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.

Jamil Siddiqui inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Jamil Siddiqui, a mathematics teacher from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, is one of five educators who have been inducted into the 2020 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF). Photo credit: Bostonia Magazine.

Congratulations are due to educator Jamil Siddiqui, a mathematics teacher from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He is one of five educators who have been inducted into the 2020 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF).

Jamil teaches mathematics, Honors Algebra II, Honors Precalculus, and Advanced Placement Calculus at East Bridgewater Junior/Senior High School in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. During his 27 years as a teacher there, he has coached hundreds of students for the AP Calculus test. On average, seven out of ten of those students receive a score of three or higher on the exam. One in three will score a perfect five. Those statistics are well above the national average.

Over the span of his career, the honored educator has seen 16 of his former students become math teachers. The first was a student from his 1996 class, and the most recent is in their mid-20s, Jamil reports.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Jamil has worked closely with Mass Insight Education as a Mathematics Lead Teacher since 2012. He has also served as a College Board consultant for AP calculus since 2014. He was named the Massachuetts State Teacher of the Year in 2019.

Colleagues and students often point out Jamil’s pure love of math, and his undying commitment to his school. They say he is the kind of a teacher who hosts barbecues for his students, attends their sports games, and routinely stays late as a club advisor or a confidante. “I always say, you gotta love something, either your subject or your students,” Jamil says. “The best teachers, I think, love both.”

Jamil earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering in 1993, his Masters of Arts in Teaching in 1994, and his Master of Arts degree in Teaching Pure Mathematics in 1998, all from Boston University.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to Bostonia Magazine.

CA’s Romaine Washington: Educator and acclaimed poet

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Many talented classroom teachers also find notoriety as authors. One of these is Romaine Washington, a California educator who has earned acclaim as a poet. (Photo credit: www.romainewashington.com)

Many talented classroom teachers also find notoriety as authors. One of these is Romaine Washington, a California educator who has earned acclaim as a poet.

Romaine was born and raised in San Bernardino in Southern California. As a latch key kid afflicted with asthma, she spent many after-school hours reading. And even as a youngster, her gift for poetry earned special attention from her teachers.

As an adult, Romaine earned her Bachelor’s degree in French from California State University, San Bernardino. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. She is a fellow of the Inland Area Writing Project (IAWP), a program that offers teachers additional training in instructional practices for writing sponsored by the University of California, Riverside.

After earning her degrees, Romaine worked as a high school teacher. It was in her first year that she completed the IAWP program. “I was invited back to be a workshop presenter and then a facilitator for the summer program,” she recalled. “For two years, I was poet-in-resident,” she continued. She also accepted a position to teach as an adjunct in the Cultural Language and Diversity Program  at her alma mater, Azusa Pacific. In all, her career as an educator has spanned over 20 years.

Romaine has published two books of poetry, including Sirens in Her Belly (2015) and Purgatory Has An Address, which is due to be released in April of this year. Her work has been published in a wide variety of anthologies and periodicals, including San Bernardino Singing, Lullwater Review, and Cholla Needles. She also contributes to the Inlandia Institute, an organization that offers creative writing classes for adults in the Inland Empire of Southern California. In addition, she has presented her work in a wide variety of venues from National Poetry Slam, National Public Radio, and her local radio station KPFK.

To learn more about Romaine, see her website at  www.romainewashington,com.

Arkansas teacher, coach Sean Fletcher succumbs to Covid

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With sadness another educator has been lost to Covid. Sean Fletcher, a German teacher and coach succumbed to the disease on Dec. 12, 2020. Photo credit: Legacy.

With great sadness I report the passing of yet another educator we have lost to Covid. Sean Fletcher, a high school German teacher and coach, succumbed to the disease on December 12, 2020. He was only 49 years old.

Sean was born on July 26, 1971, in Mountain Home, Arkansas. He graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1989. As a young man, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in German Language and Literature in 1993. While in college, he was involved in student government and Theta Chi, Order of Omega.

Sean taught German and History in the Yellville-Summit School District. His career was inaugurated in 1998. He also donated his time as an Assistant Coach for the Yellville-Summit Panthers Baseball team and the Pee-Wee basketball team. He retired in 2020.

This amazing educator will surely be missed by all who knew him.  “Mr. Fletcher was an amazing teacher and coworker,” recalls colleague Rebecca Gates. “He always had us laughing in class. When I started teaching, he welcomed me with open arms and was always willing to answer any questions I had. Parent Walter Severs agrees. “Sean was a very good and beyond good teacher. His influence will be felt through his students and their influences for generations,” asserted Severs. “I first met Sean through our daughter, who was one of his many students. She always told me that he was one of the best teachers she ever had,” Severs continued. “Above all, he sincerely cared about his students and their futures. Sean will always be remembered and talked about in so many good ways for as long as there are memories,” Severs concluded.

The stricken teacher was considered by those who knew him as a true Arkansan who faithfully supported the Arkansas Razorbacks. Sean also spent a large amount of time studying his family’s genealogy.

To see Sean’s obituary, click on this link to the Legacy.

Ohio’s Norma Marcere: African American trailblazer

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Norma Marcere of Canton, Ohio, was a trailblazer in her community. Photo credit: www.cantonrep.com

I enjoy sharing stories about African American teachers who have overcome obstacles to become trailblazers in their community. Norma Marcere of Canton, Ohio, was one such teacher.

Norma was born on Oct. 21, 1908, in Canton, Ohio. As a young girl, she attended Canton McKinley High School, where she graduated in 1926. As soon as she graduated, Norma enrolled at Kent State Normal University. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her Master’s degree in Counseling.

Norma applied for a teaching position in her home town, Canton, but her application was denied because of she was African American. However, she was able to gain employment as an English teacher at Edmund A. Junior High School in the Massillon City School District in the neighboring city of Massillon. Later she accepted a position as a counselor and school psychologist in Akron City Schools.

In 1976, Norma retired from the teaching profession and penned two autobiographies. One was entitled Round the Dining Room Table and the other was entitled The Fences Between. In 1994, the events depicted in these books were re-written into play format which was performed before an audience of 12,000 people.

In 1979, the former teacher founded the Project for Academic Excellence, a weekend program that offered tutoring and assistance to underachieving students. The program evolved into the STRIVE (Study, Think, Read, Investigate, Volunteer, and Excel) program, which helped students deal with social issues and develop personal responsibility.

For her work in the classroom, Norma earned many accolades. She was named the Junior League Woman of the Year in 1973. Walsh University gave her an honorary doctorate in 1980. In 1991 she garnered the Norma Award, an honor named after Norma Sigler Atkins Rowlands. In 1998, the Office for Black Catholic Ministries of the Diocese of Toledo bestowed their Sister Thea Bowman Medallion on Norma. She was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1985.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away from natural causes on Aug. 10, 2004. She was 95 years old. She is interred at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Canton, Stark County, Ohio.