Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

Elem teacher Kylie Altier named Louisiana’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year

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Kylie Altier, a first-grade teacher in Baton Rouge, has been named Louisiana’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Kylie Altier

It is always exciting when a member of our profession garners recognition for their outstanding work in the classroom. One of these colleagues is Kylie Altier, an elementary school teacher from Louisiana. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Kylie teaches first grade at McKinley Elementary School in Baton Rouge. To enrich her students’ educational experiences, Kylie has applied for and won more than $33,000 in grants. Using these funds, she built a classroom garden, complete with a mobile kitchen. She incorporated virtual reality headsets into her curriculum to boost experiential learning, and she designed an outdoor classroom for her school. “In first grade, the four walls of our classroom are not always the most developmentally appropriate space for children,” asserts Kylie. “I have dyslexia, so I find it important to find ways to make the learning experience personalized to kids’ needs,” she continues. To this end, the honored educator brings experts into her classroom, which has given her students opportunities to interview a New York Times bestselling author, perfect 10-scoring collegiate gymnasts, curators from the Museum of Natural Science, and more.

Kylie has been a leader at every campus she has been a part of, starting an extracurricular garden club, co-founding an after-school reading program where high schoolers mentored emerging readers, spearheading campus-wide reading intervention, and leading professional development.

Louisiana’s Teacher of the Year is not the only honor Kylie has earned for her professional efforts. In 2019, while teaching in Texas, she was named her region’s Teacher of the Year and Mentor Teacher of the Year.

Kylie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Florida State University in 2013. She earned her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Stephen F. Austin University in 2019.

Colby Burnett: Winner of Jeopardy Teachers’ Tournament Winner 2012

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There are many brilliant teachers working in many American schools, and each year the nation gets to meet several of them on the annual competition known as the “Teachers’ Tournament” featured on the game show Jeopardy. One such educator is Colby Burnett, who garnered first place in both the Jeopardy Teachers Tournament in 2012 and the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions in 2013.

Colby grew up in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. As a teen, he attended Fenwick High School, a prestigious private college preparatory school located in Oak Park, Illinois. Illustrious alumni of Fenwick include Illinois state senators Daniel Cronin and Chris Nybo, NASA astronaut Joseph Kerwin, author Philip Caputo, Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Twomey, Chicago Bears player Mike Rabold, Chicago White Sox player Mike Heathcott, and Olympic gold medalist Ken Sitzberger.

After his graduation from Fenwick, Colby enrolled in Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in both history and political science. Following his college graduation, Colby accepted a position as an Advanced Placement History teacher at his alma mater, Fenwick High School.

After Colby’s success on Jeopardy, he was honored by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, who designated December 18 as “Colby Burnett Day.” In his declaration, Governor Quinn described the talented teacher as, “a dedicated Illinois educator who demonstrated a passion for lifelong learning,” and said that Colby “has represented the State of Illinois admirably, and established himself as a role model to his students.”

Since 2017, Colby has worked as a College Counselor at ITW David Speer Academy in Chicago, Illinois. He also serves as the Scholastic Bowl Coach there.

You can read more about Colby’s Jeopardy win at this Huffington Post article, Colby Burnett Wins Jeopardy. You can also read the transcript of a Jeopardy interview of Colby at this link: J! Archive.com.

Dr. Stephanie Schoppert recognized as outstanding elementary Social Studies teacher

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Dr. Stephanie Schoppert of Calvert County, Maryland, was named the 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Council of Social Studies. The honor was followed by recognition by both the Maryland Senate and the State House of Delegates. Photo Credit: Dowell Elementary School

There are many fine educators working with our students. One of these is Dr. Stephanie Schoppert, an elementary school teacher in Calvert County, Maryland. In fact, she earned the coveted honor of 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year from the Maryland Council of Social Studies (MDCSS). The honor was followed by recognition from both the Maryland Senate and the State House of Delegates

Stephanie teaches fifth graders at Dowell Elementary School. Throughout her career, which spans more than 30 years, she has taught grades three through eight. She has been described as a lifelong learner, and her colleagues say she aspires to create the same passion for learning in her students. Stephanie believes that Social Studies education prepares our students for their future.

For her work with young people, Stephanie has been recognized as the Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Council of Social Studies (MDCSS). The recognition, declares Superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools Dr. Andrae Townsel, honors educators who are dedicated and committed to excellence and providing engaging social studies instruction for students. The honor was followed by recognition from both the Maryland Senate and the State House of Delegates.

The MDCSS is a nonprofit organization that works to build a community of social studies educators throughout the state of Maryland. Through this network, the organization advances cultural understanding, respect for human differences, and an appreciation of diversity. MDCSS provides high quality professional development and instructional resources for Maryland social studies teachers and works to recognize excellence in social studies instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

 

CA teacher Helen Agcaoili Brown founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library

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Helen Agcaoili Brown, a former third grade teacher in Los Angeles, California, founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library. Photo Credit: UCLA Alumni Association

Students in our country are so fortunate to have many talented Chalkboard Champions in our schools. One of these is Helen Agcaoili Brown, a California teacher who is the founder of the Filipino American Reading Room and Library.

Helen was born May 16, 1915, in Manila, the Philippines. Her family immigrated to the United States shortly after her graduation from Manila Central High School in 1934. As a young woman, Helen studied first at Pasadena City Junior College, and then at the University of California, Los Angeles. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education and her Master’s degree in Social Work.

After she earned her college degree, Helen accepted a position as a third grade teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California. Her career as a professional educator there spanned many years.

In 1985, Helen founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library, the first of its kind in the country. To enlarge the library’s collection, she donated her private library collection. She realized the value of the library she inherited from her father, and she worked diligently to build on it by collecting books, pamphlets, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and even the souvenir programs given out during the events of various Filipino organizations. She believed that nothing was too insignificant when it came to preserving the social history of Filipinos in the United States. In addition to founding the library, she also served as the facility’s librarian.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 25, 2011. She was 95 years old.

The Filipino American Library is located at 135 N. Park View St., Los Angeles, CA 90026. You can visit their website at Filipino Library.