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.

California’s Eliza Robbins Crafts was a pioneer educator and local history author of the Wild West

Posted on by

Eliza Robbins Crafts was a pioneer educator and local history writer in the early days of San Bernardino County, California. Photo Credit:

There are many intriguing stories about intrepid pioneer educators who helped to settle the Wild West during the late 1800’s. One of them was Eliza Robbins Crafts, a teacher and writer who had an unmistakable impact on the settling of the San Bernardino area of Southern California.

Eliza was born Eliza Russell on Nov. 29, 1825, in Unadello Center, Otsego County, New York. As a young girl, she attended Madam Willard’s Female Seminary. She graduated from the school in 1847. The education she earned there was far greater than the typical young woman of her day. Once she completed school, Eliza migrated to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she worked as a teacher on a sugar plantation. There she met and married Ellison Robbins, a fellow educator from her home state of New York. Before long, the couple relocated to Santa Clara, California, where they taught school for three years. In 1858, the couple was persuaded to relocate to San Bernardino, where they were hired to lead the school system. The system was comprised of two one-room adobe structures that were built next door to each other. One was named Washington and the other was named Jefferson.

Unfortunately, Ellison succumbed to pneumonia in 1864. He was only 43 years old. Shortly thereafter, Eliza married Myron Harwood Crafts. But that marriage did not last long, as in 1886 Myron also succumbed to pneumonia. At the time, Eliza was 61, and found the estates she inherited from Ellison and Myron too much for her to handle. She sold her assets and moved to Redlands to live with her daughter, Rosabelle. During the next few years, Eliza authored a local history book entitled Pioneer Days in the San Bernardino Valley, which was published in 1906. The book contained a description of life in San Bernardino County in the early days, the disastrous flood of 1862, the Civil War years, the assassination of President Lincoln, and how the residents defended themselves when they received news that a marauding band of Southern sympathizers was headed their way.

Eliza Robbins Crafts was 85 years old when she passed away in February of 1910. She is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Redlands, California. She will always be known in the San Bernardino area as a pioneer educator and local history author. To read more, click on this link to the online article published about her by the Redlands Area Historical Society.

 

Elem educator Kelly Shrein named Alaska’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Elementary school teacher Kelly Shrein of Anchorage has been named Alaska’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Alaska Public Media

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these educators is Kelly Shrein, an elementary school teacher from Anchorage, Alaska. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Kelly teaches a combination class for first and second graders at Chinook Elementary School in Anchorage. During the pandemic, she demonstrated extraordinary resolve to connect with her students beyond online teaching. She started by driving to the house of each of her students to express how much they were missed. She then began writing postcards, setting up Zoom meetings, and making phone calls consistently through the Spring and Summer.

“This past school year has thrown so many curveballs at educators and our students and their families,” asserts Kelly. “And I learned through this experience, I just needed to think outside of the box more,” she said. “How do I connect more with my students? How do I connect more with their families? How do I keep these relationships going? Because they’re so important,” she concluded.

When classes resumed via Zoom in Fall of 2020, attendance in her class was higher than anticipated. The results of the time spent connecting with students outside of class were apparent. Her outreach gained the attention of local news outlets around the country and was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine in May, 2020.

Her effort did not go unnoticed by administrators in her District. “Kelly Shrein is a shining example of what makes Alaska’s educators among the best in the country,” declares school Commissioner Michael Johnson. “Even in the face of adversity, Mrs. Shrein goes to extraordinary lengths on a daily basis to connect with her students and ensure an excellent education, regardless of the circumstances,” he continued. “Kelly’s work to reach out to, support, and encourage her students throughout the pandemic shows tremendous creativity and care – not just for who the students are today, but for the adults and leaders they will become in the future,” Johnson concluded.

Kelly earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2013 from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. In 2018, she earned a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Reading and Literacy from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

To read more about Kelly Shrein, see this article about her published on the website for  CCSSO Teacher of the Year.

Making sure AAPI students feel seen, affirmed, and included

Posted on by
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month recently came to a close, but supporting AAPI students is important all year round. In this short video message provided by Teacher2Teacher, educator Natasha Akery of South Carolina shares her suggestions for making sure that every student feels seen, affirmed, and included. Take a look:

 

 

Incorporating a tour of the Israeli Parliament into classroom curriculum

Posted on by

Summer has finally arrived, and this is the time that many educators are eager to incorporate travel into their vacation plans. Teachers know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. I recently returned from a trip to Israel, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

A visit to the parliament of another country, particularly, offers opportunities for comparisons between the American system of government and the systems of other democracies around the world.

Author and retired teacher Terry Lee Marzell tours the Israeli Parliament during her recent trip to Israel and Jordan. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

An excellent example of this is the visit I made to the Knesset. The Knesset is the governing body of the Israeli government, responsible for electing the president, approving the cabinet, passing national laws, and supervising committees. Unlike the legislature of the United States, which features two houses—a Senate and a House of Representatives—there is only one house in the Israeli Parliament. The Knesset’s 120 members are elected by popular vote and represent all of the various communities present in the country’s populations. Knesset members serve four-year terms. The most surprising fact I learned on my visit? Israel has no formal constitution! Instead, the country is governed by a set of 13 Basic Laws which were originally intended to be a rough draft of a constitution; however, the final document was never written.

Science teachers might want to point out that the structure of the Knesset is one of the greenest parliament buildings in the world, constructed with numerous large windows to allow for abundant natural lighting, solar panels covering the roof, auto-close air-conditioners, and thermally insulated double-paned windows.

Hal Marzell visits the Plenary Hall of the Israeli Parliament on a recent tour of the Knesset. Photo Credit: Terry Lee Marzell

Art and interior design teachers can also create lessons based on a tour of the Knesset. For example, in contrast to the chambers housing the US Senate and the House of Representatives, the Israeli Parliament meets in a rather starkly-furnished room. This assembly room, known as Plenary Hall, is three stories tall.  Knesset members are seated by rank in a horse-shoe shape on the Plenum floor facing a dais where the Speaker sits. Behind the dais rises a wall adorned with a mostly flat, rather colorless artistic sculpture by Israeli artist Dani Karavan (1930–2021). The artwork, entitled “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem” (Psalms 122:6), is based on the theme of the relationship between the spiritual, heavenly Jerusalem and the physical, earthly Jerusalem. The wall is comprised of large rectangular blocks of Galilee stone. On the left side of the wall hangs a portrait of Theodor Herzl, an early visionary of the Jewish state, etched on a tablet of dark zinc. Looking down over the plenary floor are the VIP gallery, which is where the Israeli president sits while observing Knesset sessions, and the public gallery.

Terry Lee Marzell examines the immense wall mosaic designed especially for the Knesset by Jewish artist Marc Chagall. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

One of the most striking aspects of the art of the Knesset, though, are the art pieces designed by world-renowned Russian-born Jewish artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985). He created three large tapestries, 12 floor mosaics, and one wall mosaic specifically for the Knesset’s State Hall, the scene of important state ceremonies and state events. These works of art incorporate scenes from the Old Testament combined with depictions of events in modern history, and emphasize the return to the Promised Land. Obviously, the concept of the separation between church and state which permeates much of American government is not a part of the governing processes of Israel.

And that’s my personal take-away on how my recent tour of Israel’s Knesset could contribute to the classroom curriculum. Other ideas? Feel free to comment.