Erwin Clagget: Former Pro Basketball Player Now High School Teacher and Coach

Many talented educators and coaches were once professional athletes. This is the case with Erwin Clagget, a high school social studies teacher and basketball coach who happens to be a former professional basketball player.  

 

Erwin, born in 1973, graduated high school in Venice, Illinois, where he earned the nickname the "Venice Menace." But he is probably most famous for his college basketball career at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. There he played combo guard for the St. Louis Billikens between 1991 and 1995. At 6 feet, 1 inch, and 185 pounds, Erwin  played a total of four seasons for the Billikens, where he scored a total of 1,910 points. He was named the all-time leading scorer of the Great Midwest Conference, and because the conference disbanded in 1995, he will always hold that record. He led the squad to a berth in the 1994 NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the opening round to Maryland. During his senior year, the Billikens earned another berth into the tournament, this time losing to Wake Forest. Despite these losses, in 1995, Erwin was honored by the Associated Press as an All-American, and in 2001 he was inducted into the Saint Louis University Athletic Hall of Fame. After college,  Erwin played professional basketball in Europe.

 

Erwin earned his bachelor's degree from St. Louis in 1995 and his master's from Lindenwood University in 2003. He began his career as a professional educator and coach at   Venice High School in Missouri, where he worked for two years. He then transferred to McCluer High School in Florissant, Missouri, where he spent nine years as a social studies teacher and the Head Basketball Coach. While there, the McCluer High Comets consistently ranked as one of the area’s top teams, often battling for the championship of the Suburban North Conference, which is one of the toughest basketball leagues in the state. In his nine years there, Erwin’s teams posted a record of 169-60, including three Suburban North Conference titles. During his tenure, the Comets produced many talented players, including NCAA Division I players Lonnie and Shaquille Boga. Three times Coach Claggett was named the league’s Coach of the Year: in 2004, 2006, and again in 2010. In 2012, Erwin was named the Head Basketball Coach at St. Louis University High School, where he also teaches social studies.

Well done, Erwin!

Educator Carl Van Dyke of Minnesota: Also a Talented Politician

Talented teachers often possess the personality traits that make them successful in the political arena. Such is certainly the case for Carl Chester Van Dyke, an elementary school teacher who went on to become a lawyer and then a United States Congressman.


Carl was born on February 18, 1881, in Alexandria, Douglas County, Minnesota. He attended local schools, and when he came of age, taught elementary schools in Douglas County from 1899 to 1901. It was in that year that he enlisted in the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry branch of the US Army, where he served as a private in Company B in the Fifteenth Regiment. He saw action in the Spanish American War. Carl was highly respected by his fellow veterans. In fact, in 1918, the former teacher was elected Commander in Chief of the US Spanish War Veterans.

Once he returned from military service, Carl attended St. Paul College of Law, which later came to be known as William Mitchell College of Law. Following his graduation, Carl was admitted to the bar in St. Paul. His leadership abilities evident, the former educator was elected to the US House of Representatives, where he served from 1915 until his death on May 20, 1919, in Washington, DC. He was only 38 years old. After his passing, this gifted teacher, lawyer, and public servant was cremated and his ashes interred in a mausoleum in Forest Cemetery, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Terry Marzell, Sharon Edwards, and Other Writers Appear at Local Authors Fair in Eastvale, California

On Saturday, January 11, I had the opportunity to participate in the Local Authors Fair held at the Eastvale Community Library in Eastvale, California. Eleven published authors, including myself, were on hand to discuss our recently-published works and to sign copies that were available for purchase. This is the third such fair that I have been involved in, and I have to say, I find these opportunities exhilarating!

One of the best aspects of participating in a local authors fair is meeting and networking with other authors. On Saturday, I met an absolutely fascinating author by the name of Sharon Edwards, author of the fiction work Pioneer Boulevard. Her book, a collection of short stories set in the Indian community of Los Angeles, was named for Artesia Blvd. in California, a street that is known as Little India. Most of the protagonists are, like the author, women who have migrated to Los Angeles from their native India, but the book is also populated with characters from other countries, including Mexico, El Salvador, Vietnam, Pakistan, and England. In this way, the novel reflects the multi-cultural and poly-lingual flavor of metropolitan Los Angeles.

Set in the context of the recent economic crisis, the sense of an overstretched, underfinanced world pervades the narratives of Edwards' book. One woman must clinch the job that is required for renewal of her work permit; another has to sell her wedding necklace to pay her bills. A third learns about an unplanned pregnancy days after her husband received a layoff notice. "Farcical and somber, wry and tender, these stories draw us into the chaotic, comic world of the pioneer, where habits of consumption and ways of relating—and even of speaking—are constantly in flux," explains Sharon. I personally bought this book, and I can wait to read it! You can find Sharon's book at this link on amazon: Pioneer Boulevard.

Philadelphia Teacher Anna Willess Williams: She Became the Face of "Lady Liberty"

On many occasions a talented educator will gain notoriety for reasons that have nothing to do with the field of education. Such was certainly the case with Anna Willess Williams, a Philadelphia schoolteacher, who is best known for being the model for the image of  Lady Liberty on the Morgan silver dollar coin.


Anna was born in Philadelphia in 1857. In 1876, when she was just an eighteen-year-old art student, she was asked to pose for engraver George T. Morgan, an acquaintance of a friend of her father, who had been commissioned to produce a new series of coin designs for the U.S. Mint. For his design, Morgan wanted to use the image of an American girl. After rejecting several candidates, Morgan selected Anna as his model because was so impressed with her profile, commenting that it was the most perfect he had seen in the country. He described her as being fair in complexion, “with blue eyes and a Grecian nose,” with hair that was "almost her crowning glory… golden color, abundant, and light of texture," worn in an attractive classical style.


After being promised that her identity would always be kept confidential, the young art student sat for five sessions in November, 1876. By the time the silver dollar bearing her likeness was first struck on March 11, 1878, Anna had begun her career as a teacher. To Anna’s dismay, her identity as the image’s model was revealed shortly after the coin was released, resulting in instant fame. Anna received thousands of letters and visits at both her home and work place, and she was very disturbed by the attention. In her later years, she preferred not to discuss her modelling work with Morgan, dismissing the experience as an "incident of my youth."


Anna refused offers for acting and stage work, and chose to continue in her position as a teacher at the House of Refuge. In 1891, she left her job as the principal at that school to become a teacher of kindergarten philosophy at Girls’ Normal School in Philadelphia. Though she was once engaged to an unknown suitor, Anna never married. She retired from the teaching profession in 1924. She passed away from complications suffered from a bad fall on April 17, 1926, at the age of sixty-eight.

Terry Marzell to Appear at Local Authors Fair

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be one of ten authors appearing at a Local Authors Fair to be held at Eastvale Community Library on Saturday, January 11, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The public library is located on the campus of Eleanor Roosevelt High School at 7447 Scholar Way, Eastvale, California. My book, Chalkboard Champions, will be available for sale, and I will be on hand to sign copies. The event is free. Hope to see you there!

Maryland Educator, Civil Rights Activist, and Legislator Verda Freeman Welcome

Many teachers dedicate themselves to social and political causes outside of the classroom, knowing that to improve opportunities for American citizens as a whole specifically helps their students in the classroom. One such teacher was Verda Freeman Welcome, a teacher, politician, civil rights activist, and community activist from the state of Maryland.


Verda was born on March 18, 1807, in Lake Lure, North Carolina.  She was one of fifteen children of farmers John and Docia Freeman. As a young girl, Verda attended North Carolina and Delaware public schools. The young scholar always planned to pursue higher education, but following the death of her mother in 1928, she found herself with limited financial resources to pursue her goal. Undaunted, she worked as a domestic during the day and attended school in the evening until she eventually earned her high school diploma. She once recalled, "I had to make the daily sacrifices needed to keep my dreams intact."


In 1929, Verda moved to Baltimore and to continue her education at Coppin Normal School, where she earned her teaching certificate in 1932. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in History from Morgan State College in 1939, and she completed the requirements for her Master of Arts Degree from New York University in 1943. In her later years, she was awarded honorary doctorates from Howard University, Morgan University, and the University of Maryland.


During her youth, Verda learned first-hand that African Americans were often underpaid, undereducated, and underprivileged. She determined to make a positive impact on the black community as an educator, and so she taught in the Baltimore City Public Schools for eleven years.
      
In 1959, the dedicated teacher was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent the Fourth District. She was the first black woman to achieve that distinction. Verda served as a delegate until 1962, when she was elected to the Maryland State Senate, becoming America's first African American female state senator. She served in the Maryland State Senate until 1982. Between the State House and the State Senate, Verda devoted a total of twenty-five years of service in the legislature. Significant among her accomplishments there was the passage of legislation dealing with such issues as discrimination in public accommodations, equal pay for equal work, the harassment of welfare recipients, illegal employment practices, voter registration, the abolition of capital punishment, and reforms in the state's correctional facilities.
     
On the personal side, Verda married a physician, Dr. Henry C. Welcome, in 1935. The union produced one daughter, whom Verda named Mary Sue Welcome.


For her many important achievements in the area of civil rights, this chalkboard champion was inducted into Maryland's Women's Hall of Fame in 1988. Verda was 83 years old when she passed away on April 22, 1990, in Baltimore.

John Antonetti: An Entertaining Presenter with Strategies for Engaging the Whole Child

All over the country these days teachers are being asked to attend inservices intended to prepare us for the upcoming shift to Common Core. Yesterday I enjoyed a quality presentation about this very them presented by educator John Antonetti. Throughout the entire day, this witty and entertaining speaker kept me on the edge of my seat. In The Learning Cube: Engaging the Whole Child, Every Child, we learned strategies for engaging our learners with sound, research-based instructional strategies firmly rooted in the Common Core Standards. For those of us who are struggling to understand, but eager to successfully meet, the challenges that Common Core presents, this presentation was a godsend.

John Antonetti was a first-class choice for a presenter. Not only is he amusing and engaging, he offers impressive credentials as well. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Master’s in Gifted Education, and a second Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. Previously, he was the director of K-12 curriculum in the Sheridan School District in Arkansas. He has also served as the supervisor of gifted programs in the eighteen districts of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative. For the past eight years, he has been a workshop presenter, developer, and trainer for processes such as classroom walk-throughs, assessment and instructional analysis, coaching, research-based best practices, and systemic writing programs. John is also the author of the book Writing as a Measure and Model of Thinking, and the co-author with Dr. Jim Garver of Focus on Learning: A Process for Personal and Collaborative Reflection.

I found it amazing that this gifted educator has taught at all grade levels, kindergarten through high school. This gives him a unique perspective on reaching students at all grade levels. But he also appears to have an innate ability to reach students at all ability levels as well. Anyone who has an opportunity to attend an inservice with John should jump at the opportunity.