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.

Kansas Performing Arts teacher Sarah Koehn nominated for top award

Posted on by

Performing Arts teacher Sarah Koehn has been nominated to be the Kansas State Teacher of the Year for 2024. Photo credit: Andover Public Schools

Congratulations are due to Sarah Koehn, a performing arts teacher from Andover, Kansas. She has been nominated to be the Kansas State Teacher of the Year for 2024.

Sarah teaches theater arts and speech at Andover High School. She has taught there since 2004.

Throughout her teaching career, Sarah has earned the high regard of both her colleagues and her students. “Ms. Koehn provides her students meaningful learning opportunities and maintains high expectations,” says Andover High School Principal Brent Riedy. “The culture she has created within her classroom and during productions is one of equity and inclusion where students feel safe and connected,” Riedy expresses.

Former student Paul Turner agrees. “Ms. Koehn is also an incredible leader, and a mentor to generations of students,” he asserts. “Her leadership and mentorship abilities started with the respect and esteem she had for her students. She saw potential in everyone,” Turner concludes.

Her nomination for Kansas Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Sarah has earned. In 2022, she was honored as one of three 2022 Wolfe Teaching Excellence Award winners from the University of Kansas School of Education. Sarah also garnered a Horizon Award from Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas.

Math teacher Michael Harding named Minnesota’s 2023 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Mathematics teacher Michael Houston has been named the 2023 Minnesota State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Minnesota Public Radio

There are many people today who are calling for curriculum that meets real-world needs. Minnesota teacher Michael Houston has developed an instructional program that responds to this call. And he has been rewarded for his effort. Michael has been named the 2023 Minnesota State Teacher of the Year.

Michael teaches mathematics at Harding High School in the Saint Paul Public Schools system. In a career that spans 19 years at Harding, Michael has devoted 18 of them to the school’s football program, ten of them as Head Coat. He also serves as the Mathematics Department Chair, he is a learning team facilitator, and he is active in the local teachers’ union. And as if all that were not enough, he also works as an adjunct professor at Concordia, teaching math classes to prospective elementary teachers.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Michael was raised in a single-parent household. He struggled in school, but when he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Concordia University, St. Paul, he was the first in his family to graduate from college. Michael also earned a Master’s degree from Hamline University.

Michael works diligently to develop curriculum that is relevant and responsive. “I did a lot of reflection about my teaching practices and what I can do, especially when we come back to the classroom, about trying to engage students and mathematics. Especially when they try to apply it outside the classroom,” explains Michael. In response, he developed lessons on personal finance, taxes, 401K’s, pensions, and Social Security.

“The generation now is really heavy on the use of technology,” observes Michael. “So I try to include investigations in which they can use their device,” he continues. “We were learning about exponential functions, and we were learning about investing, and there’s a nice little app, a little game that students were able to engage with and learn how to pick stock and invest and see the growth of that over time,” he concludes.

This is the second year that Michael has been nominated for the Teachers of the Year Award. He was named a finalist in 2017.

 

Ohio’s Krysteena Lawrence named finalist for Golden Owl Award

Posted on by

Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Krysteena Lawrence of Ohio has been named one of ten finalists for a prestigious Golden Owl Award. Photo credit: Elmwood Public Schools

Today, the importance of vocational education programs is promoted by both professional educators and laypersons. So it is wonderful when teachers of voc ed classes earn accolades for their work. One of these is Krysteena Lawrence, an agriculture teacher from northwest Ohio. She has been recognized as one of ten finalists for a prestigious Golden Owl Award.

Krysteena teaches agriculture courses at Elmwood High School in Bloomdale, Ohio. She also serves as the school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor. She has taught at the school for the past seven years.

The honored educator has volunteered many hours outside of her classroom to manage FFA projects, including a fruit sale. But she declares that relationships are the most important aspect of her work. “I enjoy developing a good rapport with my students and making them feel welcomed in my classroom at all times,” she says. “And that is before school, after school, during lunch, even if they just want to come and talk about stuff that is going on in their personal life,” she continues. “I just want to be that person that’s there for them no matter what,” she concludes.

Krysteena is one of ten finalists for the honors of 2022-2023 Ag Educator of the Year and the Golden Owl Award. She is one 521 nominations that were received for 126 different teachers. As one of the ten finalists, she was presented with a plaque and a $500 donation to her school’s agriculture program to support future educational efforts. This year, the program honors outstanding agriculture educators in nine states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. To learn more about the program, click on this link to the Golden Owl Award.

 

Rebecca Hart garners NYC 2023-2024 Big Apple Award

Posted on by

Elementary school teacher Rebecca Hart has garnered a Big Apple Award from the City of New York. Photo credit: Teachers Who Tutor NYC

The city of New York is very proud of their public school teachers. In fact, city leaders regularly honor exceptional educators with their annual Big Apple Awards. For the 2023-2024 school year, one of these exceptional educators was  Rebecca Hart, an elementary school teacher from Brooklyn. In fact, she is one of 15 exceptional teachers who have garnered a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from the City of New York.

The honored educator teaches first grade at Brooklyn Arbor elementary, also known as PS 414, in Brooklyn. She has previously taught grades 2, 3, and 4. In a career that spans 10 years, she has taught seven of them in New York City. Prior to that, she taught or three years in Manatee County. When she is not in her classroom, Rebecca manages an after-school musical theater program for fourth and fifth grade students.

Rebecca earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2013. She earns her Master’s degree in in Literacy Specialist from Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City in 2022.

The Big Apple Awards recognize and celebrate New York City teachers who inspire students to be their best selves, dream, and advocate for their future; model equitable learning with high expectations for the diverse and dynamic needs of all students; affirm students’ identities, unique gifts, and genius; enrich their school communities by partnering with families, community members, and community-based organizations. The recipients were chosen through a rigorous selection process that includes community nominations, principal recommendations, classroom visits, an interview, and a review by a board of judges. To learn more about the program and this year’s recipients, click on this link to Big Apple Awards.