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.

Pres. Obama visits South Shore pre-kindergarten classroom

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President Barack Obama visited a pre-kindergarten class in South Shore, Illinois, on Dec. 12, 2023. He read a book to the children, and then distributed toys and winter accessories to each child. Photo credit: Chicago Sun Times

A Chalkboard Champion can appear in many forms. To about 20 children in a pre-kindergarten class in South Shore, Illinois, he appeared in the form of President Barack Obama!

The former president was smiling as he entered the classroom at Parkside Community Academy, located at 6938 S. East End Ave. in South Shore, a suburb of Chicago. He smiled and greeted the children as he entered the room—wearing a Santa cap and hauling a red sack full of gifts slung over his shoulder. Obama made the surprise holiday visit just before winter break as a way of spreading holiday cheer in the community.

Obama has always been a huge supporter of public education. In fact, he has experience as a former college professor. So he shared his passion for learning by first reading a holiday story to the children. His selection? Santa’s Gotta Go by Derrick Barnes. As he read, he cracked jokes that made the children and the teachers laugh. “He called Mrs. Claus babe!” Obama quipped after reading a portion of the book. After he concluded the reading, he distributed toys and winter accessories to each student in the classroom.

“For him to take the time to come here out of his busy schedule to read a book, it just shows that he is still a leader,” asserted teacher Debra Gardner, who has taught at Parkside for nearly three decades.

Fifth grade teacher Ashley Barrett agreed. “I just thought it was so great that they were able to listen to a story from him, and they were interactive,” she said. “When they grow up, they can do something great [like] be a president.”

The visitation occurred on Tues., Dec. 12, 2023.

Connecticut teacher Miguel Cardona now serves as US Secretary of Education

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Former Connecticut elementary teacher Miguel Cardona now serves as the US  Secretary of Education. Photo credit: Hop, Skip, Drive

Many excellent educators also make excellent politicians. One of these is Miguel Cardona, an elementary school teacher from Connecticut who is currently serving as United States Secretary of Education.

Miguel describes his Hispanic heritage as “half Guatemalan and half Portuguese.” As a child growing up in the Projects in Connecticut, he spoke only Spanish, which gave him a unique insight into the experience of students who identify as “English language learners” across the country today.

Miguel earned his Bachelor’s degree at Central Connecticut State University in 1997. He earned his Master’s degree in Bilingual/Bi-Cultural Education from the University of Connecticut, and in 2011 he earned his PhD in Education from the same institution. In addition, he completed the requirements for a certificate in the Executive Leadership Program.

Miguel inaugurated his career as a fourth grade teacher at Israel Putnam Elementary School in Meriden, Connecticut. By 2003, when he was only 28 years old, he was named the principal of Hanover School, also located in Meriden. He was the youngest principal serving in the state. In 2012, Miguel garnered the 2012 National Distinguished Principal Award for his state and the Outstanding Administrator Award from the University of Connecticut’s NEAG School of Education. He’s also a published author. He has published several articles in such prestigious publications as the AASPA Perspective, the National School Boards Association, District Administration, and the Scholars Strategy Network.

From 2015 to 2019, Miguel served as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in his home town. He also worked worked as an Adjunct Professor of Education in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut. In August 2019, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont appointed Cardona as the state’s Commissioner of Education, the first Latino to ever serve in the position.

President Joe Biden nominated the former elementary school teacher for the post of US Secretary of Education, and a coveted seat in the President’s Cabinet. On March 1, 2021, Miguel Cardona was confirmed to the post. He was sworn into office the next day by Vice President Kamala Harris.

To read more about Miguel Cardona, click on this link to Hop, Skip, Drive.

 

Deaf Education teacher Dana Miles named Washington State’s 2023 Teacher of the Year

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Deaf Education teacher Dana Miles has been named Washington State’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: League of Education Voters Foundation

It is always a pleasure to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for her work in the classroom. One of these is Dana Miles, a secondary teacher who has been named the 2023 Washington State Teacher of the Year.

As an educator, Dana is a “jack of all trades.” She teaches English, Applied Bi-lingual Language Arts (BLA), Work Experience, Special Education, Consumer Math, and Homeroom Advisory to grades 9 –12 at the Washington School for the Deaf (WSD) in Vancouver, Washington. In her classroom, Dana works on helping her students become bi-lingual in American Sign Language and English, and to become career proficient and life ready. When developing curriculum, Dana employs real-world scenarios—such as resume writing, finding independent housing, and navigating transportation system—to help her students become confident adults and achieve work success so they can live independently. She works tirelessly to equip her students for the real world by teaching them to advocate for themselves, and she strives to build a more inclusive society by expanding community partnerships and work opportunities.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Dana is also a member of a statewide transition committee with the outreach team of the Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth. The team develops learning materials for deaf and hard of hearing students across the state. Dana says she was inspired to become a teacher in the program as a result of her own experiences as a second-generation deaf educator. Her parents were both deaf educators, and they were careful to provide her with a language-rich environment in American Sign Language and English.

Dana is, herself, a former student of the high school where she now teaches. She graduated from WSD in 1993. After her high school graduation, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and English from Gallaudet University in 1998. She earned her Master’s degree in Deaf Education from the same university in 2000. Gallaudet University, founded in 1864, is a private, federally-chartered university located in Washington, DC. The institution provides quality education for deaf and hard of hearing students.

 

Nominate a Chalkboard Champion for this blog

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There are so many talented educators out there that by myself I cannot possibly find out about them all. How about some help? Do you know a remarkable teacher? Someone everyone looks up to: students, parents, and administrators alike? Someone who serves as a model for the profession? A true Chalkboard Champion? This teacher could be someone who is already retired, or even someone from history that you admire.

You can nominate that educator to be the subject of a blog post on this web site. Simply use the contact form to send me the name of your nominee, the email information for the teacher you would like to nominate, and maybe a couple of sentences about why you are nominating them. I’ll do the rest!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Deelah Jackson named a finalist for 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year

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Exceptional educator Deelah Jackson of Manatee County, Florida, has been named one of five finalists for her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Florida Department of Education

There is a classroom of fourth grade students at Samoset Elementary School in Manatee County, Florida, that are fortunate to have Deelah Jackson as their teacher. This exceptional educator engages her students with high-quality lesson plans, and incorporates singing and movement into her curriculum. And she is especially passionate about teaching math.

Deelah has worked at Samoset Elementary since 2015. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she is a member of the Samoset School Advisory Council, and the school’s emergency response team. She is also the Site Director for the Extended Day Enrichment Program (EDEP) and helps coach the school’s VEX Robotics competition team.

Deelah originally hails from Indiana. After graduating from high school, she first attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, on a scholarship. However, she completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. After earning her degree in 1995, she worked with at-risk youth

For her work in the classroom, Deelah has been named one of five finalists for 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year. The other four finalists were Jennifer Jaso, a social studies teacher at Sarasota Middle School in Sarasota County; Melissa Matz, a seventh-grade math teacher at Lakeside Junior High School in Clay County; Trinity Whittington, a fourth-grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Bell Elementary School in Gilchrist County; and Seema Naik, a fourth-grade teacher at Eagle Ridge Elementary School in Broward County.

Congratulations, Deelah!