Chalkboard books make inspirational summer reading

Posted on by
Reply

As you know, I love to share stories about outstanding teachers. There are so many phenomenal stories to be told! I believe that teachers represent the best our country has to offer, and, as a group, they are among the most dedicated, hardworking, and talented people anyone can know.

During this summer vacation, you may be interested in reading stories about some of these wonderful teachers. I have included 12 of them in my book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students. I shared 12 more stories in my second book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds Valor. The educators included in these volumes were not only talented teachers, but they were also pioneers, trailblazers, and social reformers influential in America’s history. Both books are available online Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

It fills me with joy to be able to share the stories of just a few of the amazing individuals who have made such significant contributions to the lives of so many. And it fills me with pride to know that, every day, talented educators all over the country are making significant contributions to the lives of their students.

Happy summer reading to all!

Marzell’s Unleashed! makes good summer reading

Posted on by
Reply

Summer vacation is a terrific time to relax and leisure read a pleasant book. I suggest my first fiction book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, which is now available in both paperback and ebook versions from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. This is my first novel for young people. But the volume has also garnered praise from adults who have read it and loved it! This book makes great summer reading!

In the book, I have created a charming cast of animal characters and their human companions who live in or visit the local dog park. Each event which takes place holds an essential message about kindness, community, inclusion, and personal responsibility. There are also messages about anti-bullying and anti-prejudice.

In addition, the narrative includes commentary about how young people can appreciate nature, even if they live in a suburban environment. I explore themes related to the migratory patterns of Canada geese, the natural instincts of the animal characters, and the progression of the seasons.

The dog park described in the novel, Vila Borba, really exists! It is located not far from my home in Chino Hills, California. And depicted on the cover of the book are two of my very own pets. The little white terrier mix on the front cover is Kurby, whose rescue story is described in Chapter 4. (In the book the Kurby character is named Bowser.) The elegant black and white tuxedo pictured on the back cover is my own ladycat, Licorice.

This 156-page book would make a terrific book for you and your students to read. If you have already purchased the book, thank you so much! I hope you would consider writing a favorable review of the story on amazon.

Happy summer reading!

Elem teacher Ashley Barefoot named Mississippi’s State Teacher of the Year

Posted on by
Reply

Elementary teacher Ashley Barefoot of Mississippi has been named her state’s 2025-2026 teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Mississippi Association for Gifted Children

Every year, an outstanding educator from each state is named that state’s Teacher of the Year. This year, Ashley Barefoot, an elementary public school teacher, is serving as Mississippi’s honoree.

Ashley teaches at Longleaf Elementary School in the Lamar County School District in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In her classroom, she designs curriculum that facilitates discovery opportunities and teaches her students skills need to become lifelong learners. She develops lessons on how to write computer code, how to read and write in Braille, and how to solve Rubik’s cubes. In addition, she conducts school-wide service projects that honor veterans and military families.

“I want my students learning something new every week—whether it’s a concept, a strategy, or a way of thinking about the world,” declares Ashley. “We mix logic puzzles and challenges with open-ended projects that promote a growth mindset, creativity, and perseverance,” she continues.

In addition to her work with elementary students, Ashley has led professional development in Gifted Education at statewide workshops. She has also been involved in developing materials for Teaching with Primary Sources, and she has served as an online course facilitator for the Right Question Institute.

In 2000, Ashely earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Southern Mississippi. While there, she studied in England for one year and backpacked around Europe for two summers. After earning her degree, she served in an after-school program as a member of AmeriCorps VISTA, and that’s where she discovered her passion for the teaching profession. Later Ashley her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from William Carey University, and she is also National Board Certified. Her career as a classroom educator spans 23 years, and she has taught Gifted Education for the last 19 of them.

As a lifelong learner, Ashely was named a National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks Scholar. As part of this program, she visited Walden Pond while reading Thoreau; dug into archaeology and American Indian culture in Mesa Verde National Park; explored the concept of wilderness in the Adirondack Mountains; and studied the civil rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi. Furthermore, she analyzed environmental history in Boulder, Colorado with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in 2013; served as an Earthwatch Teach Earth Fellow in Costa Rica in 2010; and spent a month backpacking in the Olympic Mountains with the National Outdoor Leadership School in 2009.

To learn more about Ashley Barefoot, click on this link to her personal website.

 

Gussie Nell Davis of Texas: Trailblazing PE teacher and drill team coach

Posted on by
Reply

Physical education teacher and drill team coach Gussie Davis from Texas has been credited with creating a “living art form.” Photo credit: Kilgore College Rangerettes

Every once in awhile I come across the story of a pioneering teacher that I feel I simply must share. One of them is Gussie Nell Davis, a physical education teacher and drill team coach from Texas who is credited for creating a “living art form.”

Gussie was born in Farmersville, Texas, on Nov. 4 1906. As a child she was trained to be a concert pianist. However, after she began her education at the College of Industrial Arts, now known as Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, she changed her major to physical education. Later she earned a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California.

Gussie inaugurated her career as an educator at Greenville High School in Greenville, Texas, in 1928. There she worked as a physical education teacher and pep squad direction. During her tenure there, she developed the first “dancing” pep squad in 1929.

Because of her success at Greenville, Gussie was hired to develop a similar program at Kilgore College in 1939. She developed a dancing drill team known as the Kilgore College Rangerettes, and established a performance genre that has served as a model for drill teams around the nation.

During Gussie’s 40 years as Director of the Rangerettes, her team traveled all over the country and internationally, representing Texas and the United States in South America, the Far East, Europe, and elsewhere around the world. The Rangerettes have been featured at numerous football bowl games across the nation, on national television, in movies, and on hundreds of magazine covers.

For this trailblazing work, Gussie earned many honors. She was named Honorary Citizen of Fort Worth in 1965. She received the International Citizen Citizenship Award in 1969, the Cotton Bowl Association 25th Anniversary Participation Award in 1974, a State of Texas House of Representatives Certificate of Citation, and a Distinguished Alumnae of Texas Woman’s University in 1978. She was also inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1996 she was named posthumously to the TDDTEA Texas Drill Team Hall of Fame, and in 1999, she was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. Kilgore College named the Rangerette Residence on their campus in her honor.

Gussie Nell Davis retired in 1979. She passed away Dec. 20, 1993, from respiratory complications. She was interred in Farmersville Cemetery in Texas.

To learn more about this trailblazing educator and coach, click on this link to the Kilgore College Rangerettes.

 

Trailblazing teacher Mildred Crump was also a politician and community activist

Posted on by
Reply

Trailblazing educator Mildred Crumples was also a politician and community activist. Photo credit: Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance

Many excellent school teachers not only dedicate their efforts towards their students, but also work tirelessly to improve the lives of others in their community. This is the case with Mildred Crump, a trailblazing teacher who also devoted her considerable energy to her community as a community activist.

Mildred was born in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 3, 1938, the daughter of a union organizer. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University. There she was named the recipient of the David D. McKenzie Honor Society Award as the “Most Outstanding Female Student for Leadership and Scholarship.” Later Mildred earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University located in Newark, New Jersey.

Mildred inaugurated her career as an educator in Detroit. She became the first African American to teach Braille there. In 1965, Mildred relocated to Newark, New Jersey, where she became the first African American teacher of Braille in the state. For many years, Mildred worked as a teacher and consultant with the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Her career as an educator spanned 42 years.

Mildred also contributed to her community through public office. She was elected Newark’s first African-American Councilwoman in 1994, the first African American to serve on the Council in the city’s 336-year history. She served in this role until 2021.

A longtime community activist, Mildred was a tireless advocate for women, children, senior citizens, the disabled, working families and others in need. She served as the president and a member of the Board of Trustees for Integrity House, Inc.; Vice Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Bridge to Recovery; and a charter member of the African American Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. As an advocate for women’s empowerment, she presented workshops on women’s issues throughout the United States, and in many international countries, including China, Ghana, and Nigeria. She was also a founding member of the New Jersey Coalition of 100 Black Women, and a Golden Heritage Life Member of the Newark Branch of the NAACP.

For her work as an educator, politician, and community activist, Mildred garnered many awards. She earned the Susan Burgess Memorial Award for Exemplary Leadership from the National Democratic Municipal Officials. She also received the Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. In 2020, she was inducted into the New Jersey State League of Municipalities Hall of Fame.

Mildred Crump passed away on Dec. 1, 2024, at the age of 86. She is interred at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield, New Jersey. To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to Rutgers.