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.

Actor Hugh Jackman of “Wolverine” fame once worked as a PE teacher

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Hugh Jackman has earned celebrity status for playing the role of Wolverine in the popular X-Men film series. But did you know that before he became an actor, he was a physical education teacher in England?

Hugh was born in Sydney, Australia, to parents who had immigrated to the Down Under from the United Kingdom. As a youngster, he attended public schools, where he sometimes participated in amateur theatrical productions, until his graduation from high school.

At first, Hugh toyed with the idea of become a journalist, and he enrolled at Sydney’s University of Technology. It was during his gap year in 1987 that Hugh accepted a position as a physical education teacher at Uppingham School, a public school located in Uppingham, England. At the conclusion of his teaching assignment, Hugh returned to Sydney, where he completed the requirements for his Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Technology in 1991. By then, Hugh had been bitten by the acting bug, so he enrolled in “The Journey” at the Actors’ Centre in Sydney, where he completed a one-year course. Next he attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at Edith Cowan University located in Perth. There he earned a second degree in 1994.

As it turns out, the former teacher’s decision to change careers turned out to be a good one. His most celebrated role is as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, a character he played from 2000 to 2017. He was also cast in the lead role in the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold in 2001;  the popular musical Les Miserablesin 2012; the musical The Greatest Showman in 2017, and the political drama The Front Runner in 2018. In addition, he voiced roles in the animated films Happy Feet in 2006; Rise of the Guardians in 2012; and Missing Link in 2019.

Throughout his acting career, Hugh has earned many accolades. For his role as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, he was nominated for an Academy Award and he won a Golden Globe Award, and for his role in The Greatest Showman, he earned a Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album. He has also garnered two Tony Awards.

 

Marzell earns prestigious Mathiesen Award from CalRTA

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Terry Lee Marzell has earned a prestigious Martin P. Mathiesen Award from the California Retired Teachers Association. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Author and retired teacher Terry Lee Marzell was one of four members of the California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA) who received a 2025 Martin P. Mathiesen Award. The awards were announced at the Annual Convention and Delegate Assembly held in Los Angeles last June.

The Mathiesen Award is presented to recognize CalRTA members for their service to CalRTA and to the community. Marzell earned the honor for her service as the CalRTA Division 80 President, newsletter editor, and Scholarship Committee member. Marzell has also participated in numerous community service projects, including gathering donations of clothing and hygiene products for low-income students, food banks, and homeless shelters, and pet foods and supplies for the local no-kill pet shelter. She has also worked as an adult literacy tutor at her local library.

The Mathiesen Award is given to runners-up for the 2025 Ruth Q. DePrida Award, which was earned by Lynn McKenna of Eureka. In addition to Marzell, this year’s Mathiesen Award winners included Scott Schmerelson of the San Fernando Valley; Pat Zetah of Solano County; and David Belk of Redlands—Yucaipa.

Peter Tork of Monkeys fame was also a teacher

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Peter Tork of the Monkeys fame was also a teacher. Photo Credit: UK Music Reviews

Former teacher Peter Tork didn’t Monkee around. But there was a time in his life when he did.

In the mid-1960s, a pop band known as the Monkees hit the music scene with a few songs and a zany television show aimed at American teens. The band became, literally, an overnight sensation. Peter Tork, who played bass guitar and keyboards, was a member of that band. The other three members were Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith.

Over the next five years, the group attempted to keep up with a whirlwind schedule that included weekly television sitcom episodes, studio recording sessions, national and international concert tours, and a full-length feature movie. The hard work paid off. Since they first hit the scene, the Monkees have sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling groups of all time. Their best known songs are “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Daydream Believer,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”

But the work schedule, creative differences with producer Don Kirshner, and infighting among the band members left Peter exhausted. In December, 1968, he bought out the remaining four years of his contract and left the Monkees. For the next few years, Peter drifted from one gig to another and spent or gave away all his Monkees earnings. By 1975, he’d hit rock bottom.

That’s when, even though he had dropped out of college, Peter accepted a position as a teacher at Pacific Hills School, a private secondary school in Santa Monica, California. He was hired to work there by Dr. Penrod Moss, the school’s director, because Moss was so impressed by Peter’s interview. “I like to hire people who are independent and creative,” Moss explained. “I was impressed by his personality and his ability to talk.” For Peter, a career in the classroom is not so odd when you consider that his father was an economics professor at the University of Connecticut for many years. At Pacific Hills, Peter taught many subjects, including English, math, drama, history, and music. He also served as a baseball coach at several schools. In all, Peter’s career as an educator spanned three years.

In 1986, the Monkees got together again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band. The following year they released a new studio album which earned measured success. Since then, Peter participated with fellow Monkees in numerous reunion shows and tours, until band member Davy Jones passed away in 2012.

In March, 2009, the former teacher was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, and later that year underwent extensive surgery. Despite being declared cured, ten years later the cancer recurred, and he succumbed to the disease on February 21, 2019. He was 77 years old.

Lydia Aholo taught traditional language to Native Hawaiian students

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Lydia Kaonohiponiponiokalani Aholo taught courses in Native Hawaiian language and culture. Photo Credit: Kamehameha Schools Archives

I always enjoy sharing stories about educators who have worked with indigenous groups of students. One of these educators was Lydia Kaonohiponiponiokalani Aholo, a Native Hawaiian teacher who taught aspects of the traditional culture to other indigenous Hawaiian students.

Lydia was born on February 6, 1878, in the little town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. She was the third child born to mother Keahi Aholo, who died when Lydia was only six years old, and father Luther Aholo, the Secretary to John Owen Dominis, who was serving as the Governor of Maui at the time. Dominis was the husband of Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Islands. The royal adopted Lydia, even over the strong objections of her husband and other members of her family.

As a young girl, Lydia attended first Kawaiahao Female Seminary, and then Kamehameha School, a private school for Native Hawaiian girls. In fact, she was a member of the first graduating class for girls in 1897. She then studied Music and Secretarial Sciences at Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music located in Oberlin, Ohio.

Once she returned to the Islands, Lydia accepted a teaching position at her alma mater, Kamehameha School for Girls. She worked under Principal Ida May Pope. There Lydia taught the Hawaiian language. As a teacher, former students and family members described her as very strict about matters of etiquette and the proper way to conduct oneself in public. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Lydia performed secretarial services as a stenographer and accountant, and she also worked for the Hawaiian Homes Commission and for the Federal Credit Union as a Secretary-Treasurer. She retired from the teaching profession at the age of 75.

All of her life, Lydia’s talent for. music was well-known, particularly in the area of traditional Hawaiian songs. She served as a mentor to her grand-nephew, Alfred Apaka, Jr, and instructed him in the proper enunciation, phrasing, and interpretation of traditional Hawaiian songs. In addition she became the Director of the Liahona Glee Club, which had been organized in the 1920s.

Lydia Aholo never married or had children of her own. She passed away on July 7, 1979. She was 101 years old. She is interred at Nuuanu Memorial Park. To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link to Kaiwakiloumoku Indigenous Institute.