Visit the new Chalkboard Champions Web Site!

Good morning, everybody! For the past year, I've enjoyed sharing stories about remarkable teachers, great teacher resources, and classroom tips with all of you. If you have enjoyed this blog, you might want to check out my new web site, www.chalkboardchampions.org.

Over the last several weeks, I've spent many hours learning how to build my own web site, experimenting with the layouts, and organizing the content. You'll find the Chalkboard Champions blog on the home page, a page which offers a collection of posts about best practices and teaching strategies, a page of recommended books about talented teachers and teaching, and an updated "about me" page. For those who wish to buy the book, I've also included the link to amazon.

Feel free to visit the web site, browse, leave a comment, and subscribe! See you there!

High School English Teacher Ann Turner Cook: She is the Iconic Gerber Baby

Did you know that the iconic image of the healthy, happy baby with the sparkling eyes and the inquisitive look on Gerber baby products grew up to become a high school English teacher? That's right!

The name of that irresistible baby is Anne Turner Cook. She was born on November 20, 1926, the daughter of Leslie Turner, a syndicated cartoonist who drew the comic strip Captain Easy for more than a decade. In 1928, when Anne was only five months old,  the Gerber company announced they were seeking images of a baby to use on the packaging of their upcoming line of baby foods. Artist Dorothy Hope Smith, a neighbor of the Turner family, submitted a charcoal sketch of Ann, promising to finish the drawing if it was selected. Smith's drawing competed with thousands of entries, including many elaborate oil paintings, but the judges fell in love with this baby’s cherubic face and, when choosing it as the winner, insisted that the simple illustration remain a sketch. The image was trademarked in 1931, and it has been used on Gerber baby food packaging ever since.

When she grew up, Ann attended the University of South Florida and other post-secondary schools, where she studied education, English, and journalism. She earned several degrees, including a master's degree in English Education. After completing her education, Ann became a teacher at Oak Hill Elementary in Tampa, Florida, later transferring to the English Department at Madison Junior High School. In 1966, she accepted a position at Hillsborough High School, also in Tampa, where she taught literature and creative writing. In 1972, her students dedicated their school yearbook, the Hillsborean, to their dedicated teacher, who had personally sponsored the book. In it, her students described her as "a teacher who really communicates with the students," and who, "without any complaints, has stayed late, worked nights, and with quiet efficiency supported her staff in their monumental task."

Ann's career as an educator spanned twenty-six years. After retiring, this talented educator became a successful novelist. A member of the Mystery Writers of America, she is the author of the Brandy O'Bannon series of mystery novels set on Florida's Gulf Coast. The adventures of Florida reporter and amateur sleuth O'Bannon are described in Trace Their Shadows, published in 2001, Shadow Over Cedar Key, published in 2003. 

Kara Laricks: The Fourth Grade Teacher Who Became an Acclaimed Fashion Designer

Many talented educators have earned acclaim in fields other than education. One outstanding example of this is Kara Laricks, a fourth grade elementary schoolteacher who is also an acclaimed fashion designer.

Kara hails from Overland Park, Kansas, but she currently resides in New York City. She taught fourth grade for ten years. "I love teaching," she expressed in an interview for Curve Magazine. "I love that career." The talented teacher always told her students to be true to themselves. Finally, she decided to take own advice and pursue her dream of a career in fashion.

Kara said that she has loved design ever since she was a child. She attended the Academy of Art University, where she graduated in 2008. In 2012, at the age of thirty-eight, she became a contestant on the first season of the reality show Fashion Star, where her designs garnered her the first place trophy. Rolling Stone Magazine credited the show with embracing the avant garde designer and commended the buyers, especially Macy's, for thinking outside the box and selecting Kara. The former teacher was awarded a grand prize of $6 million of purchases by Macy's, H&M, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Former Special Education Teacher Kate Capshaw: She is Not Doomed!

Many talented educators have made their mark in fields other than education. This is certainly true of former teacher Kate Capshaw, a Hollywood actress who is best known for her portrayal of Willie Scott in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. She is also married to famed director Steven Spielberg.

Kate was born on November 3, 1953, in Fort Worth, Texas, of humble origins. Her mother was a travel agent and beautician, and her father was an airline employee. When Kate was only five years old, her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where in 1972 she graduated from Hazelwood Central High School.

After her high school graduation, Kate earned a bachelor's degree in history education and a master's degree in special education, both from the University of Missouri. She accepted her first teaching position as a special education teacher at Southern Boone County High School in Ashland, Missouri. Later she transferred to Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri. During her years as an educator, she married and divorced Robert Capshaw, a school principal. The union produced one daughter.

After some years in the classroom, Kate moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting, landing her first role on the soap opera The Edge of Night. She also starred in Dreamscape in 1984, SpaceCamp in 1996 and How to Make an American Quilt in 1995. During the filming of Indiana Jones, Kate began a relationship with Spielberg, which eventually resulted in her conversion to Judaism and their marriage in 1991. The couple have five children in addition to Kate's daughter from her first marriage.

A School Child's Memory of the Assassination of President Kennedy

 

Much has been said in the news this past week about the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. As an individual old enough to remember this historical event, this extensive news coverage triggers a strong and vivid memory of that painful day.

As an eight-year-old, I spent that day in my third grade elementary class. My fellow classmates and I had gone out to lunch. The school yard rang with the happy outbursts of girls playing hopscotch and boys playing dodge ball. We girls were all dressed in our little 60's dresses with fitted bodices, puffed sleeves, defined waists, flared skirts, and peter pan collars. In those days, girls never wore pants to school. Most of us swept our hair up into pony tails; the boys sported buzz cuts. In the innocence of the hour, we enjoyed our play. Then the bell rang signalling our free time was over, and we reluctantly returned to our academic labors.

Once inside the classroom, however, a sight I had never seen before confronted us. My teacher was weeping, and this frightened me, because I had never seen a teacher cry before. We children counted on adults to be always strong and brave, to guide us and protect us in every circumstance. Through her tears, my teacher told us the president had been shot, and that he had died as a result of his injuries. Then she instructed us to go to the window, as the flag was to be lowered to half-mast, and she wanted us to witness this. Perhaps her true motivation was to momentarily direct our eyes and attention away from her grief-ravaged face. As she intended, I have never forgotten the slow and deliberate descent of our country's fabric emblem, the lowering of which symbolized the depth of despair at our nation's loss.

In the thirty-three years that I have been an educator, several catastrophic historical events have occurred during school hours---the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, September 11th. Then it has been my duty to shepherd my students safely through a tumultuous day in our nation's history. I cannot in all honesty say that I did this with better control of my grief than my third grade teacher did, but I did my best. When the signalling bell of history rings, that's all any of us can ever do.

Michigan Teacher James E. O'Neill, Jr., Was Also a Highly-Respected Politician

Many talented teachers are also accomplished in the political arena. This is certainly true of high school teacher James E. O'Neill, Jr., who also served in the House of Representatives for the state of Michigan.

James was born in Saginaw, Saginaw County Michigan, on May 26, 1929, and was a lifelong resident of that city. Saginaw is also the birthplace of Motown musician Stevie Wonder. James O'Neill earned his degrees from Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan. He served in the United States Army during the years of 1951 to 1953. In his younger years, he worked as a high school teacher and an elementary school principal in Hemlock Public Schools.

James was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent the 85th District from 1967 to 1992, and the 95th District from 1993 to 1994. While serving in the Michigan State Legislature, he was a tireless advocate for schools and education, a respected source of information on school finance, and a key contributor to landmark changes made by legislation that established per-pupil student foundation grants for every school district in the state. "When you hear the old line that money will not buy a quality education, it's almost always someone from a wealthy district," he was expressed. "But if you talk about anything that would limit their money, they don't want to hear it." Today, this legislation is hailed by Democrats and Republicans alike as an innovative step toward improving equity among all state school districts. James was also a strong supporter of Saginaw Valley State University. He is credited with playing a critical role in securing much-needed state dollars for the college's expansion. The arena in the Ryder Center on the campus was named in his honor in 1989. Highly respected, this talented politician and educator retired after twenty-eight years of dedicated service in the Michigan House. He was also a member of the American Legion and the NAACP.

This talented educator and politician passed away on December 31, 2002, at the age of 73.

Alaskan Pioneer Orah Dee Clark: She Was the First Superintendent of the First School in Anchorage

Many talented educators were pioneers as well. A fine example of this is educator Orah Dee Clark, a teacher who is best known for being the first superintendent for the first school in Anchorage, Alaska.

Orah was born in 1875 in Firth, Nebraska. She started her teaching career in 1906, when she was hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to teach in the Territory of Alaska. She worked in a number of remote outposts, including Kodiak, Anvik, Tanana, and the Aleutian Islands. In 1915, she was named the first superintendent of the first school in Anchorage. After leaving her position in Anchorage, she helped establish schools up and down the railroad belt in towns including Wasilla, Eske, Fairview, and Matanuska. She also taught in Unga, Kennicott, Ouzinkie, Takotna, Kiana, Nushagek, and Moose Pass. This amazing pioneer concluded her fifty-one-year career when she retired in 1944. A champion of Native Alaskan rights, Orah always believed that all children should be integrated into schools that fostered individual growth. Throughout her career, she was a strong advocate for schools where Native Alaskans and white students would attend school together.

Clark Middle School in Anchorage was opened in 1959 and named in her honor. In the early days of the school, Orah visited the campus often. It is said the students enjoyed talking with her between classes and after school. In 1962, Orah was awarded the Scroll of Honor by the Cook Inlet Historical Society. In 1980, the school where she served as the first superintendent, the Pioneer School House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009, Clark was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. Her personal papers are held in the collection of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and the Anchorage Museum holds a collection of photographs she once owned. Every year, the Anchorage Women's Club awards a high school scholarship for boys and girls named after Clark.

This remarkable educator passed away in 1965.