Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell
Ideas for curriculum and activities for Earth Day observances
Many teachers know that Earth Day is coming! The occasion will be celebrated on April 22. And 2023 is the 53rd anniversary of the first observance of this popular non-secular holiday. This year’s theme is Invest in Our Planet. These teachers are busy right now researching resources, developing curriculum, and designing activities for their learners.
Young students can, and do, make a big difference in helping to protect the earth’s environment. As an educator, you have the opportunity to spark a passion in students that will drive them to do their part. Here are just a few different kinds of activities you could add to your lesson plans to inspire your students this Earth Day.
Most people associate Earth Day with recycling, and that is a great place to start, especially because it’s an action students can participate in right away. If you want to incorporate activities on recycling in your Earth Day lesson plan, check out these ideas teach your students how to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
Another simple way that teachers can observe Earth Day is to take their students on a nature walk, whether that’s in a local park, on a nearby forest trail, or on school grounds, depending on what’s accessible in the area. Going on a nature walk is not only about celebrating Earth Day, it’s also an opportunity for learning experiences in a variety of subjects such as science, geography, math, and art. Other activities include collecting seeds, or identifying and cataloguing plants, insects, or birds. Older students could establish a garden or composting pile, plant a tree, or raise the money to sponsor tree planting in a national park.
Check out additional suggestions in this Earth Day provided by Education World. Teachers could also explore these suggestions by Project Learning Tree. For secondary students, consider these options suggested by Suburban Science.
Feel free to mention additional ideas or websites for resources in the comments section!
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Former teacher and formidable labor leader Dolores Huerta
Former elementary school teacher and formidable civil rights leader Dolores Huerta worked tirelessly to secure better working conditions for migrant farm workers in the 1960’s. Photo credit: Public Domain.
Like many people I have heard of formidable civil rights leader Dolores Huerta. She worked tirelessly to secure better working conditions for migrant farm workers in the 1960’s. But did you know she was also once a teacher?
Dolores was born in Dawson, New Mexico, on April 10, 1930. In fact, she just celebrated her 93rd birthday earlier this week. Raised in Stockton, California, Dolores graduated in 1955 with an AA and her teaching credentials from the College of the Pacific. After her college graduation, she accepted a teaching position in a rural Stockton elementary school. She had been teaching for only a short time when she realized she wanted to devote her vast energy to migrant farm workers and their families. “I couldn’t stand seeing farm worker children come to class hungry and in need of shoes,” she once explained. “I thought I could do more by organizing their parents than by trying to teach their hungry children.”
After just one year, Dolores resigned from her teaching position, determined to launch a campaign that would fight the numerous economic injustices faced by migrant agricultural workers. Joining forces with the legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez, the intrepid educator helped organize a large-scale strike against the commercial grape growers of the San Joaquin Valley, an effort which raised national awareness of the abysmal treatment of America’s agricultural workers. She also negotiated contracts which led to their improved working conditions. The rest, as they say, is history.
Although there are several fairly good juvenile biographies of this extraordinary woman, there is no definitive adult biography about her. The closest thing to it is A Dolores Huerta Reader edited by Mario T. Garcia. This book includes an informative biographical introduction by the editor, articles and book excerpts written about her, her own writings and transcripts of her speeches, and an interview with Mario Garcia. You can find A Dolores Huerta Reader on amazon. I have also included a chapter about this remarkable teacher in my second book, entitled Chalkboard Heroes.
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Brittany Bonnaffons named Louisiana’s 2023 Teacher of the Year
Louisiana math teacher Brittany Bonnaffons has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: St. Charles Herald Guide
It is always my pleasure to shine a spotlight on outstanding educators who have earned accolades for their work in the profession. One of these is Brittany Bonnaffons, a secondary mathematics teacher from Luling, Louisiana. She has been named her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.
Brittany teaches Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 at Hahnville High School in the St. Charles Parish Public School District. In a career that has spanned 12 years, she has taught at Hahnville for five years. Her teaching philosophy is that mathematics teaches students reasoning, problem-solving skills, and perseverance, while working collaboratively teaches them the importance of being able to work well with others. Under her guidance, her students, who before entering her classroom had not scored satisfactorily on their middle school standardized tests, have improved their scores by leaps and bounds. “My goal is to bring out the best in students,” asserts Brittany. “Yes, I want to teach them math, but I also want to teach them how to find their gifts and use those gifts to make a difference,” she continues. “Making a difference requires making connections with students and to help other teachers do the same. We are all better together,” she concludes.
Not only does Brittany teach math, but she also serves as the Head Coach for her school’s boys and girls track team. Since she accepted the position in 2018, her athletes have captured four District team championships and have placed as regional runner-ups twice. In addition, she has led more than 50 individuals to District medals, more than 30 individuals to regional medals, and more than 10 athletes to state medals.
In addition to her selection as Louisiana’s State Teacher of the Year, Brittany was selected as one of 22 educators from across the state to serve on the Louisiana Department of Education 2022-2023 Teacher Advisory Council.
Brittany earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Louisiana Scholars’ College at Northwestern State University. She earned her Master’s degree in Exercise Science from the University of Louisiana, Monroe, and a second Master’s in Teaching from Northwestern University.
To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to an article about her published by Louisiana Life.
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Former teacher Marcia Brown earns international renown as an author and illustrator
Former teacher Marcia Brown became an internationally renowned author and illustrator of children’s books. Photo Credit: University of Albany
Many talented educators earn recognition for achievements outside their classrooms. Marcia Joan Brown is a excellent example of this. She is an internationally renowned author and illustrator of children’s books. Marcia has published over 30 books in her lifetime, and she is a three-time winner of the coveted Caldecott Medal, the highest award for excellence in children’s picture book illustrations bestowed by the American Library Association.
Marcia Brown was born in Rochester, New York, on July 13, 1918, one of three daughters of the Reverend Clarence Edward and Adelaide Elizabeth (Zimber) Brown. As a young child, Marcia lived in several small towns in upstate New York, including Cooperstown and Kingston, as her father moved from one ministerial post to another. She was raised in a family that supported artistic expression, and she decided at an early age to become an artist. In a videotaped interview in 1996, Marcia reminisced about the books and artworks in her local public library in Cooperstown, New York, that nurtured her sense of wonder and joy in beautiful things when she was a child.
After her high school graduation in 1936, Marcia enrolled in New York State College for Teachers (NYSCT), the University at Albany’s predecessor, where she majored in English and Drama. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1940. While in college, Marcia’s literary and artistic talents blossomed, and she made numerous contributions to the college’s literary and humor magazines.
After graduating from NYSCT, Marcia accepted her first position as a high school teacher at Cornwall High School in New York City. In 1943, she began working in the New York Public Library’s Central Children’s Room. She spent the next six years gaining valuable experience as a storyteller, while also delving into the library’s extensive international and historical collections. She published her first four books while working in the library’s Central Children’s Room.
During her long career as a writer and illustrator, Marcia produced over 30 children’s books, and many of her titles have been reprinted in other languages, including Afrikaans, German, Japanese, Spanish, and Xhosa-Bantu. Critics have marveled at her use of spare texts, strong images, and a variety of media, including woodcuts, pen and ink, and gouache. Her characters are described as lively, humorous, magical, and enchanting, and they include handsome princes, sly cats, evil sorcerers, flying elephants, and snow queens.
From 1955 to 1983 Brown won a total of three Caldecott Medals. This award is bestowed annually by the American Library Association to the illustrator of the year’s “most distinguished American picture book for children.” She had been a runner-up six times from 1948 to 1954, and those six books have also been designated Caldecott Honor Books. Marcia also garnered a Regina Medal in 1977 from the Catholic Libraries Association for “continued, distinguished contribution to children’s literature without regard to the nature of the contribution,” and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal in 1992 from the American Library Association for her “substantial and lasting contributions to children’s literature.”
In her last years, Marcia Brown lived in Laguna Hills, California, where she passed away on April 28, 2015. She was 96 years old.
