that spanned nearly thirty years.

Septima Poinsette Clark: Chalkboard Champion of the Civil Rights Movement

Septima Poinsette Clark, seen seated in the center of this group, was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Martin Luther King, Jr., often called her "The Mother of the Movement." In fact, this remarkable educator has earned the Martin Luther King, Jr., Award in 1970, the Living Legacy Award in 1979, and the Drum Major for Justice Award in 1987.

Septima was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 3, 1898. Her father was born a slave, and her mother, although born in Charleston, was raised in Haiti and never experienced slavery. After Septima graduated from high school in 1916, she didn't have the money to finance her college education. Nevertheless, she landed a position as an elementary teacher in a school for African American Gullah children on John's Island in South Carolina's Sea Islands. By 1919, Septima returned to Charleston to teach sixth grade at  Avery Normal Institute, a private academy for black children. Before long, Septima became involved with Charleston's NAACP, which inaugurated her involvement in civil rights activities. In the 1940s, Septima was finally able to return to school, taking summer school courses to earn her college degree. She earned her bachelor's degree from Benedict College and her masters from Hampton University.

In the 1950s  Septima found herself working at the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee. She was instrumental in combatting Jim Crow laws by organizing citizenship schools to teach underprivileged African Americans basic literacy skills, voter registration techniques, and the history of the Movement. At Highlander, Septima served as the director of workshops, trained teachers, and recruited students. One of the participants in her workshops was Rosa Parks. Shortly after participating in the Highlander workshops, Rosa helped launch the now-famous Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Septima Clark passed away on John's Island on December 15, 1987, of natural causes. The talented and dedicated teacher was 89 years old.

DeWayne Bunch: The Chalkboard Champion That Survived the Iraq War, But Not a Lunchroom Brawl

Chalkboard champion DeWayne Bunch was a teacher of mathematics and science at Whitley County High School in Williamsburg, Kentucky, for seventeen years. DeWayne was also a member of the Kentucky National Guard for twenty-three years, and had served as a first sergeant on a tour of duty in Iraq. His valor there earned him a Bronze Star. A multi-talented individual, DeWayne was elected in 2010 to the Kentucky State House of Representatives representing the 82nd District. As a legislator, he served on House committees for education, veterans' affairs, and transportation.

Sadly, DeWayne's story does not have a happy ending. One morning in 2011, a brawl between two students broke out in the school cafeteria. DeWayne was the first of three faculty members who rushed in to quell the fray. Unfortunately, DeWayne took a direct punch meant for another student, was knocked to the floor, and hit his head on the hard surface, described as "like slate." Suffering from severe head and spinal cord injuries, DeWayne was rushed to the nearest hospital. What followed was a year of extensive rehabilitative therapy, during which time DeWayne resigned his position in the Kentucky House of Representatives, and his wife, Regina Bunch, a special education teacher at Whitely County Middle School, was elected to fill his vacated position.

Sadly, DeWayne died as a result of his injuries just over a year later, on July 11, 2012. He was only 49 years old. Our country lost a true hero and chalkboard champion that day.

Rafe Esquith: A Chalkboard Champion who Teaches Like His Hair's On Fire!

One of the most creative and innovative educators of our day is Rafe Esquith, a fifth grade teacher in Los Angeles, California. This remarkable educator is also a sought-after motivational speaker and a successful author. His books include Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire (2007); There Are No Shortcuts (2003); Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-up, Muddled-up, Shook-up World (2009); and Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice to Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: "No Retreat, No Surrender!" (2013).

A California native, Rafe Esquith graduated from UCLA in 1981, and started his teaching career at Ivanhoe Elementary, an inner city school located in Los Angeles. Two years later he transferred to Hobart Blvd. Elementary School, where he has been a teacher since 1984. Rafe teaches students who come from impoverished and immigrant families, primarily from Central America and Korea. Most of his students speak English as a second language and are part of the government's free or reduced lunch program. Yet despite their challenges, Rafe's kids consistently score in the top 5% to 10% in the country on standardized tests. To achieve this, the students voluntarily come to school early in the morning, work through recesses, stay late, and give up their vacations and holidays to spend extra time in his class.

In recognition of Rafe's remarkable teaching talents, he has received many honors and awards. In 1992 Rafe received the Disney National Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, and in 2003, he was given the President's National Medal of the Arts. He has also earned an As You Grow Award from Parents Magazine, and a Use Your Life Award from Oprah Winfrey.

Innovative Educator and Chalkboard Champion Amos Bronson Alcott

Amos Bronson Alcott was born in 1799 in Wolcott, Connecticutt. A prominent member of the Transcendentalist movement, Amos was a self-educated man. Often called the American Socrates, he is known for his progressive and innovative approach to education. He disliked the rote memorization, lecture, and drill so prevalent in the schools of his day. Instead, he focused on the students' personal experiences, advocated a more conversational style of interaction with pupils, and avoided traditional corporal punishments. Amos first taught in Cheshire, Connecticut, and later at the famous Temple School in Boston. He was one of the very first teachers to introduce art, music, nature study, and physical education into his curriculum. He was also an abolitionist and an advocate for women's rights. This remarkable educator is probably best known, however, for being the father of Louisa May Alcott, the author of the classic American novel Little Women. This amazing chalkboard champion passed away from natural causes in 1888.

Chalkboard Politician Daniel Kahikina Akaka of Hawaii

Throughout history there have been a number of educators who have gone on to serve in political office. One such educator is Daniel Kahikina Akaka, a Native Hawaiian born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1924.

Daniel Akaka is also a veteran, having served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. When the war ended, he used his GI bill to enroll at the University of Hawaii, where he earned his bachelor's degree in education in 1952 and his master's degree in 1966. After earning his teaching credential, Daniel was employed as a high school teacher in Honolulu from 1953 to 1960;. In 1960 he was promoted to a position as a vice principal, and in 1969 he became a high school principal. In 1969, Daniel went to work in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as a chief program planner.

A multi-talented individual, Daniel Akaka was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1976, serving seven terms. In 1990, Daniel was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the US Senate that occurred upon the untimely death of Senator Spark Matsunaga. Subsequently Daniel was elected to that position in his own right, and he served there until 2013 when he retired.

Daniel Akaka, an outstanding chalkboard champion who was also an outstanding politician.