Teachers

A Delaware County teacher has been charged with furnishing alcohol to two of her students. State Police arrested Katherine Leigh Preusser, 33, an English teacher at Ridley High School, on March 23, after a car in which she was a passenger was pulled over and open beer cans were found inside. Two students were in the car at the time, one of them driving, officials said. Preusser was charged with corruption of minors, furnishing alcohol to minors, drug possession, and other related crimes.

The Washington Township school board and teachers' union are mired in a nearly three-year-long contract dispute, with no signs of reconciliation. The teachers, represented by the 850-member Washington Township Education Association, say the Board of Education is sitting on a pool of untapped money accrued through reduced payroll and budget surpluses, even as their paychecks have shrunk because they are contributing more to their health insurance plans. But the board says that money must be budgeted for programs like Advanced Placement classes and state-mandated programs.

ERLENE BASS NELSON taught kindergarten in the Philadelphia School District for 51 years, and there was no doubt that she enjoyed every minute of it for one, simple reason: She loved the children. Children, she once said, "are spontaneous, they're loving, they're forgiving - and every day I had an injection of pure love into my soul and into my heart. " Spending all that time in a school district that was often short of money and afflicted with labor problems, violence and other woes.

As the Christie administration's new regulations for teacher evaluations near a critical juncture, the prime author of the landmark tenure-reform law behind the proposed rules said the administration may be moving too aggressively in some places. State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D., Essex), the legislator most credited for the new tenure law, said Thursday in some of her first public comments on the regulations that the administration's plans to base 35 percent of certain teachers' evaluations on state test scores starting next year may be too ambitious.

Dr. Erlene Bass Nelson, 83, of East Falls, an acclaimed teacher who taught kindergarten classes for five decades and later taught parenting skills to adults, died Sunday, March 24, of cancer at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse. In 2010, Dr. Nelson, by then retired, received one of her profession's top honors when she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Dr. Nelson was only the fourth teacher from Pennsylvania to receive that honor. The Hall of Fame, in Emporia, Kan., annually honors five teachers in the United States who have demonstrated commitment and dedication to educating children.

Parents of nine freshmen at Cherry Hill High School East say an English teacher has been harassing and bullying their children, in part by making racially charged remarks. District officials say they are investigating the allegations by the parents, who have submitted a complaint to school officials accusing Kimberly Real of creating a hostile educational environment. During one vocabulary lesson in February, the parents allege, Real said to students, "What's so bizarre about a black man going to jail?"

The Washington Township Board of Education is considering cutting two or three physical education teaching positions and reducing the number of days it offers gym classes to high school students, in an effort to manage costs. About 50 teachers went to Monday's school board meeting to protest the plan. They said the proposal would adversely affect at-risk and struggling students and increase already large class sizes. Most high school students take physical education four days a week and have a science lab the fifth day. That day, teachers said, is important for students who need more attention.

Jenny Roca sat with her legs dangling off the stage as she urged 300 educators to close their eyes, clear their minds, and pay attention to their bodies. In the span of minutes, the teacher from Arise Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia hoped, those attending a summit Monday on the impact of poverty and violence on children's ability to learn would better understand how the body is stimulated and reacts. Children can learn to recognize physiological changes to fear, anger, or other emotions, Roca said.