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.

MA Special Ed teacher Louisa Sparrow named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

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Massachusetts Special Eduction educator Luisa Sparrow has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Boston Public Schools

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for their work in public schools. One of these was Luisa Sparrow, an elementary special education teacher from Massachusetts. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Luisa teaches fifth and sixth graders with intellectual disabilities in a multi-grade, self-contained classroom at Oliver Hazard Perry School in Boston. Her curriculum covers what is known as “life skills,” which includes such topics as personal hygiene, shopping for groceries, community navigation, and for some students, toileting. But the curriculum includes content area as well. Luisa says she is passionate about developing her students’ literacy skills and fostering a classroom community where all students can learn, grow, and be accepted. “My students, just like all others with significant disabilities, deserve the opportunity to learn alongside their neurotypical peers, not because they are able do many of the same tasks, but simply because everyone deserves a chance to belong,” declares Luisa. In addition to her work in her classroom, she serves on her school’s inclusion planning team. She also designed her school’s inclusive Cooking Club, an accessible environment.

As if all this were not enough, Luisa mentors Boston teachers who are pursuing their National Board Certification, and she serves as a Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow. She is also an inaugural member of the Education Week Teacher Advisory Panel. Outside of school, she spends her time supporting young people who are experiencing state custody through the foster care system and working with senior citizens to document their life stories. 

Luisa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Cornell University in 2005. He earned her Master’s degree in Education with a focus in language and literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2014. She completed the requirements for her National Board Certification as an Exceptional Needs Specialist.

Luisa launched her teaching career as an educator in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas when she became a 2005 Teach for America Corps member. Later she worked as an educator in Costa Rica, Delaware, and Philadelphia before relocating to Massachusetts. 

 

Educator Jaime Escalante taught students to “Stand and Deliver”

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Mathematics educator Jaime Escalante taught his students to “Stand and Deliver.” Photo credit: UCLA Digital Library

One of the most well-known teachers in twentieth-century American history, Jaime Escalante, passed away in 2010, but already his story is fading from our collective cultural memory. He was the teacher portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the 1988 hit movie Stand and Deliver.

The recipient of numerous awards and special praise from President Ronald Reagan, Jaime Escalante was a popular and talented teacher who challenged supposedly “unteachable” inner-city Latino students to achieve beyond a level anyone thought them capable of. He eventually led them to unparalleled success on the extremely difficult Advanced Placement Calculus exam.

In researching Jaime’s life story for my own book, Chalkboard Champions, I learned some surprising facts about this remarkable educator. For example, the movie never mentions that prior to immigrating to the United States, he earned a degree in mathematics and a teaching credential in Bolivia. Jaime was a veteran teacher with nine years of experience in prestigious schools when he decided to leave his politically unstable homeland and come to America in search of a better life for his family. Once he arrived, unable to speak a word of English, Jaime discovered that his education, training, and experience held no value here.

Determined to return to the classroom, Escalante set about learning the English language and earning his university degree all over again. It took him ten years to get back into the classroom, at a significant cut in pay, by the way. But to this dedicated teacher, it was well-worth the hard work.

A well-researched and well-written account of this celebrated educator’s life can be found in the biographical book Jaime Escalante: The Best Teacher in America by Jay Matthews. For a condensed version of Jaime Escalante’s life, check out chapter 12 my volume, Chalkboard Champions. Either way, you’ll find his story compelling and inspiring.

Old-time singing cowboy Skeeter Hubbert became a CA music teacher

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Many times talented entertainers find their way into classrooms, influencing impressionable young minds to pursue similar interests in the performing arts. One of these was Ernest “Skeeter” Hubbert, a singing cowboy who became a popular music educator in Riverside, California.

Ernest was born on July 10, 1924, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was musically gifted as a child, and when he grew up, he studied at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music and the Sorbonne in France. Eventually he enrolled at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he earned his Master’s degree in Music.

In the mid-1930s, Ernest landed a position in the band of Stuart Hamblen, and he also played rhythm guitar and trumpet on commercial recordings with Texas Jim Lewis. When WWII erupted, Ernest formed his own group of Western musicians which he dubbed Skeeter Hubert and his Cowboys. The Standard Transcriptions Company created approximately 40 recording with this group. These recording received widespread national airplay, earning Ernest a reputation for being the most popular singing cowboy on the air. In addition to performances as a musician, he also worked as an extra in many Western movies.

After the war was won, Ernest earned a living teaching music and directing choral groups in the Los Angeles area. Eventually he relocated to the city of Riverside, located in Southern California’s Inland Empire. There he accepted positions as a music teacher, first at Chemawa Junior High School, and then at Matthew Gage Junior High School. Next he taught music at Alcott Elementary School for two years before returning to Gage. He also directed civic choral groups in the area. Eventually, the former singing cowboy retired from the teaching profession.

Ernest passed away on Oct. 12, 1989. He was 75 years old. But the impact he made on young student musicians lives on to this day. To read more about Ernest “Skeeter” Hubbert, click on this link to an article written about him from his former student, Steve Lech, published on Dec. 18, 2022, in the Press Enterprise.

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.