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.

OK teacher Harriet O’Leary was the first woman to serve on Choctaw Nation tribal council

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Oklahoma school teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Photo Credit: Public Domain

It is not often that I discover a woman educator who has served on a tribal council, but teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was such an educator. She was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Harriet was born on Dec. 7, 1916, in Wapanucka, Oklahoma. Her father was Allen Wright, who served as the Principal Chief of the Choctaw Republic from 1866 to 1870. He also served for many years as an Indian agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her mother, a descendent of passengers on the Mayflower, was a missionary.

As a young woman, Harriet graduated from McAlester High School and then enrolled at Hershey’s Commercial School. Later she attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha. Today, the school is known as the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

In 1950, Harriet accepted a position as a fourth grade teacher at Emerson School in McAlester. In 1958, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she taught courses at Southwest Missouri State College, known today as Missouri State University. In 1963, she accepted a position as a Language Arts consultant to the American Book Company, where she organized reading workshops for the company that urged educators to use the phonic system. In 1967, Harriet retired and relocated to McAlester.

After she retired from the classroom, Harriet was elected to serve on the newly-created Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Council in 1979 to 1983. This council was the first tribal council convened since Oklahoma became a state in 1907. In addition to Harriet, two other women were elected to serve on the council of 15 members.

For her tireless work as an educator and a pioneering tribal council member, Harriet was awarded an honorary doctorate from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, the Mayflower Society, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Sadly, Harriet passed away on Dec. 22, 1999, in McAlester, Oklahoma. She was 83 years old.

 

CA TK teacher Katie Bezayiff earns honor for using Reggio system in her classroom

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Transitional kindergarten teacher Katie Bezayiff has been honored by the California League of Educators (CLE) as a 2024 Educator of the Year. Photo Credit: CLE

Congratulations go to elementary school teacher Katie Bezayiff from Fullerton, California. She is one of two educators who have been honored by the California League of Educators (CLE) as a 2024 Educator of the Year. The other educator is middle school teacher Mucio Vidales.

Every year, the CLE recognizes teachers, administrators, counselors, and other certificated personnel for demonstrating excellence in educational practices.

Katie teaches Transitional Kindergarten (TK) at Maple Elementary School. This forward-thinking teacher has organized her classroom according to precepts developed by Italian educators in the Italian city of Reggio. The system advances the idea that children are naturally curious and capable learners, and the classroom environment should encourage active participation, imaginative play, and social interaction. Such environments are especially beneficial for young children, helping them develop essential skills in critical thinking, creativity, and social-emotional learning. “In the Reggio philosophy, the learning environment is the third teacher,” explains Katie.

Even though her students are very young, Katie designs lessons for them that use inquiry-based investigations in science, project-based learning, and holistic education. Using these strategies, Katie is able to guide her students towards reading at or above the kindergarten grade level, even though they arrive in her classroom with various levels of reading readiness. The students also develop excellent academic vocabulary skills, and show strong numeracy skills in math.

Katie is also a leader in her district. She serves as a member of the Community Schools Steering Committee. For the past three years she has also chaired the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team.

“This recognition not only celebrates my efforts, but also acknowledges the positive impact I strive to make on the young minds in my classroom and at my school,” declares Katie.

How educators might respond to Hurricane Helene

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At this time, empathetic Americans are looking for ways to help fellow citizens recover and rebuild their lives following the destruction of yet another devastating hurricane. Hurricane Helene has caused widespread damage in five state, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. More than 140 people have lost their lives and an estimated 2.6 million homes and businesses are without power.

As I usually do during times such as these, I ask myself questions about what the teachers are doing during these times of upheaval. In this instance, I am reminded of a book I read recently which described a remarkable teacher who opened a school for New Orleans evacuees following Hurricane Katrina.

When surging flood waters from Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of families to flee from their homes in 2005, New Orleans residents had their minds more on survival than on whether their children would be missing school. But when a group of evacuee parents who landed in New Iberia, Louisiana, realized they would not be returning to their homes any time soon, they came to the conclusion that they had to find a strategy to help their children cope with their enforced and unexpected exile. They pooled their financial resources and hired a fellow refugee, teacher Paul Reynaud, to establish a one-room school for their children in an abandoned office building. The story furnishes valuable lessons for dealing with this latest example of nature’s fury.

The book is entitled Sugarcane Academy: How a New Orleans Teacher and His Storm-Struck Students Created a School to Remember. The author of this intriguing true story is journalist Michael Tisserand, and the volume was published in 2007 by Harcourt. You can find the book on amazon.com.

For other intriguing stories about remarkable teachers in America’s sometimes turbulent history, check out my book Chalkboard Champions. You will find it on the web site for Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Virginia’s Symone Jenkins earns 2024 First Year Teacher Award

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Symone Keolani Jenkins of Alexandria, Virginia, is such a phenomenal first-year educator that she has earned a 2024 Outstanding Secondary School Teacher Award. Photo Credit: Fairfax County Public Schools

Like most professional educators, I really struggled to stay on top of things during my first year of teaching. But there are some first-year teachers who, from the very beginning, are so exceptional they even win awards! One of these is Symone Keolani Jenkins, a high school teacher from Alexandria, Virginia. She is so phenomenal that she has earned a 2024 Outstanding Secondary School New Teacher Award from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Symone teaches English and Language Arts courses to sophomores and juniors at West Potomac High School in the Fairfax County Pubic School District. In the classroom, this outstanding educator has a reputation for creating an environment where her students thrive, not only academically but also socially and personally.

Symone embraces diversity and inclusion, and she recognizes the value of considering a variety of different perspectives to the learning environment. In the future, she hopes to offer elective courses in Black Perspectives in Literature and LGBTQ+ Perspectives in Literature. These courses are intended to “assist with having an open mind and open perspective moving forward by looking at the struggles of others in our society and history,” the honored teacher explains.

In addition to working as a teacher, Symone has also devoted her energy to young people by serving them as a volleyball coach for the local Evolution Volleyball Club. In fact, she has served as the Head Coach there since 2021.

Symone earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Cultural Studies in 2021 and her Master’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching English in 2022, both from George Mason University, a public research university located in Fairfax, Virginia, not far from Washington, DC.

Congratulations, Symone!

Janice Faiks: Math teacher, school counselor, Alaska State Senator

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Jan Faiks

Alaska teacher and State Senator Jan Faiks worked with her llamas on her farm. (Photo Credit: Anchorage Daily News

Talented classroom teachers often go on to have successful careers in politics. One teacher who proves this to be true is Jan Faiks, a math teacher and school counselor who served in the Alaska State Senate.

Janice O. Faiks was born on November 17, 1945, at Mitchel Air Force Base in New York. As a young girl, she attended Choctawhatchee High School, where she graduated in 1964. After her high school graduation, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at Florida State University in 1967. She earned a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, in 1975.

After college, Jan taught mathematics and worked as a school counselor in the Anchorage School District. She worked there from 1968 to 1978. In addition to her work in the classroom, the educator was well known for operating a llama farm.

In 1982, Jan was elected to the Alaska State Senate on the Republican ticket. She served two terms, and became the first woman president of the Alaska State Senate. While there, her biggest claim to fame was that she was one of the key legislators to create the Constitutional Budget Reserve, a savings fund for surplus tax revenues that could be used in times of economic downturn.

After her service in the State Senate, Jan moved to Washington, DC, where she earned a law degree from Georgetown Law Center. She worked for several years as a Congressional staff member. She also served briefly as an assistant secretary with the Mine Safety and Health Administration at the US Labor Department. Finally, she became a lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). She retired in 2013.

After her retirement, Jan relocated to Amelia Island, Florida. There the former teacher was diagnosed with brain cancer, and five months later, she passed away on April 10, 2017. She was 71 years old. You can read her obituary at Anchorage Daily News.