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.

We celebrate MLK: A towering figure in American history

Posted on by

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a towering figure in American history. In May, 2021, author Terry Lee Marzell visited the memorial erected to honor this Civil Rights icon, erected in Washington, DC. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

The annual celebration of Martin Luther King Day is always a somber day for me. As a child of the 1960’s, I was just 13 years old when the icon was assassinated in 1968.  Before his death, I remember watching televised speeches from the beloved minister and revered Civil Rights leader, who called for the fair and equitable treatment of all American citizens, regardless of skin color. As a speaker, MLK was mesmerizing.

Like many young teenagers, I was at an age when I was developing an acute sense of fairness and justice—not just for myself, but for all people—and an awareness that as a society there was a great deal of work to be done in this area, even in a country so great as America. I was becoming a socially conscious being. MLK’s message of resonated, not only with me, but also for millions of people of all ages. Like millions of American citizens throughout our country, his murder hit me hard.

As an educator, I was often given the opportunity to lead my students in a study of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. His employment of repetition, metaphor, simile, and analogy are as wonderful as his oratorical skills. This speech is a delight to the English teacher.

MLK was a towering figure in American history, and the memorial erected in Washington, DC, to honor this amazing historical figure depicts this. I visited the monument in May, 2021. I love this monument, which concretely shows the unfinished nature of MLK’s work. There is still a great deal of work to be done.

NYC’s Deborah Meier is the founder of the modern “small schools” movement

Posted on by

Former New York City kindergarten teacher Deborah Meier is well-known as the founder of the modern “small schools” movement. Photo credit: deborahmeier.com

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to initiate important reforms in the field of education. One of these is Deborah Meier, a former kindergarten teacher who is well-known as the founder of the modern “small schools” movement.

Deborah began her work as a public school teacher, principal, writer, and advocate in the early 1960s, after graduation from the University of Chicago. Her first teaching position was as an early childhood teacher in Chicago. Later, when her family moved to New York City, she taught kindergarten in Central Harlem.

For the next 20 years, Deborah helped revitalize public schools in New York City’s East Harlem District 4. In 1974, she founded Central Park East Elementary School, a highly successful public school that served primarily African American and Hispanic families. During the next dozen years, Deborah opened two other Central Park East elementary schools in District 4, as well as an acclaimed secondary school.

In 1995 she moved to Boston to establish Mission Hill, a K-8 school in Roxbury, Massachusetts. This schools was part of a network Deborah created that helped initiate new small schools, both elementary and secondary, in New York and Boston. At the schools she established, Deborah fostered democratic communities, giving teachers greater autonomy in the running of a school, giving parents a voice in what happens to their children in schools, and promoting intergenerational connections. She has always been an advocate of active, project-based learning, and of graduation through a series of exhibitions of high quality work.

In addition to her work in the classroom and as an administrator, Deborah is the author of numerous books and articles, including The Power of Their Ideas, Lessons to America from a Small School in Harlem, and In Schools we Trust. She is an outspoken critic of state-mandated curriculum and high stakes standardized testing and has written extensively on their unreliability and class/race biases.

For her work in the field of education, Deborah has earned many accolades. In 1987,  she garnered a MacArthur “genius” Award. During the 1990s, she served as an Urban Fellow at the Annenberg Institute. In addition, she is a member of the Boards of FairTest, Save Our Schools, the Center for Collaborative Education, and the Association for Union Democracy. She is also a member of the editorial board of The Nation, The Harvard Education Letter, and Dissent magazines.

Illinois teacher Jane Jones succumbs to Covid-19

Posted on by

Jane Jones, a Special Education teacher at Byron Middle School in Rockford, Illinois, succumbed to Covid-19 on December 14, 2021. She was just 44 years old. Photo credit: Rockford Register Star

Sadly, we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Jane Jones, a junior high school teacher from Illinois, succumbed to the disease, complicated by the onset of pneumonia, on December 14, 2021. She was just 44 years old.

Jane was a Special Education teacher at Byron Middle School in Rockford, Illinois. The beloved educator will be sorely missed. “Our entire school community is grieving the loss of a wonderful educator and amazing person,” commented Superintendent Buster Barton.

The fallen educator was born September 18, 1977, in Moline, Illinois. She grew up in Orion, Illinois, where she played volleyball, basketball, track, and excelled in art class. After her graduation from high school, Jane attended the University of Illinois, majoring in Education, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2000, graduating first in her class. While there, she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. At the time of her passing, Jane was just one class short of completing her Master’s degree.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree, Jane accepted her first teaching position as a middle school science educator at Sarah Bank School in Walled Lake, Michigan. After a stint in DeePere, Wisconsin, Jane and her husband Ryan moved with their three children to Byron, Illinois. There Jane began substitute teaching, and later she accepted a full-time position as a Special Education teacher at Byron Middle School.

According to her obituary, Jane loved her students like her own. Her passion for each student was evident in the countless hours she spent in the classroom. Even through her hardest days this past year, her students were always on her mind. “She made sure to know the little things about someone,” remembered friend Victoria Kuzlik. “She was one of the nicest people you would ever meet.”

A scholarship fund will be established in Jane’s name at Byron High School.

Former teacher Lisa Cano Burkhead becomes Nevada State Lt. Governor

Posted on by

Former English and Spanish teacher Lisa Cano Burkhead has just been named the 36th Nevada State Lieutenant Governor. Photo credit: lisafornv.com

Many fine classroom teachers have also distinguished themselves as capable politicians. One of these is Lisa Cano Burkhead, a former English and Spanish teacher who has just become the 36th Nevada State Lieutenant Governor.

Lisa was born and raised in Las Vegas. She is the daughter of immigrants. Her father was born in Argentina, and her mother was from Paraguay. Lisa’s parents came to Las Vegas in 1965 to give their children a better life and to pursue the American dream. Although her parents only had an elementary education, they emphasized the value of education in their children.

After her graduation from high school, Lisa earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish and her teaching credential from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. Then she returned to Nevada, where she spent a decade teaching English and Spanish in Clark County schools. Later she was named the Dean of Students and Assistant Principal at Eldorado High School. There Lisa worked with students and parents to develop leadership skills, enroll in AP and enrichment classes, and prepare to get good jobs or start their own businesses.

After a number of years working in schools, Lisa spent several years as Chief of Staff to Northwest Region Superintendent Richard A. Carranza, before returning to Fertitta Middle School as a principal. For the past six years, she served as principal at Foothill High.

For her work as an educator, Lisa was named Administrator of the Year by the Nevada Association of Student Councils in 2008. In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious Public Education Foundation’s Best in Class Award for School Leadership, which honors high performance, strategic thinking, and innovation.

In 2021, after a career as an educator that spanned 25 years, Lisa retired from the Clark County School District. In December, she was nominated by Governor Steve Sisolak to replace Kate Marshall as the 36th Nevada State Lieutenant Governor. Lisa assumed office on December 16, 2021. In this position, Lisa plans to advance the causes of public education.

Way to go, Lisa!