Dr. Maggie George: Teacher and expert on Native American education

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Native American educator Dr. Maggie George worked as a K-12 teacher and counselor for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and contract schools in New Mexico. Photo credit: Achieving the Dream.org

There are many talented educators who serve as superb role models for Native American students. One of these is Maggie George from Arizona, a member of the Navajo Nation.

Maggie was born into the Tachii’nii clan, born for the Naakaii Dine clan in Red Valley, Arizona. Her father was a traditional practitioner and her mother was a homemaker. Maggie was raised in the traditional pastoral Navajo ways, raising livestock and living off the land.

As a youngster, Maggie attended a public school and a boarding school on the Navajo Reservation. “I grew up in an era when it was a challenge to be an Indian, and only one of my teachers was Navajo,” Maggie once confided. “I decided in junior high that I wanted to change that and teach Navajo children. Knowing who I was as a Navajo person — and being grounded in my identity, language and culture — helped me have confidence, competence and persistence,” she declared.

To achieve this goal, Maggie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1980 and her Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling in 1989, both from the New Mexico Highlands University School of Education. Later she earned a PhD in Higher Education Policy and Leadership from the University of Kansas.

Once Maggie earned her degrees, she worked as a K-12 educator and counselor for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and contract schools in New Mexico. After her skill as an educator became well-known, Maggie was selected to serve as the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities. She also served as the Deputy Director of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. In addition, she was a member of the faculty and then the Dean of the School of Education at Haskell Indian Nations University. The former classroom teacher also served as the Dean and Academic Vice President of Dine College in Tsaile, Arizona, from 2000 to 2005. From 2011 to 2016 Maggie served as the college’s President. There she inaugurated a program of academic affairs and Indian education for the New Mexico Higher Education Department. For her work in the field of education, Maggie garnered a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship.

Since 2016, Maggie has been the owner and operator of the education consulting firm, Indigenous Research Associates, and a leadership coach for Achieving the Dream.

To learn more about Maggie’s consulting firm, click on Achieving the Dream. For her work in the field of education, Maggie garnered a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this article about her work at Dine College.

Caroline Boa Henderson: Teacher and Dust Bowl chronicler Posted on June 11, 2020

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High school English and Latin teacher Caroline Boa Henderson chronicled her experiences in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Photo credit: Mt. Holyoke College

I love to share intriguing stories of dedicated educators who exhibit talents in arenas outside of the classroom. This one is about Caroline Boa Henderson, a high school English and Latin teacher who is also celebrated as an author of her personal Dust Bowl survival story.

Caroline Boa was born on April 7, 1877, in Wisconsin, the eldest daughter of affluent farmers. Even as a young girl, Caroline dreamed of someday owning a piece of land she could call her own.

After her high school graduation, Caroline attended Mt. Holyoke College, where she earned her degree in Languages and Literature in 1901. The new graduate accepted her first teaching position in Red Oak, Iowa, where she taught high school English and Latin from 1901 to 1903. She then taught in Des Moines, Iowa, until 1907. Then, in pursuit of her childhood dream, Caroline relocated to Texas County, Oklahoma, where she staked out a homestead claim on a quarter section of land and moved into a one-room shack which she christened her castle. There she accepted a teaching position in the local school.

In 1908, Caroline married named Bill Henderson, a Texas County farmer. The couple established a farm in nearby Eva, Oklahoma. The following year, Caroline gave birth to a daughter they named Eleanor. When Eleanor came of age, the youngster enrolled at the University of Kansas, where she eventually completed her Bachelor’s degree. In order to help pay for Eleanor’s education, Caroline relocated to Lawrence, Kansas, where the two women shared an apartment while Caroline taught school part-time. During this period, Caroline also enrolled in graduate courses in English at the University of Kansas. In 1935, she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree.

During the years from 1931-1937, at the height of the Dust Bowl, Caroline published a series of letters and articles in the prestigious magazine Atlantic Monthly. These letters and articles chronicled the grueling conditions faced by farmers who elected to remain on their farms during the severe conditions presented by the Dust Bowl drought, as harsh a natural disaster as any our nation has seen, even in recent years. She also included descriptions of daily life on her own farm, including her experiences with housekeeping, canning, cooking, tending her vegetable and flower gardens, ironing, and caring for her chickens. Her letters and articles earned her a national following, and were included in a PBS special on the Dust Bowl created by Ken Burns in 2012. To read some excerpts from these published pieces, click on the link Letters from the Dust Bowl.

This very amazing teacher and talented author passed away on August 4, 1966, in Phoenix, Arizona.

NYC teacher Ian Weissman garners 2026 Flag Award for Teaching Excellence

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New York City teacher Ian Weissman has earned a 2026 Flag Award for Teaching Excellence. Photo credit: Flag Award

There are many excellent educators who work in New York City’s public schools. Occasionally, one of them earns recognition for their outstanding work. One of these is Ian Weissman, a high school Social Studies teacher who has garnered a 2026 FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence.

Ian teaches courses in history and civics that incorporate the use of AI  technology and performance. For example, he has organized an immersive project that requires his students to design and present their own political party through campaign materials and conventions. In another unit, he has used AI tools to create interactive historical simulations which require students to interview historical figures of the Berlin Conference of 1884.

Within the educational community, Ian leads professional development about AI integration and mastery-based grading. As part of the Manhattan High Schools AI Fellows initiative and the Modern Classrooms Project, he contributes to conversations about responsible use of AI, including innovative instructional practices throughout New York City schools.

In addition to the courses he teaches, Ian advises the school’s Guitar Club and the Jewish Student Group. He is also an advisor for the American Exchange Project, helping students participate in cross-country exchange experiences. And as if all that were not enough, he also serves as a Teacher-Leader for the school’s Equity Team.

The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes and celebrates exemplary public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. One grand-prize winner from each of the five NYC boroughs plus one 3K-5th grade teacher from any borough will receive a $25,000 cash prize, and each finalist receives $10,000. In addition, the school of each winning teacher receives $10,000, and each finalist’s school receives $5,000 to be used for arts-based initiatives designed by each winner.

 

GA educator Maretta Mitchell Taylor served as a community activist and capable politician

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Classroom teacher and community activist Maretta Mitchell Taylor served 12 years in Georgia State House of Representatives. Photo credit: CourierNews.org

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to serve as community activists and capable politicians. One of these is Maretta Mitchell Taylor of Georgia.

Maretta was born on Jan. 25, 1935. As a youngster, she was educated in the Muscogee County School System, where she was known to be an excellent student.  As a teenager, she attended William Henry Spencer High School, where she graduated in 1953. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Albany State College located in Albany, Georgia, in 1957. She earned her Master’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington.

This amazing educator worked as a teacher and media specialist for 30 years, the last 20 of them spent at her high school alma mater. She retired from teaching in 1987.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Maretta was elected to the Georgia House of representatives on the Democratic tickets. She served in that body from 1990 to 2002. In fact, she was the first African American woman elected to represent Georgia House District 94 (now District 134).

While in the House, Maretta championed public education, youth advocacy, and civic equity. Gov. Roy Barnes appointed her to a special House study panel on the role of information technology in public libraries and technical institutes. She also served as Vice Chair of the House Education Committee and sat on the Committees for Children and Youth; Special Judiciary; and Intergovernmental Coordination. Within the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and Women’s Legislative Caucus, she held key leadership roles, including first as the Secretary and then as the Co-Chair.

She also served as a board member for the YMCA and held leadership roles in more than two dozen civic, social, and philanthropic organizations, including the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Columbus Urban League, and the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NANBPWC), where she served as National Director of Communication.

For her service to the community, Maretta garnered many accolades and honors. She was named one Fifty Most Influential African Americans in Columbus from the A.J. McClung YMCA; the Leadership 2000 Award from the Kellogg Company; the Legacy of Leadership Award; Outstanding Legislator of the Year—2000 from the Professional Association of Georgia Educators; and the Sojourner Truth Award  from NANB & PW Clubs, Inc.. She also earned The Rosa Parks Award from Columbus PUSH; Woman of Achievement from Concharity Council of Girl Scouts, Inc.; and Woman of the Year from Columbus Chattahoochee Valley B&PW Clubs) Gracious Ladies of Georgia.

Maretta Mitchell Taylor was certainly a Chalkboard Champion. Sadly, she passed away in Columbus, Georgia, on Feb. 17, 2013. She was 78 years old. She was interred at Green Acres Cemetery.