America's Teachers

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week,

presents …

You’re in Good Company … America’s Teachers

by Roberta Stathis

P a g e | 1 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. You’re in Good Company… America’s Teachers

ince 1985, Americans have designated the first full week of every May as Teacher Appreciation Week. S During this week, Americans honor and celebrate teachers who have made enduring contributions to society and the American way of life. Teachers have one of the most important jobs in the world and their job description is daunting. At a minimum, they must be smart, creative, kind, inspirational, encouraging, patient, caring, responsible, disciplined, organized, and able to solve problems, teach content, and instill a love for learning. Moreover, teachers accomplish all this in a “whitewater world” where change is the rule rather than the exception. Teachers are usually so busy planning, preparing, and presenting lessons that there is scarcely a moment to reflect on the job they love or to look around at all the other amazing teachers whose company they keep. This is a salute to America’s teachers past and present.

P a g e | 2 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. “I touch the future. I teach.” ~ Christa McAuliffe (September 2, 1948-January 28, 1986) Teacher-Astronaut on the Space Shuttle Challenger

hrista McAuliffe taught social studies to middle school and high school C students in Maryland and New Hampshire from 1970-1985. When Vice President George H.W. Bush announced McAuliffe’s selection for the NASA Teacher in Space Project, he described her as the “first citizen passenger in the history of space flight.” She had planned to keep a journal on the mission, which she called “the ultimate field trip,” and also teach several lessons from space. Millions of people, including students in schools throughout the United States, were excited to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. However, just 73 seconds after the launch, there was an explosion and the Challenger began to break apart. All seven astronauts, including Christa McAuliffe, were killed. Her spirit, courage, and love of teaching continue to inspire people today. Many schools, institutes, and educational centers have been named in her honor, and in 2004 she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

P a g e | 3 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. “My heart is singing for joy this morning! A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil's mind, and behold, all things are changed!” ~ Anne Sullivan (April 14, 1866-October 20, 1936) Helen Keller’s Teacher

nne Sullivan had a difficult, even tragic childhood, growing up as an orphan in A a house for the poor. She also lost her eyesight at a young age. However, when she was about 14 years old, she enrolled at the Perkins Institute, a school for the blind. There she learned to read and write using Braille, graduating at the top of her class in 1886. Shortly thereafter, she traveled to Alabama to begin teaching Helen Keller, a seven-year-old girl who was blind and deaf. At first, Sullivan used a traditional approach to teaching that focused on vocabulary she thought Helen should learn. She soon realized, though, that it was much more effective to teach vocabulary terms that reflected Helen’s interests. Anne Sullivan continues to be known as the remarkable teacher who helped Helen Keller find her voice, cultivate her intellect, and unleash her potential.

P a g e | 4 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. “I’ll teach you math.” Jaime Escalante (December 31, 1930-March 30, 2010) Mathematics Teacher at Garfield High School, East Los Angeles, California

aime Escalante was born and educated in Bolivia, where he J taught mathematics and physics. As a young man, he immigrated to the United States, not speaking any English. He worked hard to support himself doing odd jobs while learning the language of his new country and subsequently earning a degree from an American university. In 1974, he accepted a teaching position at Garfield High School, a school where the minority population was high and expectations were low. When 18 of the students in his calculus class passed the Advanced Placement Calculus exam, the testing service thought they had cheated. The students agreed to take the test again and all passed. His achievements were chronicled in a book called Escalante: The Best Teacher in America and in the movie Stand and Deliver. When asked the secret of his success, he said it was the result of “hard work for teacher and student alike.”

P a g e | 5 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. “We must keep the perspective that people are experts in their own lives.” Lisa Delpit (c. 1950 – present) Teacher and Recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Award

r. Lisa Delpit grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at a time when black and white children went to separate schools. Her father died at a young age D because black Americans did not have access to the same level of medical care as Americans. She graduated from an integrated Catholic high school and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, and later a doctorate. As a result of her life and classroom teaching experience in urban schools, she began to speak about the needs of children on the periphery of society— children who were being underserved in America’s public schools. Her ideas have been thought provoking and even controversial. She said, “Those with good intentions say they want to create an educational system that would be best for ‘my’ children, because what’s best for ‘my’ children will be best for everybody’s children. The difficulty is that all children don’t have exactly the same needs.”

P a g e | 6 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. “Someone has to tell children if they are behind, and lay out a plan of attack to help them catch up.” ~Rafe Esquith (1954 – present) Teacher and recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award

hile he’s not enamored of standardized tests, Rafe Esquith’s W fifth graders consistently ace them, scoring in the top 5-10%. After graduating from UCLA in 1981, Esquith began his elementary teaching career in the Los Angeles area schools. When he transferred to Hobart Boulevard Elementary School in the early 1980s, he found himself in a school with a population of 2,000 students, most of whom were from immigrant families. What they had in common was that they were poor and did not speak English as their home language. He was convinced, however, that his students at Hobart were as capable as any other students and he sets his expectations for them at a very high level. Believing that the best teachers “put themselves in the classroom,” he teaches topics that he’s passionate about, including Shakespeare and baseball. Every spring, his students perform one of Shakespeare’s plays. Their performances have garnered international acclaim. Among his awards are the Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award, Oprah Winfrey’s Use Your Life Award, and Disney’s National Outstanding Teacher of the Year award.

P a g e | 7 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. “Be kind both to bad and good, for you don’t know your own heart. This is the way my people teach their children.” ~Sarah Winnemucca (c. 1844- October 16, 1891) Teacher and Author of First Known Autobiography by a Native American Woman

arah Winnemucca, a member of the Piute tribe, was born in Nevada before the Civil War. As S more and more white settlers traveled through Nevada on their way west, Sarah learned about the culture and values of these people. She went to school for a short time and learned English. Later she learned Spanish. Having these language skills was very important because it meant she could serve as an interpreter for the military at camps in Nevada and Oregon. She also used her language abilities to speak out against corrupt white officials who abused Native Americans and disregarded their rights. She began to gain support among influential Americans for her cause and even had an audience with President Rutherford B. Hayes. She opened a school for Paiute children in Nevada, but it struggled because of lack of promised federal funding.

Rachel D’Avino, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Dawn Hochsprung, Victoria Soto, Mary Sherlach Sandy Hook Elementary School Educators

“When you Google ‘hero,’ there should be a picture of a principal, a school lunch worker, a custodian, a reading specialist, a teacher, or a bus monitor. Real heroes don’t wear capes. They work in America’s schools.” ~ Nelba Marquez-Greene, whose daughter was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012

ecember 14, 2012 began as a shield others with her body. Five of normal school day for the her students were killed, but 11 D educators, school staff survived. Anne Marie Murphy, who members, and 456 students enrolled was working with a special needs at Sandy Hook Elementary School in student in the class, was also killed as Newton, Connecticut. Then, around she tried to protect a student. Other 9:30 am, everything changed. Dawn teachers and school staff took actions Hochsprung, the principal, and Mary that saved many lives that day. In a Sherlach, the school’s psychologist, span of less than five minutes, 156 were meeting with some of the shots were fired and six school staff school’s teaching staff when they members and 20 children were killed. heard gunshots in the hall. They called In the aftermath, the parent of one of out, “Shooter! Stay put.” Their actions the children killed wrote: “When you saved others who were able to hide, Google ‘hero,’ there should be a but the two women died at the scene. picture of a principal, a school lunch The shooter went on to kill teachers worker, a custodian, a reading Lauren Rousseau and Rachel D’Avino specialist, a teacher, or a bus monitor. and 15 children in Rousseau’s class. Real heroes don’t wear capes. They Then the shooter went to Victoria work in America’s schools.” Soto’s first grade class. She had hidden many of the students and tried to

DISCUSS INFORMATION & IDEAS

1. What is the author’s view of teachers? Cite at least three sentences in the article that support your answer. 2. What qualities do teachers profiled in this article possess that make them good teachers?

OFFER CRITICAL ANALYSIS

3. What do you think are the three most important qualities a good teacher should have? Why are those qualities so important? 4. The author suggests that the teachers profiled in this article provide “good company.” What does that mean?

COLLABORATE & PRESENT

5. Make a brief presentation in which you share your ideas about what makes a good teacher and why good teachers are important in our society. Give reasons to support your position and use specific examples.

Academic Vocabulary Focus

This reading includes important academic vocabulary words.

Word Part of Speech Meaning(s) Used in Context Other Forms periphery noun outside edge; The players stood on the peripheral border; not the periphery of the field (adjective); mainstream waiting for the game to start. peripherally (adverb) to reflect verb 1) to think 1) After dinner, I reflected reflection, seriously; 2) to on how I had spent my day. reflecting form an image or 2) My views don’t reflect the (nouns); idea of; 3) to show views of everyone in my reflective the mirror image family. 3) I saw my image (adjective); of; 4) to bring reflected in the window. 4) reflectively credit or discredit Your achievements reflect (adverb) well on your family. urban adjective having to do with a San Francisco began as a urbanite (noun); city small settlement, but it is urbane now a large urban area. (adjective)

Identify a synonym for each of the words above. Then choose two other words from the reading. Complete a chart like the one above using those two words. Identify a synonym for each of the words you choose.

P a g e | 11 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved.  Your Knowledge Name: ______Date: ______

1. What does “enduring” mean in the following sentence? During this week, Americans honor and celebrate teachers who have made enduring contributions to society and the American way of life.

 temporary  lasting  significant

2. According to this article, which of the following is the best description of a teacher’s job?

 teachers plan, prepare, and present lessons and much more  teachers contribute to our way of life  teachers are honored members of society

3. What is the main reason why the author wrote this article?

 to describe the role of teachers  to provide information about teachers  to recognize the job teachers do

4. Christa McAuliffe said, “I touch the future. I teach.” What did she mean?

 that by going into space she was participating in the future of space travel  that by teaching young people she was influencing the world of the future  that by teaching through example she was offering a new future for education

5. Why do you think Anne Sullivan’s traditional approach to teaching vocabulary failed?

 It was not challenging enough for Helen Keller.  It was not what Helen Keller’s parents wanted her to learn.  It was not interesting to Helen Keller.

P a g e | 12 Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved.  Your Knowledge Name: ______Date: ______

6. When Jaime Escalante first arrived at Garfield High School, it was “a school where the minority population was high and expectations were low.” What does that mean?

 Most of students were from black or Hispanic families, and the teachers expected them to prepare for college.  Most of the students were on drugs, and the teachers expected them to get clean.  Most of the students were from black or Hispanic families, and the teachers didn’t think they could achieve very much.

7. From reading about Dr. Lisa Delpit, what can you infer was her reason for speaking about the needs of children on the periphery of society?

 She read about the needs of poor, minority students when she was in college.  She was a poor, minority student herself.  She learned about poor, minority students after she earned a doctorate.

8. Which of the following did Rafe Esquith do to help his students achieve academic success?

 set high expectations for them  performed one of Shakespeare’s plays  gave them standardized tests

9. How did Sarah Winnemucca use her education to help the Piute people?

 She served as an interpreter for the military.  She learned about the culture and values of the settlers.  She spoke out against the abuses of white officials.

10. Nelba Marquez-Greene said, “Real heroes don’t wear capes. They work in America’s schools.” What did she mean by that statement?

 Teachers are the real heroes, not comic book characters.  Comic book heroes wear capes and have super powers.  Teachers should wear capes to show they are heroes.

References

Canfield, G.W. (1988). Sarah Winnemucca of the northern Paiutes. University of Oklahoma Press. Delpit, L.D. (2006). Lessons from teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 220-231. _____, (2012). Multiplication is for white people: Raising expectations for other people's children. The New Press. Esquith, R. (2003) There are no shortcuts. Anchor Books. _____. (2007). Teach like your hair’s on fire. Penguin Books. _____. (2013). Real talk for real teachers: Advice for teachers from rookies to veterans. Viking. Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. Wiley. Herrmann, D. (1998). Helen Keller: A life. Alfred A. Knopf. Hopkins, S.W. (1883). Life among the Piutes: Their wrongs and claims. Retrieved from http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/life_among_the_piutes/ MacArthur Foundation Fellows Program. Retrieved from http://www.macfound.org/fellows/389/ Marquez-Greene, N. (September 6, 2013). A Sandy Hook parent’s letter to teachers. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/06/03marquezgreen.h33.html?tkn=MZLF%2B4bu1i5QvLSu WDRe%2FgmQ6LwzLZgPL%2BHC&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1 Mathews, J. (1988). Escalante: The best teacher in America. Henry Holt & Co. McGinnity, B.L, J Seymour-Ford, and K.J Andries. (2004). Anne Sullivan. Perkins School for the Blind. Retrieved from: http://www.perkins.org/vision-loss/helen-keller/sullivan.html. New York Times. (January 29, 1986). The shuttle explosion, the seven who perished in the explosion of the Challenger. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0902.html Ontko, G. (1997). Thunder over the Ochoco. Maverick Publications. The American Presidency Project. (1985). Remarks of the vice president announcing the winner of the teacher in space project. Retrieved from http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=38909 Valli, L. (1995). The dilemma of race: Learning to be color blind and color conscious. Journal of Teacher Education, 16(3), 120-129. Washington Post. (March 2, 2009). Better teachers, not tinier classes, should be goal. Woo, E.M. (March 31, 2010). Jaime Escalante dies at 79; math teacher who challenged East L.A. students to “Stand and Deliver.” Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la- me-jaime-escalante31-2010mar31-story.html#page=1