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.

History teacher Edith Jordan Gardner championed many causes

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High school history teacher and social activist Edith Jordan Gardner worked to secure the right to vote for women. Photo Credit: Public Domain

In American history, there are many examples of excellent educators who are dedicated not only to their students, but also to the important social causes of their day. Edith Jordan Gardner, a California history teacher, is one of these. She was a social activist who championed many important causes  including education reform, women’s suffrage, environmental issues, and international causes.

Edith Jordan was born on Feb. 17, 1877, in Indianapolis Indiana. Her father, David Starr Jordan, was a prominent professor of natural history at North Western Christian University. Sadly, her mother, Susan Bowen, passed away when Edith was only eight years old. Edith was a young teenager in 1891 when she moved to California because her father accepted a post as the first President of newly-opened Stanford University. Six years later, Edith graduated from the fledgling university. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in History there in 1897. She earned her Master’s degree from Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, in 1901.

Once she earned her degrees,, Edith inaugurated her career as an educator in California schools. She taught at various school throughout the state, including Marlborough Preparatory School in Los Angeles, Salinas High School in Salinas, and Los Angeles Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles, and John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley. By all accounts, Edith was a captivating classroom lecturer. When she developed her course curriculum, she incorporated aspects of art, architecture, archeology, and additional lessons she learned from her extensive overseas travels into her lessons.

Edith was interested in a number of important causes during her day. She worked towards securing needed relief for the Belgian people, raising awareness about pressing political issues in India, and environmental issues. During this period, Edith married Nathaniel Gardner a respected professor of botany at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1915.

In addition to her work as a teacher and social activist, Edith served as the Chairman of the Department of Legislation Oakland Forum, and the League of Women Voters. She was elected President of the Southern California Social Science Association, and served as a member of the Standard Women’s Club, the Berkeley City Club, the Town and Gown Club, and the Cornell Women’s Club of Northern California, among others.

Chalkboard Champion Edith Gardner passed away on June 16, 1965, in Redwood City, California. She was 88 years old.

Peter Tork of Monkees fame also taught English, drama, music

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Peter Tork of the 1960s band The Monkeys also spent there years in a California classroom teaching English, drama, and music.  Photo Credit: UK Music Reviews

Former teacher Peter Tork doesn’t Monkee around. But there was a time in his life when he did.

In the mid-1960s, a pop band known as the Monkees hit the music scene with a few songs and a zany television show aimed at American teens. The band became, literally, an overnight sensation. Peter Tork, who played bass guitar and keyboards, was a member of that band. The other three members were Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith.

Over the next five years, the group attempted to keep up with a whirlwind schedule that included weekly television sitcom episodes, studio recording sessions, national and international concert tours, and a full-length feature movie. The hard work paid off. Since they first hit the scene, the Monkees have sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling groups of all time. Their best known songs are “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Daydream Believer,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”

But the work schedule, creative differences with producer Don Kirshner, and infighting among the band members left Peter exhausted. In December, 1968, he bought out the remaining four years of his contract and left the Monkees. For the next few years, Peter drifted from one gig to another and spent or gave away all his Monkees earnings. By 1975, he’d hit rock bottom.

That’s when, even though he had dropped out of college, Peter accepted a position as a teacher at Pacific Hills School, a private secondary school in Santa Monica, California. He was hired to work there by Dr. Penrod Moss, the school’s director, because Moss was so impressed by Peter’s interview. “I like to hire people who are independent and creative,” Moss explained. “I was impressed by his personality and his ability to talk.” For Peter, a career in the classroom is not so odd when you consider that his father was an economics professor at the University of Connecticut for many years. At Pacific Hills, Peter taught many subjects, including English, math, drama, history, and music. He also served as a baseball coach at several schools. In all, Peter’s career as an educator spanned three years.

In 1986, the Monkees got together again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band. The following year they released a new studio album which earned measured success. Since then, Peter participated with fellow Monkees in numerous reunion shows and tours, until band member Davy Jones passed away in 2012.

In March, 2009, the former teacher was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, and later that year underwent extensive surgery. Despite being declared cured, ten years later the cancer recurred, and he succumbed to the disease on February 21, 2019. He was 77 years old.

Canada’s Uzma Jalaluddin: English teacher, columnist, TV guest, and novelist

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Uzma Jalaluddin, a high school English teacher in Canada, has earned acclaim as a newspaper columnist, television guest, and author of romance novels. Photo Credit: Uzma Jalaluddin

Many exceptional educators have achieved success in fields outside of the classroom. This is true of Uzma Jalaluddin, a high school English teacher who has earned acclaim as a newspaper columnist, novelist, and television guest.

Uzma was born in 1980. Her parents immigrated to Canada from Hyderabad, India. She was raised in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, a place that she describes as “one of the most ethnically diverse places on the planet. After earning her degree in English literature from the University of Toronto, she became a high school English teacher at a public school in Toronto, a job she has held since 2003.

Uzma writes regular column about modern Musllim life for Canada’s Toronto Star. The column is entitled Samosas and Maple Syrup. She’s also been a guest on the television show Cityline, speaking on topics related to the Muslim experience. Her debut novel, Ayesha at Last, was published in 2019. The volume has been described as a modern retelling of the Jane Austin novel Pride and Prejudice with a setting in the Muslim community. The effort earned instant acclaim, and was even named the Cosmopolitan UK Book of the Year and a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2019. In addition, this book was long-listed for the Stephen Leacock Medal and the Toronto Book Awards and was short-listed as a Goodreads Reader’s Choice Awards finalist. Her second novel, Hana Khan Carries On, was published in 2021. This book has been described as having been inspired by the blockbuster hit movie You’ve Got Mail, again with a setting in the Muslim community, and was named Best Romance Novel 2021 by the Washington Post.

Uzma credits her upbringing with her success as an author, and she never forgets the value of telling stories. “I grew up surrounded by storytellers; my favorite stories were the ones my mother and my aunts told me, about the strong women they knew in India,” Uzma says. “Like the wealthy widow who used her resources to educate neighborhood women in her own home. Or the female servant who never kept quiet when she witnessed bad behavior,” she continues. “I learned about the power of stories to combat the limiting narratives that are so often used to harm, diminish, and control others. Today I tell stories in my job as a teacher, columnist, and novelist. I do it not just to keep the old tales alive and for the pleasure of making up new stories, but also to remind myself, my children, my readers, who they are and where they come from, and how the stories we listen to influence our lives,” she concludes.

To learn more about this talented teacher and author, click on this link to her website: Uzma Jalaluddin.

Mary Ann Esposito: Teacher, chef, television host, and cookbook author extraordinaire

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Former high school history teacher Mary Ann Esposito became an internationally-renowned chef, television host, and cookbook author. Photo Credit: pdaspeakers.com

Many talented teachers can boast of successes outside of the classroom. This is true of Mary Ann Esposito, a former high school teacher who became an internationally-renowned chef, television host, and cookbook author.

Mary Ann was born on Aug. 3, 1942, in Buffalo, New York. As a young girl, she spent her childhood in the kitchens of both her Italian grandmothers—one from Sicily and the other from Naples—learning their techniques for producing delicious and nutritious Italian dishes.

After her 1960 graduation from St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster, Mary Ann earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in 1964 from what was then Rosary Hill College in Amherst, New York. The school is now known as Daemen College. She then taught history at the high school level for a few years. After she discovered her passion for Italian cooking, Mary Ann earned a Master’s degree in Food History with a specialty in Italian Renaissance cooking from the University of New Hampshire. That was in 1991.

Mary Ann inaugurated her career as a teacher-chef when she accepted a position to instruct cooking courses through the Continuing Education Department at the University of New Hampshire. In the mid-1980s, she submitted a proposal for a cooking show to New Hampshire Public Television. In 1989, the accomplished educator launched Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, a thirty-minute cooking show produced for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The show, which ultimately ran for 30 years, featured Mary Ann’s recipes and cooking tips and visits from guest chefs. Mary Ann has also appeared on The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, Martha Stewart Radio, the Food Network, the Discovery Channel, FOX, Pax, and RAI International (Italian television). And as if that whirlwind of appearances were not enough, she has also published 13 cookbooks, plus she maintains several social media accounts plus her Ciao Italia website, which features nearly 2,000 recipes, instructional videos, commentaries, cultural facts, and personal stories.

Ever the educator, Mary Ann has taught in numerous cooking schools throughout Italy over the decades. She has also taught an online credit course at Boston University’s Metropolitan Campus, and she has been part of the Seminar in the Arts program for close to 30 years. She is a regular contributor to Boston University’s School of Lifelong Learning program, as well as a Board Member of Cordon Bleu, the Atlantic Culinary Academy, and she is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier.

For her work in the culinary industry, Mary Ann has earned many accolades. She received Johnson and Wales University’s Distinguished Author Award, and in 2006, St. Anselm College awarded her an honorary doctorate for her dedication to teaching and preserving authentic Italian cuisine. She received the Order of the Star of Italy Cavaliere from the President of the Italian Republic, and the Premio Artusi award for her work in promoting Italian food. The Italian Trade Commission named her a Hall of Fame honoree, and The Order Sons of Italy in America presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Culinary & Cultural Arts of Italy.

To learn more about this remarkable teacher-chef, click on this link to an article published in 2020 by the St. Anthony Messenger. You can also check out her website, Ciao Italia.