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.

Indiana’s Kathryn McHale became Director of AAUW

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Kathryn McHale started her career in the classroom in a public school in Logansport, Indiana, and eventually became the General Director of the American Association of University Women. Photo Credit: Cash County Historical Society

During the early 19th century, many excellent classroom teachers have contributed to the professional development and promotion of women. One of these was Kathryn McHale, a school teacher from Indiana who became the General Director of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Kathryn was born on July 22, 1889, in Logansport, Indiana. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1919, her Master’s degree in 1920, and her PhD in 1926, all from Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City.

As a young woman, Kathryn taught in a public school in her home town of Logansport for seven years, from 1910 to 1917. By the 1920s, she had achieved a full professorship at Goucher College in Maryland. She also instructed courses at New York University, Carleton College in Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota.

Kathryn was a superb classroom educator, but her dedication to the profession expanded beyond the classroom. She served on the Board of Trustees for Purdue University from 1937 to 1946. She served as a member of the National Committee for United Nations Education, Social, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She was also involved in projects for the US Office of Education, the American Association of Adult Education, the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors, the Women’s Interest Section of the Advisory Council of the War Department, and the National Foundation for Education in American Citizenship.

From 1929 to 1950, Kathryn became the General Director of the AAUW. As the organization increased in membership, their work towards improving the status of women expanded. Their programs grew to include diverse social and economic problems, support for higher standards in education, and support for the arts.

In addition, Kathryn was an accomplished author. She wrote numerous articles that were published in professional journals, including the Journal of Childhood Education, Teachers College Record, Journal of Higher Education, Applied Psychology, and Psychological Clinic. She was also involved in co-authoring publications for the AAUW.

Sadly, Kathryn McHale suffered a stroke and passed away on Oct. 8, 1956, in Washington, DC. She was 67 years old. She is interred at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Logansport.

 

NY teacher Herbert Parmat: A major historian of American politics

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High school social studies teacher and college professor Herbert Parmat earned acclaim as the author of many well-received biographies of American presidents. Photo Credit: The Portal to Texas History

Many talented educators have earned acclaim as accomplished authors. One of these is Herbert Parmat, a high school social studies teacher and historian who wrote many well-received biographies of American presidents. In fact, he has been described as a major historian of the American presidency and politics.

Herbert was born on Aug. 28, 1929, in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. As a youngster, he attended DeWitt Clinton High School in New York, graduating in 1948. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at State University of New York, Oswego, in 1951, and his Master’s degree from Queens College in 1957. During these years, Herbert also completed a stint in the US Army, where he served from 1952 to 1954, achieving the rank of Corporal.

In the 1960s, Herbert taught social studies at North Babylon High School in Long Island, and then at Mineola High School in Mineola in Long Island. At Mineola, he served as the school’s Social Studies Department. He also taught history courses at the Graduate Center of City University of New York and at Queensborough Community College. By all accounts, Herbert was an outstanding classroom teacher, dynamic and charismatic. When he retired in 1995, the former high school teacher was named a Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

While teaching at Mineola, Herbert decided to tackle a writing project with colleague Marie B. Hecht. The pair authored their first biography, Aaron Burr: Portrait of an Ambitious·Man (1967). Together, they also wrote Never Again: A President Runsfor a Third Term: Roosevelt versus Wi/lkie, 1940 (1968). This was followed by a pioneering biography, Eisenhower and the American Crusades (1972). Next, Herbert wrote The Democrats: The Years After FDR (1976). In a return to the biography genre, he authored Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy (1980) and JFK: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy (1983). Next, he penned the biographies Richard Nixon and His America (1990) and George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee (1997). His later works were Presidential Power from the New Deal to the New Right (2002) and a return to an earlier biographical subject in Richard M. Nixon: An American Enigma (2008).

This outstanding educator passed away on Jan. 25, 2017, in Newton, Massachusetts. He was 87 years old. To read more about Herbert Parmat, click on this link to History News Network.

Retired South Carolina teacher Jennifer Clyburn Reed still serves community

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Retired middle school teacher Jennifer Clyburn Reed still serves her community. She was appointed by Pres. Joe Biden to serve on a federal committee that explores economic and poverty issues in South Carolina. Photo Credit: Southeast Crescent Regional Commission

It is always a privilege to share stories about hardworking educators who continue to serve their community, even after they leave the classroom. One of these is Jennifer Clyburn Reed, a retired middle school teacher who now serves on a committee that explores economic and poverty issues for her home state of South Carolina.

Born on Aug. 16, 1970, Jennifer is the middle child of three girls. She is the daughter of Jim Clyburn, who currently serves as the House Majority Whip in the US House of Representatives. Her mother, now deceased, was Emily (England) Clyburn.

After her graduation from Keenan High School in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1987, Jennifer earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1991, a Master’s degree in Education in 1992, and a certification as an Education Specialist in 1994, all from the University of South Carolina. She earned her PhD in Educational Leadership in 2015 from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Jennifer’s career as an educator spanned 28 years. She worked for 25 years at Richland County Middle School. There she served as a teacher and coordinator of her school’s AVID program. AVID is an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, a high school program that prepares minority and under-represented students for success at college. Jennifer next served as an Education Specialist for the South Carolina State Department of Education. In this role, she worked as an English teacher and literacy coach for the South Carolina Reading Initiative.

In 2017, Jennifer moved to the university level, where she served as the Director of the Center for the Education and Equity of African American students at the University of South Carolina. While there, she helped design the Apple Core Initiative (ACI), a program that works toward teacher recruitment, enrollment, and retention. She also served on the selection committee for the the Emily Clyburn Honors College Scholarship at South Carolina State University. She retired from the teaching profession in 2020.

In Aug., 2021, the former teacher was nominated by President Joe Biden to be a Co-Chairperson of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, a federal organization that works on issues related to poverty and the economy in the Southeastern United States. The US Senate confirmed her appointment in Dec., 2021. Her Co-Chairperson is South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

 

Idaho’s Courtney Greene garners prestigious PAEMST

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Fifth grade STEM educator Courtney Greene of Idaho, shown here assisting a student in directed inquiry, has garnered a prestigious 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Photo Credit: Coeur d’Alene Post Falls Press.

It is always my pleasure to share stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Courtney Green, an elementary STEM teacher from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She has garnered a prestigious 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Courtney currently teaches fifth grade at Fernan STEM Academy. Previously she taught at Bryan Elementary, Hayden Meadows Elementary, Sorensen Elementary, and Bovill Elementary. Her career as an educator spans 21 years.

Courtney’s passion for inquiry has led to partnerships with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the University of Idaho to create authentic, place-based learning experiences for her students. Her class’s latest inquiry unit was a case study of a local creek system, which had students as collaborators with the community conservation water management team led by tribal scientists.

Courtney says she is especially interested in the environment, and the local ecosystem is her passion. She says she wants students to ask their own questions and wonder about the world so they will take ownership of their own learning. “Kids are natural scientists because they do ask all those questions,” asserts Courtney.”“So almost everything we start with is framed around questions.” Then she takes the standards and turns them into questions that students can ask more questions about.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Courtney has conducted presentations about inquiry-based learning pedagogy at the Northwest Council for Computer Education, the Idaho Education Technology Association, and the Idaho STEM Action Center’s ISTEM conference. She also leads professional development workshops to support teachers in creating science storyline units. Furthermore, she is an active member of the Idaho Science Teachers Association.

Courtney earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Idaho.

To learn more about Courtney Greene, see this article about her published by the Coeur d’Alene Post Falls Press.