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.

TN teacher Raeven Brooks earns prestigious Milken Educator Award

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Second grade teacher Raven Brooks of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has earned a prestigious 2021-2022 Milken Educator Award. Photo Credit: Milken Family Foundation

I always enjoy sharing an inspirational story about a talented educator who has earned accolades for work in the classroom. Today’s story is about elementary school teacher Raeven Brooks  from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, who has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2021-2022.

Raeven teaches second grade at Black Fox Elementary school in Murfreesboro, the same school she attended when she was a child. In Raeven’s classroom, every learner is fully engaged in high-level which emphasize reasoning and problem-solving. In addition, she runs an intervention math group for students who are one or more years behind grade level. During the pandemic, Raven worked with a colleague to create a camping-themed video lesson incorporating reading and writing skills. The lesson was televised on Murfreesboro City TV for students who were engaged in remote learning.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Raeven co-leads and coordinates district-level data analysis for the school’s Response to Instruction and Intervention-Behavior (RTI2-B) team. She also helps recruit new teachers with the Job Fair team, she mentors new teachers in the school and district, and she supervises student teachers from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). For two years, she has participated in professional learning workshops through Project Inspire, a joint project of Murfreesboro City Schools and MTSU.

Raven earned a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Middle Tennessee State University in 2015. Currently she is enrolled in the university’s Administration and Supervision Graduate Program.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Teacher Ann Turner Cook: The baby face of Gerber Foods

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Did you know that the iconic image of the healthy, happy baby with the sparkling eyes and the inquisitive look on Gerber baby products grew up to become a high school English teacher? That’s right!

Ann Turner Cook

Teacher Ann Turner Cook: As a baby, she was the face of Gerber Foods.

The name of that irresistible baby is Ann Turner Cook. She was born on November 20, 1926, the daughter of Leslie Turner, a syndicated cartoonist who drew the comic strip Captain Easy for more than a decade. In 1928, when Ann was only five months old,  the Gerber company announced they were seeking images of a baby to use on the packaging of their upcoming line of baby foods. Artist Dorothy Hope Smith, a neighbor of the Turner family, submitted a charcoal sketch of Ann, promising to finish the drawing if it was selected. Smith’s drawing competed with thousands of entries, including many elaborate oil paintings, but the judges fell in love with this baby’s cherubic face and, when choosing it as the winner, insisted that the simple illustration remain a sketch. The image was trademarked in 1931, and it has been used on Gerber baby food packaging ever since.

When she grew up, Ann attended the University of South Florida and other post-secondary schools, where she studied education, English, and journalism. She earned several degrees, including a Master’s degree in English Education. After completing her education, Ann became a teacher at Oak Hill Elementary in Tampa, Florida, later transferring to the English Department at Madison Junior High School. In 1966, she accepted a position at Hillsborough High School, also in Tampa, where she taught literature and creative writing. In 1972, her students dedicated their school yearbook, the Hillsborean, to their beloved teacher, who had personally sponsored the book. In it, her students described her as “a teacher who really communicates with the students,” and who, “without any complaints, has stayed late, worked nights, and with quiet efficiency supported her staff in their monumental task.”

Ann’s career as an educator spanned twenty-six years. After retiring, this talented teacher became a successful novelist. A member of the Mystery Writers of America, she is the author of the Brandy O’Bannon series of mystery novels set on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The adventures of Florida reporter and amateur sleuth Brandy O’Bannon are described in Trace Their Shadows, published in 2001, Shadow Over Cedar Key, published in 2003, and Micanopy in Shadow, published in 2008.

Elem teacher Autumn Rivera named Colorado’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year

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Elementary science teacher Autumn Rivera has been named Colorado’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: CPR News

I always enjoy spreading the good news about exceptional educators who have won accolades for their work in the profession. One of these is Autumn Rivera, an elementary school teacher who has been named Colorado’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year.

Autumn teaches sixth grade science at Glenwood Springs Middle School in Glenwood Springs. She is also an adjunct professor at Colorado Mountain College. Her career as an educator spans 17 years.

It makes sense that Autumn should win this award. Her expertise in the classroom is well-known among her colleagues. “The amount of stuff she does really well is what the really crazy part is,” asserts Joel Hathaway, Principal of Glenwood Springs Middle School. “The fact that she can, day after day, class after class, build relationships with kids, get kids excited about science, be so enthusiastic, have super effective lessons and engagement and do all the millions of things that she does for this school, this community, the district and the state is amazing,” Hathaway continues.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Autumn fulfills the role of Science Lead, and she is the track coach at her school. She serves on the Colorado Science Conference planning committee and the Colorado Science Education Network Steering Committee. She is the Region 3 Elementary Board representative for the Colorado Association of Science Teachers, and she has conducted professional development courses at the Roaring Fork EdTech Summit and the Colorado Science Conference. She also volunteers with the American Association of Chemistry Teachers.

Autumn earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and her Master’s degree in Teaching Secondary Science, both from Colorado College in Colorado Springs. She earned an additional Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

Congratulations, Autumn!

Washington’s Harlan Kredit teaches wildlife conservation

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High school biology teacher Harlan Kredit of Lynden, Washington, teaches fish and wildlife conservation. Photo credit: Everipedia

Often remarkable educators extend their talents well beyond the classroom. This is the case with Harlan Kredit, an award-winning biology teacher from the state of Washington.

Harlan was born and raised near Fishtrap Creek in Lynden, Washington. Following his high school graduation, he attended Calvin College, a private liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he graduated in 1961. Later, Harlan earned his Master’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

After earning his degrees, Harlan taught science in Hudsonville, Michigan, from 1962 to 1972. In 1973, he returned to Whatcom County in Washington and accepted a position as a biology teacher at Lynden Christian High School in Bellingham. In the classroom, Harlan fostered an investigative approach to curriculum, and emphasized leadership and fish and wildlife conservation. “My goal each year is to challenge every class with a special project, which, due to their effort, becomes something they own—that is the ‘hook’ I use to engage them. It also becomes a means of giving something back to the community, both now and in the future,” Harlan once expounded. “Using the outdoors as a major part of my teaching focus blends with the interests of the students, is real science, and the excitement of the students has validated that approach.” Harlan organized his students in a salmon restoration project, a tree planting project, and a litter disposal campaign in his home town.

In addition to teaching, Harlan spends his summers as a ranger naturalist and wildfire fighter at Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, and he has also served the National Park Service as a photographer. Furthermore, Harlan educated fellow teachers at the American Wilderness Leadership School in Jackson, Wyoming.

Harlan has been recognized with over 25 awards and honors for his work as an educator and as a  in conservation ecologist, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and the National Conservation Teacher of the Year in 2004. In 2005, he received a Walt Disney Company Teacher Award. Additionally, Harlan has been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Now 83 years old, Harlan continues to teach.