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.

Teacher Mona Lee Brock: “The Angel on the End of the Line”

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Teacher and guidance counselor Mona Lee Brock of Oklahoma. She was often called “The Angel on the End of the Line.” Photo credit: Oklahoma Farm Report

I love to share stories about teachers who go above and beyond, not only for their students, but also for their families. One of these is Mona Lee Brock from Oklahoma, who dedicated her considerable energy to helping suicidal farmers in her home state. In fact, she was often called “The Angel on the End of the Line.”

Mona was born in Madill, Oklahoma, on Jan. 1, 1932. She was one of eight children. As a youngster, she attended Kingston High School. As a young woman, she attended Southeastern State College. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1964. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Oklahoma in 1967.

Once she earned her degrees, Mona accepted a position as a teacher in the Moore Public School System in Oklahoma. She also served as a guidance counselor and the school’s principal.

During the 1980’s, farmers in her home state and elsewhere in the country were hit hard by droughts, high production costs, low prices, bad loans, and a Russian embargo on grains. The struggle to survive these conditions caused many farmers to commit suicide. To combat this tragedy, Mona personally manned a suicide prevention hotline, which she ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s how she earned her nickname, “The Angel on the End of the Line.” Her work was noticed by musician Willie Nelson, who contributed money to her cause. He was also motivated to launch his Farm Aid campaign, which raised over $50 million to help struggling farmers.

Sadly, this amazing Chalkboard Champion succumbed to congestive heart failure on March 19, 2019. You can learn more about Mona Lee Brock through her obituary at the New York Times.

PA educator Dorothy Sumners Rush inducted into Germantown Historical Society’s Hall of Fame

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Dorothy Sumners Rush, seen here at right, with her daughter Jocelyn Rush and her son, Bruce Rush., in 2015. Photo credit: The Philadelphia Tribune.

There are many fine educators who have earned honor for their work in the field of education. One of these is Dorothy Sumners Rush of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was inducted into the Germantown Historical Society’s Hall of Fame.

Dorothy was born on November 2, 1932 in Trenton, New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Science from New Jersey State Teachers College in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1953. She earned her Master’s degree in Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1970.

Once she earned her degrees, Dorothy inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position as a junior high school teacher of mathematics and science in Trenton, New Jersey in 1953.

In 1957, Dorothy relocated to Pennsylvania, where she worked at Emlen Elementary School in Germantown, for 15 years. She then spent 19 years as Vice Principal of Ada Lewis Middle School. As an administrator at Ada Lewis, she taught algebra in a before-school program, nurtured partnerships with businesses that resulted in tutoring for students, and helped students start their own company: Ada Lewis Enterprises, which marketed products such as student-made pillows, cutting boards, and cookies, an enterprise that gave students real-life lessons. She retired in 1991 and then was appointed to serve on the School Board two years later, eventually becoming the Board’s Vice President.

In addition to her induction into the Germantown Historical Society’s Hall of Fame, Dorothy received recognition for her service from the National Adoption Center in Philadelphia in 1985, She also earned honors for her community service from the Philadelphia City Council in Philadelphia in 1994. She was also the first ever recipient of the Polemarch’s Legacy Award from the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Philadelphia Alumni Chapter, in 2015. The same year, Dorothy was named a Women of Moxie by the City of Philadelphia.

The Germantown Hall of Fame in Pennsylvania celebrates the achievements of individuals who have made significant contributions to the cultural history and the community of Germantown. The  honorees embody the skills and talents to the civic, educational, and artistic fabric of the community. Created in 1994 by the Germantown Historical Society operated until 2007. After a hiatus, Historic Germantown reinstated the program in 2018.

Kamehameha schools preserve Native Hawaiian culture

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Kamehameha Schools, first established in 1887, serve the important function of preserving Native Hawaiian culture, history, and language.  Photo credit: Kamehameha Schools

While conducting research for my book Chalkboard Champions, I learned a great deal about numerous types of schools that I had never heard about in my thirty-odd years as an educator. Industrial schools, emancipation schools, farm schools, normal schools, specialist schools. Where were all these terms when I went through student teaching? One type of school I learned about that I found particularly intriguing is the Kamehameha School located in the beautiful state of Hawaii.

Kamehameha Schools were first established in 1887 at the bequest of Bernice Bishop, also known as Princess Pauahi, a member of the Hawaiian royal family when the state was still a territory. Princess Pauahi and her beloved husband, an American named Charles Reed Bishop, had no children of their own, and so when she passed away in 1882 at the age of 52, she directed that her vast estate should be used to benefit and educate underprivileged Native Hawaiian children. Two schools were built: one for boys and one for girls. Eventually the two schools were merged to form a co-ed school, now located on a six-hundred-acre campus on the main island of Oahu overlooking Honolulu Harbor. Other branches of the school have been built on neighboring Hawaiian islands.
Kamehameha Schools serve the important function of preserving Native Hawaiian culture, history, and language. One of the ways this is done is through the annual choral competition known as the Kamehameha Song Contest, where traditional Hawaiian songs and dances as well as new compositions in the genre are performed by the students. This is a wonderful tradition that goes back 45 years.
When I think of Chalkboard Champions, my first thought is of teachers, of course, but individuals such as Princess Pauahi who support schools financially and with their volunteer hours are also heroes to our students!

Read more about Kamehameha Schools in my book Chalkboard Champions, available on amazon.

Turn-of-the-century farm schools taught vocational skills

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Boys work the farm at the Lyman School for Boys in Massachusetts. In 1890, 190 boys lived at the school. Photo credit: Westborough Public Library

When we think of schools today, I think most of envision the standard classroom with one teacher and 30 or so students, a chalkboard or white board, students desks, a bulletin board, playground, and so on. But while I was conducting research for my first book Chalkboard Champions, I learned a great deal about various types of schools that I had never heard about in my 36 years as a teacher. Industrial schools, emancipation schools, farm schools, normal schools, specialist schools—just to name a few. In our nation’s past there were many types of schools that didn’t look like the picture of a standard classroom. One type of school I learned about that I found particularly intriguing is the farm school.

A farm school was a boarding school which primarily served teen-aged boys. These schools were most often established by missions or charitable organizations during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The purpose of the farm school was to care for orphans and homeless youth, while simultaneously giving these youngsters the opportunity to learn a marketable skill which would enable them to find employment on farms in the Midwest or the South.

The farm school provided housing, food, and medical care. In addition to room and board, the school offered training in agricultural skills, and in fundamental literacy skills in such subjects as reading, writing, and mathematics.

Today, a farm school offers outdoors programs that teach learners to appreciate the importance of farm-to-table practices, healthier eating habits, preparation of our natural environment, and becoming active agents of change in their communities.