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.

Retired teacher Joseph Miro served in the Delaware House of Reps

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Retired Spanish teacher Joseph Miro also served in the Delaware State House of Representatives. Photo Credit: open states.org

It should be no surprise that very often remarkable educators branch out into other spheres of endeavor. Such is the case with veteran teacher Joseph Miro, who served nearly 20 years in the Delaware State House of Representatives.

Joseph Miro was born on July 15, 1946, in Matanzas, Cuba. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 13, one of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children who fled the Communist regime of Fidel Castro between 1960 and 1962 as a part of Operation Pedro Pan.

He graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in 1970 from Lincoln University, and immediately accepted a position as a Spanish teacher in the Wilmington School District in Wilmington, Delaware. Later he transferred to the Christina School District, also in Wilmington, where he taught Spanish at Newark High School. He completed his Master’s degree at West Chester University in 1975. After a thirty-year career, Joseph retired from the teaching profession in 2001.

Multi-talented, in 1998 Joseph was elected on the Republican ticket to represent the 22nd District in the Delaware State House of Representatives, where he served until 2018. The Cuban American served there as a member of the Legislative Committees for Education; Appropriations; Health and Human Development; and Joint Finance. Prior to his election to the State House of Representatives, Joseph served on New Castle County Council from 1992 to 1998.

English teacher Nathan Anderson serves in Nevada State Assembly

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High school English teacher Natha Anderson also serves in the Nevada State Assembly. Photo Credit: votenatha.com

Many hardworking educators also make successful politicians. One example of this is Natha Anderson, a Nevada English teacher who also serves in her state’s Assembly.

Natha was born in 1972 in Reno, Nevada. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Nevada at Reno.

Once she earned her degree, Natha worked as a high school English teacher. She inaugurated her career at her alma mater, Edward C. Reed High School located in Sparks, Nevada, and later moved on to Vaughn Middle School in Reno. She also became part of the opening staff of North Valleys High School in Reno. In the two decades Natha has worked as an educator, she has taught English, Advanced Placement English, and Leadership.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Natha has served as the President of the Washoe Education Association. She has also completed stints as a local Director of the National Education Association, a Board Member of the Nevada State Education Association, as a member of the Board of Directors for Truckee Meadows Tomorrow, and as a Board Member of the WCSD Education Alliance.

In 2020, Natha was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent the 30th District in the Nevada State Assembly. She assumed office on Nov. 4, 2020. Her current term ends on Nov. 9, 2022. In the State Legislature, she serves on three committees: Government Affairs, Natural Resources, and Revenue. In addition, she vigorously advocates for public education, pushing for more funding for educators and working as a strong advocate for building and repairing schools. Other issues that are important to Natha are mental health care, criminal justice reform, and climate change.

To learn more about this remarkable teacher and legislator, see her website at VoteNatha.com.

Elem teacher Crystal Doi of Hawaii garners prestigious 2022 PAEMST award 

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Elementary school teacher Crystal Doi of Hawaii has garnered a prestigious 2022 PAEMST award. Photo Credit: Lifechanger.com

I always enjoy sharing stories about fine educators who have earned honors for their work in the classroom. One of these is Crystal Doi, an elementary school teacher from Hawaii who has garnered a prestigious 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Currently, Crystal is teaching sixth grade math and science at Kapunahala Elementary School in the Windward School District. Before that, she coordinated the science curriculum for students in kindergarten through fifth grade at Nu’uanu Elementary School in the Honolulu District. Prior to that, she taught sixth graders at Nu’uanu Elementary School in the Honolulu District, at Lili’uokalani Elementary School, and at Nimitz Elementary School. In all, her career as an educator has spanned 15 years.

Crystal has been instrumental in developing STEM instruction in her school and in her district. She was a participant in a district-wide science program called RIP-ing Through Science. While in the program, she authored a chapter in a book called “Look at Us Now!: Making Scientific Practices Matter in the Classroom… and Beyond.” She also co-authored a presentation delivered during the NSTA 2010 National Conference of Science Education.

And as if all that were not enough, Crystal was the teacher-coordinator for her school’s Gardening and Nutrition Program entitled ‘Aina in Schools. The curriculum for this program covers sustainability, nutrition, cooperation, and agriculture —traditional and modern.  She worked with outside agencies and nonprofit groups to acquire needed materials and manpower to construct planter boxes, have soil delivered to school to fill the boxes, have the students plant various types of produce, and have the students maintain and watch these plants and vegetables grow. Then the students harvested the plants and vegetables, cooked them, and consumed what was grown.

Crystal earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Chaminade University of Honolulu and her Associate of Arts from Kapi’olani Community College. She earned her license in Early Childhood Eduction from Hawaii Teachers Standards Board. She has also completed the requirements for certifications for STEM and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, both for kindergarten through sixth grade.

Well done, Crystal!

North Carolina teacher Eugenia Floyd named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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North Carolina elementary school teacher Eugenia Floyd has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Eugenia Floyd, an elementary school teacher from North Carolina who has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Eugenia has taught fourth grade for eight years at Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In her classroom, the honored educator says she emphasizes equity. To achieve this goal, she teaches a unit on social issues. She facilitates discussions about such topics as bullying, racism, and sexism. “Not only do I want to make sure I teach my students material that can connect to the world around us,” Eugenia says, “but I also want them to be able to use what they have learned in order to make themselves and the world a better place,” she continues. “When students are able to connect to their lives and world around them, learning will most definitely happen and stick,” she concludes. In addition, Eugenia says a key element of her approach is having high expectations of all students, rather than imposing any limits on their capacity to learn.

The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She completed her K-6 teacher certification at North Carolina Central University in 2013. In 2020, she earned her Master’s degree in Gifted Education from Elon University located in Elon, North Carolina.

As North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year, Kimberly will serve as a state ambassador for teachers and as an advisor on the State Board of Education for two years. The honor includes a cash award of $8,500, a trip to the National Teacher of the Year Conference and International Space Camp, a leased car, a mobile phone, a foldable laptop computer, and the opportunity to travel abroad.

Congratulations, Eugenia!