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.

Innovative educator Mary Catherine Swanson: Founder of AVID

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Innovative educator Mary Catherine Swanson developed the AVID program to help minority students  develop the skills necessary to succeed in college. Today, the program is employed globally in at least 16 countries.  Photo Credit: www.avid.org

Back in 1980, Clairemont High School in San Diego, California, suddenly faced a court-ordered integration order. Teachers at the predominantly white, suburban, middle-class school knew that their incoming minority students would need extensive remediation. As Clairemont’s staff scrambled for ways to meet the needs of these students, one innovative staff member came up with a groundbreaking idea. That staff member was English teacher Mary Catherine Swanson.

Mary Catherine believed strongly that with appropriate academic tools and support, minority and other under-represented students could succeed in a rigorous academic atmosphere just as well as their Clairemont classmates. To meet their needs, she developed an innovative instructional program called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). The program trained students in strategies for note-taking and test-taking, offered peer mentoring and tutoring, and sponsored cultural field trips.

Mary Catherine’s efforts produced astonishing results. Since the program’s inception, over 400,000 students have participated in the training. The program is so successful that today over 7,000 high schools in 47 states and 16 countries around the world have implemented it. Statistics show that of those students enrolled in AVID, 95% go on to enroll in a four-year college, and 85% of them graduate. To learn more about the AVID program, go to www.avid.org.

The overwhelming success of Mary Catherine’s work has earned her many honors. Among them are an A+ Award for Reaching the Goals of America 2000 from the US Department of Education; the EXCEL Award for Excellence in Teaching; and the Salute to Excellence from the American Association for Higher Education. She has also been recognized with the UC San Diego Remarkable Leader in Education Award and the Distinguished Achievement Award by the UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association. She has also been recognized with honorary doctorates from UC San Diego and the University of LaVerne. Both CNN and Time Magazine named her America’s Best Teacher in 2001, and she was one of three 2001 recipients of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr., Prize in Education. Furthermore, Mary Catherine’s contribution to American education has been recognized by Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews, who wrote, “I don’t know any single person in the country who has done more for our school children than AVID founder Mary Catherine Swanson.”

Mary Catherine Swanson retired in 2006, but she will always be known as a genuine Chalkboard Champion.

Teacher, coach, and former Olympic athlete Josanne Lucas

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Former Olympic athlete Josanne Lucas now teaches high school science and coaches track in Colorado. Photo Credit: quilt.com

Many fine athletes go on to become outstanding teachers and coaches. One of these is Josanne Lucas, a former Olympic athlete who now works as a science teacher and coach in Colorado.

Josanne was born on May 14, 1984, in the city of Carnbee on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. She was 18 years old when she came to the United States to attend Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. In addition to earning a degree in Biomedical Sciences there, she also trained as an athlete in track and field.

Josanne showed exceptional prowess in the hurdles, particularly the 400-meter hurdles. She earned a first place finish in the event in 2006 in the NACAC (North American, Central American, and Caribbean Athletic Association) Under-23 Championships held in the Dominican Republic. She garnered another first place finish in 2008 in the Central American and Caribbean Championships held in Columbia. Later in 2008, Josanne competed in the Beijing Olympics. The following year, she won a bronze medal in the World Championships for Athletics held in Berlin, Germany. She competed as an athlete until 2016, and as a professional athlete for nine of those years.

Once she retired from the sport, the former athlete turned her attention to teaching and coaching. Today, she teaches science courses at Fort Collins High School in Fort Collins, Colorado. She also coaches track and field, specializing in hurdles, at the school. She obviously enjoys her role as an educator. “I love the opportunity to make a positive impact on young minds both academically and athletically,” Josanne says. “I love to challenge my students to be the best that they can be in both, in and out of the classroom.”

In 2019, Josanne achieved one of her most fervent goals: To become an American citizen. She was naturalized on August 24 that year. “I feel blessed and honored to become a US Citizen,” declares Josanne. “I have lived here my entire adult life and already consider the United States my home,” she says. “I like its democratic system and that it provides many opportunities,” she concludes.

 

Award-winning author Jacqueline Jules also works as a school librarian

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Virginia school librarian and teacher Jacqueline Jules has earned acclaim as an author of children’s books. Photo Credit: Jacqueline Jules

There are many excellent educators who have earned success in endeavors outside of the classroom. This is true of Jacqueline Jules, a school librarian and teacher from Virginia who has has earned acclaim as an author of children’s books.

Jacqueline was born in 1956 in Petersburg, Virginia. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree with a major in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2001 she earned her Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Maryland.

Currently, Jacqueline works as a school librarian at Timber Lane Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia. She also works as a storyteller and as a guest speaker at schools. She has also taught religious school, led Tot Shabbat services, and has experience as a writing resource teacher. Her career as an educator has spanned a total of 28 years. She credits these experiences with her success as an author. “It actually wasn’t until I became a school librarian that I had enough ideas for writing children’s books,” Jacqueline confesses. “My years as a librarian fueled my writing rather than stalled it. Working in a school taught me what children enjoy and what was missing from library shelves,” she continued. “I could never do the writing I do now without having been a teacher,” she concludes.

Jacqueline’s work has appeared in over 100 publications. She has authored more than 50 children’s books, including The Grey Striped Shirt; Once upon a Shabbos; the Zapato Power series; the Sofia Martinez series; Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation; Duck for Turkey Day; Never Say a Mean Word Again; Feathers for Peacock; The Hardest Wor; and Pluto is Peeved. Also a poet, Jacqueline is the author of Tag Your Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistence.

For her work as a children’s author, Jacqueline has earned many accolades. She garnered the Arlington Arts Moving Words Contest twice, in 1999 and again in 2007. In 2009, she earned the SCBWI Magazine Merit Plaque for Poetry, and 2008, she received the Best Original Poetry Award from the Catholic Press Association. She has also garnered a citation for Notable Books for Young Readers from the Association of Jewish Libraries in 2002, and that same year she was named a National Jewish Book Award finalist.

To learn more about this amazing educator and author, visit www.jacquelinejules.com.

Jerad Koepp of Washington named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations are due to History and Social Studies teacher Jerad Koepp of Washington, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.  Photo Credit: North Thurston Public Schools

Congratulations are due to History and Social Studies teacher Jerad Koepp of Washington, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Jerad, a Native American who is also known by the name of Wukchumni, has been a teacher of Native American education for over 12 years. Since 2013 he has served as the Native student program specialist for North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, Washington. In this role, he provides cultural and academic support for approximately 230 Native American students from more than 50 tribes, nations, bands, and villages enrolled in the 22 schools within the district. His students can be found at all grade levels from kindergarten to high school seniors, and in schools throughout the district. “My classroom is indoors, outdoors, in a commons or cafeteria, sometimes a library,” Jerad says. “My classroom is wherever learning is happening.”

In addition to his work in the classroom, Jerad serves as the district’s tribal liaison. He also provides training and support for colleagues, designing, leading, and presenting numerous workshops to help create culturally-responsive programs for school districts, state agencies, organizations, and institutions of higher education. He obviously takes the work he does for area Native Americans very seriously. “Public education still has a long ways to go, but in Washington state we’ve been making steady progress,” declares Jerad. “Especially with the implementation of the Since Time Immemorial curriculum, which is a statewide mandate to teach tribal history and sovereignty in our education system,” he explained. “It’s a great resource that’s been approved by all 29 tribes.”

Jerad earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2004 in Native Education in 2004 and his Master’s degree specializing in Native Education in 2008, both from Evergreen State College located in Olympia, Washington.

 

Terry Lee Marzell’s story about her experiences at the Dead Sea published on popular travel website

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Like many educators, both currently working and retired, I have always enjoyed travel to intriguing and historic points of interest, both here at home and abroad. Because I was a child from an impoverished family, I thought traveling was something only rich people could do. I never thought I would ever be able to afford to go to any of the phenomenal places I was learning about in school. How frustrated I have been these past two years when, even though I finally have the time and the money, I was stuck at home because of the global pandemic. I know that many educators all over the world have shared this frustration. Now that travel opportunities have finally opened up, I feel very fortunate to have been able—at last—to take that long-postponed tour of Israel and Jordan.

Author and retired teacher Terry Lee Marzell and her husband Hal Marzell enjoyed two visits to the Dead Sea on a recent tour of Israel and Jordan. The story she wrote about her experiences there has been published on the popular website for travelers We Said Go Travel. Feel free to check it out! Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell.

I’ve already published a couple of posts about my travels to the Middle East here on this website, but I have also written an essay called “Second Chances: Two Visits to the Dead Sea” which not only describes my experiences there, but also reveals an important life lesson. I’m very excited to announce that this piece has just been published on the very popular website for travelers We Said Go Travel.

The website was established by science educator Lisa Ellen Niver, a talented and passionate writer, social media ninja, teacher, public speaker, and global citizen who has traveled to over 100 countries and six continents. You might find her underwater, traveling to an exotic location, teaching in the classroom, or in print, as she shares her insights about social media, science education, lifelong learning, books, and travel.

Check out my newly-published article and the other resources available on Lisa Niver’s website at this link: We Said Go Travel. Enjoy!