Thank You Mrs. Satchell

Someone recently asked me how I got interested in teaching as a career and in American government and policy.  My memory instantly took me back to my seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher. Naomi Satchell was the first African- American teacher I had ever had.  She was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The year was 1960 and the students in Mrs. Satchell’s social studies classes at Beeber Jr. High School in Philadelphia were about to learn about the political process. That fall, America was getting ready for an important Presidential election that would pit Vice President Richard Nixon against Massachusetts Senator John Kennedy. Mrs. Satchell taught us about the election process and the Electoral College. She organized mock debates in our class. She encouraged us to make posters and pins for our favorite candidate. She even showed us how a voting machine worked. On Election Day, Mrs. Satchell gave each of us an outline map of the United States instructing us to go home and watch the election returns that evening and to color in each state as the results were tabulated. This was quite an exciting experience for me. At 11PM on election night my mom told me to get to bed, but for those of you who know about this election, the results were not final until the next day when the results from Illinois were made official. It turned out to be the closest election in US history.

I went on to take every history course I could in high school and majored in history in college. I graduated with a degree in social studies and education and started my professional career as a middle school social studies teacher, just like Mrs. Satchell. I also found myself volunteering for local political candidates and occasionally worked the polls as an election challenger. I don’t think that she ever knew what became of me or the fact that I went on to teach and advise future teachers at a state college in New Jersey. I owe the foundation of my career to Naomi Satchel. For those of you who are teachers or are considering teaching as a profession, here is a cautionary tale. You never know who will be sitting in your classroom or what positive impact you can have on a student’s future. You owe it to yourself to be your best and do your best every day.

“You can’t be a full participant in our democracy, if you don’t know our history.” David McCullough

c.2014 J. Margolis