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.

Georgia educator Venola Mason publishes instructional strategies

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Former classroom teacher Venola Mason’s book Teach Up! offers resources that demonstrate the importance of positive relationships between teachers and students and the value of high expectations. Photo credit: Venola Mason

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to share best practices to help students excel. Some of them even publish books offering proven strategies. One of these is Venola Mason, a former elementary school teacher who wrote the inspirational book Teach Up! Empowering Educators through Relationships, Rigor, and Relevance.

Venola’s book offers information and resources that demonstrate the importance of positive relationships between teachers and students, and the value of high academic expectations. The volume also explores issues related to social and emotional learning, the impact of childhood trauma, and the influence of the classroom environment. In addition, the book presents best practices and step-by-step procedures that can be used in any classroom, for any subject, and at any grade level to increase critical thinking skills through authentic learning experiences. Teach Up!  was published in 2021 and is available on amazon.

This remarkable educator has a wealth of experience to back up the strategies she presents in her book. She  taught fourth grade in Atlanta Public Schools for five years, between 2003 and 2005. She has also served as the Director of Alternative Certification in the Teach for America Program. Currently, she is an Associate Partner for the International Center for Leadership in Education. She has spent 12 years with the company.

“My love for learning blossomed as a small child playing ‘school’ with my older brother and younger sister in the East End of Louisville, Kentucky,” recalls Venola. “With limited opportunities in our community, my mom, determined to offer a better life to her children, moved our family to Los Angeles, California when I was eight years old,” she continues. “She worked hard as a certified nursing assistant caring for elderly patients. She didn’t make a lot of money or have any fancy degrees, but she taught me the importance of working hard, caring for others, and not being afraid to take chances in life,” the educator says. And it is these values that inspired Venola to inspire others to excel in their educational endeavors, too.

Venola earned her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in 2001. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Technology from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, in 2009.

Ohio teacher Tim Ward shows off creative winter door display

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The creativity of Coshocton Elementary School teacher Tim Ward is evident in this winter door display depicting the Elf on the Shelf. The educator is even passing out cookies! Tim teaches sixth grade. Photo credit: Coshocton Beacon Today

This is the time of year when innovative teachers everywhere are displaying creative winter season displays on their classroom doors.

For example, the creativity of educator Tim Ward is evident in this winter door display depicting the Elf on the Shelf. The fun-loving educator  even passed out cookies! Tim teaches sixth grade at Coshocton Elementary School in Coshocton, Ohio.

“Building a positive culture and a positive climate was our main focus,” remarked Assistant Principal Tony Meiser. “Once someone saw what one teacher did, the next would step it up to try to out-do them. But it was all about the common theme of positivity and the spirit of Christmas,” he continued.

Megan Crook, the campus Literacy Coach, explained that the school-wide door decorating contest came from some of the school’s teachers who participated in a book club. The group they talked about encouraging an activity that would build a positive school culture.

Some teachers worked books their students have been reading into their door decorating themes, and others developed displays that reflected the subjects they teach. Others tried to play on specific themes they thought the judges would like. For the sixth graders, it certainly looked like the effort panned out!

 

Pakistan’s Sister Zeph garners prestigious Global Teaching Prize

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Congratulations are due to Sister Zeph, a teacher and community leader in  Pakistan. It was announced last month that she has garnered the prestigious Global Teacher Prize for 2023. Sister Zeph was selected from ten very deserving finalists from around the globe.

The award is presented annually to an exceptional educator who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. The prize, created in collaboration with UNESCO, comes with a $1 million purse. But the award is not just about the monetary reward; it’s about instilling pride, dignity, and value in a profession that plays a vital role in influencing the future of our societies. The prize champions the crucial significance of educators and their contributions towards a better, more informed, and enlightened world. To learn more, click on this link to Global Teacher Prize.

As the winner of this year’s prize, Sister Zeph is highly qualified. For 26 years she has been educating young people in her community, mostly at her own expense. She became interested in teaching when, as a 13-year-old, she became dismayed that education was not a priority in her community. In response, Sister Zeph founded her own school for underprivileged children in her own home, even though she was so young. According to the Global Teacher Prize website, she worked eight hours a day to earn the money to fund the school, then taught students for another four hours, and then stayed up at night to teach herself. Today, her school provides free education for more than 250 underprivileged children. She also runs self-defense classes for girls and established a vocational center that has helped over 6000 women gain skills in information communication technology, textiles, and the English language.

Sister Zeph’s dedication to education and empowerment has touched countless lives and earned her numerous awards. She is recognized as a true change-maker and advocate for women’s rights and children’s education around the world.

View the short YouTube video above to learn more about Sister Zeph’s inspirational story.

Retired teacher Winona Mullis served in US Navy during WWII

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On Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, I am reminded that many educators are also veterans. For example, retired teacher Winona Mullis served her country as a WAVE in the US Navy during World War II. Photo credit: USNI News

During those days when our nation is honoring our veterans—days like today, when we observe National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day—I am reminded that many classroom teachers have also served our country in the military. One of these is Winona Mullins, a 100-year-old retired teacher who is also a veteran of World War II.

Winona grew up in Seward, Pennsylvania, but she was a freshman in college at Indiana State Teachers College when Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7,1941. The unprovoked attack resulted in the US entry in World War II. When the young woman returned home for summer break, typists and stenographers were in great demand, and Winona was one among many who answered the call.

In 1943, the college co-ed joined the US Navy as a member of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). There she trained as a codebreaker at IBM headquarters in New York City. For the next 27 months, Winona served her country as a Specialist I 3rd Class.

Although her job was on the mainland, Winona had to go through basic Navy training just like any sailor. She learned to march at the WAVES basic training site at Hunter College in New York City. She studied ship terminology, and toured a variety of different ships to learn how each one functioned.

After her training at IBM’s Madison Avenue headquarters was completed, Winona shipped out to a base in Bremerton, Washington, located on Puget Sound. She remembers seeing ships with battle damage, some with holes due to torpedoes, she says. And she also remembers the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the base to address the soldiers.

At the end of WWII, Winona secured the base and closed all the offices. That was in March, 1946. She returned to college in Ohio to complete her formal education, and she became a teacher. She taught for many years in the Detroit area, and then relocated to Greenwich, Connecticut, about an hour north from where she first boarded the train to start her naval career, to teach. In all, her career as an educator spanned 39 years before her retirement.

Even in retirement, Winona has been an active member of her community, volunteering to teach English as a second language, tutoring from her home and at the Greenwich Senior Center and at a local church. In addition, she has worked many blood drives, served as a member of the Representative Town Meeting for a decade, and tabulated absentee ballots for her local registrar of voters.

What an amazing woman! To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to USNI News.