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.

Shauna Waters named Mississippi’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Shauna Waters of Collinsville, Mississippi, has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Shauna Waters

I am always excited to share the story of a public school teacher who has earned recognition for their work I the classroom. Today, I share the story of Shauna Waters, a high school teacher from Collinsville, Mississippi. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Shauna teaches Dual enrollment English Composition 1 and Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition at West Lauderdale High School in Collinsville. She also serves as her school’s Academic Team sponsor, newspaper advisor, and National Honor Society advisor. As if all that were not enough, she has served as a reader for the AP English Literature and Composition national exam in 2010, 2011, and 2014 – 2023.

In her classroom, Shauna says she seeks to ensure students build flexibility by developing 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

In addition to her work at West Lauderdale, Shauna has taught in the Intensive English Program at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and in the Aichi University’s Comparative Cultures Department in Toyohashi, Japan. 

Her selection as Mississippi’s 2025 Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Shauna has earned. She has been honored as a Mississippi STAR teacher seven times; a Yale Educator; and a US Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher. She is also a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG), a professional honor society of women educators.

Shauna earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Mississippi State University with a minor in Spanish. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University. Currently, she is pursuing an educational specialist degree in educational leadership at William Carey University. She has been a teacher since 2001.
 

 

 

Sugarcane Academy shows how to teach children evacuated following catastrophic weather events

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As Americans mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we understand that citizens of New Orleans are still in the process of rebuilding their lives and their communities.

As I usually do during times such as these, I ask myself questions about what the teachers were doing during times of upheaval like this. With regards to Hurricane Katrina specifically, I am reminded of a book I read which described a remarkable teacher who opened a school for the children of evacuees following the catastrophic weather event.

When surging flood waters from Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of families to flee from their homes, 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 realized 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 examples 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.

PA English teacher Ashlie Crosson named 2025 National Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to English teacher Ashlie Crosson of Mifflin County High School in Pennsylvania. She has been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year!

Ashie earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Susquehanna University in 2011. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Pennsylvania State University in 2015. In addition, she earned a Gifted Certificate from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 2023.

The National Teacher of the Year Program is the most prestigious teacher recognition program in the country. Each year, the program provides a new group of State Teachers of the Year with professional learning and development experiences designed to increase each educator’s leadership skills while celebrating their talents and commitment as extraordinary teachers. From the group of State Teachers of the Year, one teacher is selected to be the National Teacher of the Year.

Here is an inspirational video about Ashlie for you to watch: