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.

Roberta Sheridan: First Black teacher in Baltimore public schools

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Many fine educators have worked tirelessly towards advancing the cause of hiring African Americans as public school teaches. One of these is Roberta Sheridan. She was the first African American to teach public school in Baltimore, Maryland.

Roberta was born in Baltimore County, Maryland. The exact date of her birth is unknown, but it is believed she was born in 1864. As a young girl, she attended the segregated schools in her home town.

When she grew up, Roberta dedicated herself to the teaching profession. As an African American teacher during the age of segregation, Roberta faced difficulties finding employment. Despite discrimination, records describe her teaching career from 1883 until her death in 1918. She was an avid supporter of the movement to garner government support of education for African American children in Baltimore. Prior to 1867 African American children were educated largely in churches, private schools, or free schools organized by the American Missionary Association and the Association for the Improvement of Colored People. When these schools were turned over to Baltimore City in the fall of 1867 students were taught exclusively by white teachers.

We know that Roberta taught in school in Baltimore County between 1882 and 1888. In 1888, she secured a position at the Waverly Colored Public School. In 1889, after a heated debate over allowing African American teachers to work in public schools in the city, she transferred to School #9, where she became a member of the first staff of teachers to work at that school.

While teaching at Waverly, Roberta met fellow teacher George W. Biddle. She left the classroom to marry him. By the time two years had elapsed, Roberta had given birth to a daughter and left her husband because of spousal abuse. After her divorce, Roberta returned to the classroom. She taught at School #108 until she passed away in 1918 following a brief illness.

To read more about Roberta Sheridan, click on this link to Archives of Maryland: Biographical Series.

 

OK music teacher Leah McDonald garners Medal for Excellence

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Oklahoma music educator Leah is one of five outstanding teachers who has garnered a 2025 Medal for Excellence from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. McDonald Photo credit:Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence

There are many exceptional teachers working with young people in our nation’s public schools, and I am always pleased to shine a spotlight on one of them. Today I shine a light on Leah McDonald, an elementary school music teacher from Oklahoma. She is one of five outstanding teachers who has garnered a 2025 Medal for Excellence from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

Leah teaches music to 750 K-5 students at Heritage Elementary at Edmond Public Schools in Oklahoma City. In her classroom, every one of her third, fourth, and fifth grade students plays the ukulele, including those with limited fine motor skills. Those students are given adaptive instruments and add-on devices with which to make music.

This unique classroom approach is appreciated by her peers. “Leah uniquely connects lessons to each grade level’s regular classroom Oklahoma Academic Standards,” remarks Cathey Bugg, the former Principal of Heritage Elementary. “Literacy is embedded in every lesson. Students read scores and lyrics and interact with children’s literature,” says Bugg.

Leah’s career as an educator spans 27 years, and 26 of them have been spent in Edmond, the city where she grew up. She says she decided to be a music teacher when she was only eight years old. “I became a teacher because of my love and passion for music,” she declares. “I teach music each day because I love children and making music with them,” she continues.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Leah has served in leadership positions in her school and in the state. She has served as an elementary music district facilitator, guiding and mentoring other music Edmond educators. She also chairs her school’s committee for the Great Expectations, a professional development program. In addition, she directs the Edmond Youth Chorus and also completed a stint as the President of the Oklahoma Music Educators Association from 2021-2023.

Her honor from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is not the only recognition Leah has earned. In 2004 she was named Teacher of the Year by Edmond Public Schools, and the same year she became a finalist for her state’s Teacher of the Year.

Leah earned both her Bachelor’s degree and her Master’s degree from Oklahoma State University.

CA Head Football Coach Matt Logan named “winningest” coach in the Inland Empire

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My former co-worker, Head Football Coach Matt Logan of Centennial, California, has been named the “winningest” coach in Southern California’s Inland Empire. Photo credit: Blast Athletics

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional athletic coach, especially if the coach is someone I know! This is the case with football coach Matt Logan of Centennial High School in Corona, California. Before I retired, Matt and I worked together at the school.

Matt graduated from nearby Norco High School in 1985. Ten years later, he was hired as the Defensive Coordinator at Centennial. Two years later, he advanced to Head Coach, where he built a powerhouse football program. In the 28 seasons that have transpired since Matt took the position, he has logged 28 seasons. During that time, he has become the “winningest” coach in Southern California’s Inland Empire, and will very likely be inducted into the Coaches’ Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Matt has led his student athletes to more than 300 victories, a total of ten CIF Southern Section titles, and one CIF State Championship (2018). And that’s not all. For the past 18 consecutive years, one of Matt’s quarterbacks has gone on to become a future college quarterback.

And I had a front row seat for the excitement, having taught at Centennial from the day the school opened in 1989 until I transferred to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale when that school opened in 2006.

So what is Matt’s secret to winning so many games? “The kids who come here know the expectations and obviously want to compete and that’s all we ask of them,” declared Matt. “Do the work, do what we ask, and we compete every week,” he continued. “I always say, ‘We may get beat, but we always compete.’ I don’t care how tall they are, how fast they are, how big they are. We just want good football players,” he concluded.

 

Maine teacher Becky Hallowell named her state’s Teacher of the Year

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Wiscasset Elementary school teacher Becky Hallowell holds her 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year award in an outdoor classroom on the shore of the Sheepscot River, which runs right in front of her school. Photo credit: The Lincoln County News

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for her work in one of our nation’s public schools. One such educator is Becky Hallowell, an elementary school teacher from Maine. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator says she always knew she would become a teacher. “I wanted to be the biggest cheerleader for kids,” she reveals. “I have always been in awe of teachers. They were the people who made me smile and love school. They saw glimmers of my strengths and they encouraged me to chase after my interests,” she concludes.

To achieve her goal of becoming a teacher, Becky earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maine at Farmington in 1994. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Maine in 2011. Her career as an educator spans 30 years.

Becky teaches fourth graders at Wiscasset Elementary School in Wiscasset, Maine. In planning her curriculum, she says she is a huge advocate of project-based outdoor learning. To support this passion, in 2021 Becky worked with fellow teacher Kaden Pendleton to create an outdoor classroom on the banks of the Sheepscot River, which runs in front of the school. She called this classroom the Outdoor Wonderful Learning Space, or OWLS for short. There her second graders cleared the area of invasive species, and then conducted activities such as measuring leaves and diagraming plants.

“I’ve done my research, and the research is telling us that when kids are outside moving around, their ability to focus—even when they go back inside—improves for at least half an hour after they’ve had that outdoor time,” Becky asserts. “It’s something they can touch, it’s where kids tell me they feel safest, and they’re more accessible to learning,” she concludes.

Well done, Becky.

To read more about Becky Hallowell, click on this link to an interview with her published by the Maine Dept. of Education.