you’re in good ompany … america’s teacherseducated in bolivia, where he taught mathematics and...

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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

presents …

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week,

by Roberta Stathis

http://www.grammargallery.org/

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You’re in Good Company… America’s Teachers

ince 1985, Americans have designated the first full

week of every May as Teacher Appreciation Week.

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.

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“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

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.

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“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 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.

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“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

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.”

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“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

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.”

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“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

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.

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“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

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.

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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

normal school day for the

educators, school staff

members, and 456 students enrolled

at Sandy Hook Elementary School in

Newton, Connecticut. Then, around

9:30 am, everything changed. Dawn

Hochsprung, the principal, and Mary

Sherlach, the school’s psychologist,

were meeting with some of the

school’s teaching staff when they

heard gunshots in the hall. They called

out, “Shooter! Stay put.” Their actions

saved others who were able to hide,

but the two women died at the scene.

The shooter went on to kill teachers

Lauren Rousseau and Rachel D’Avino

and 15 children in Rousseau’s class.

Then the shooter went to Victoria

Soto’s first grade class. She had hidden

many of the students and tried to

shield others with her body. Five of

her students were killed, but 11

survived. Anne Marie Murphy, who

was working with a special needs

student in the class, was also killed as

she tried to protect a student. Other

teachers and school staff took actions

that saved many lives that day. In a

span of less than five minutes, 156

shots were fired and six school staff

members and 20 children were killed.

In the aftermath, the parent of one of

the children killed wrote: “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.”

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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.

Think Critically


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Learn more about Grammar Gallery at www.grammargallery.org. Copyright ©2014 The Teacher Writing Center, a division of SG Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved.

This reading includes important academic vocabulary words.

Word Part of Speech Meaning(s) Used in Context Other Forms

periphery noun outside edge; border; not the mainstream

The players stood on the periphery of the field waiting for the game to start.

peripheral (adjective); peripherally (adverb)

to reflect verb 1) to think seriously; 2) to form an image or idea of; 3) to show the mirror image of; 4) to bring credit or discredit

1) After dinner, I reflected on how I had spent my day. 2) My views don’t reflect the views of everyone in my family. 3) I saw my image reflected in the window. 4) Your achievements reflect well on your family.

reflection, reflecting (nouns); reflective (adjective); reflectively (adverb)

urban adjective having to do with a city

San Francisco began as a small settlement, but it is now a large urban area.

urbanite (noun); urbane (adjective)

Academic Vocabulary Focus

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.


Your Knowledge Name: ______________________________ Date: ____________________

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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.


Your Knowledge Name: ______________________________ Date: ____________________

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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.


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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%2B4bu1i5QvLSuWDRe%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


http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/life_among_the_piutes/

http://www.macfound.org/fellows/389/

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/06/03marquezgreen.h33.html?tkn=MZLF%2B4bu1i5QvLSuWDRe%2FgmQ6LwzLZgPL%2BHC&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/09/06/03marquezgreen.h33.html?tkn=MZLF%2B4bu1i5QvLSuWDRe%2FgmQ6LwzLZgPL%2BHC&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1

http://www.perkins.org/vision-loss/helen-keller/sullivan.html

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0902.html

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=38909

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jaime-escalante31-2010mar31-story.html#page=1

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jaime-escalante31-2010mar31-story.html#page=1

you’re in good ompany … america’s teacherseducated in bolivia, where he taught mathematics and...

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