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.

Coronavirus claims life of retired PE teacher Myrtle Pollard of NYC

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Sadly, the coronavirus claims the life of New York City retired physical eduction teacher Myrtle Pollard.

The educational community is saddened by the passing of yet another educator who has been lost to the coronavirus. Myrtle Pollard, a retired teacher from New York City, succumbed to the disease on March 28, 2020. She was 80 years old.

Myrtle taught the majority of her career at PS 181 in Flatbush, Brooklyn.  She taught health education and physical education. She also instructed courses in Adult Basic Education in the Bronx. She retired 17 years ago,

Myrtle earned her Bachelor’s degree at Claflin University, a historically Black university located in Orangeburg, Orangeburg County, South Carolina. She earned her Master’s degree at City College of New York. Myrtle was an active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority for 60 years.

Myrtle was one of many educators in her family. Her late husband, her sisters, and her daughter also entered the profession, and all devoted careers to the New York City Department of Education..

To read more about Myrtle, see this link at New York State United Teachers.

Dutch kindergarten teacher knits dolls to represent her students

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During shelter-at-hme directives, Dutch teacher Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin of Banick School in Haarlem, the Netherlands, knitted a doll to represent each child in her class.

Teachers everywhere have expressed repeatedly how much they miss their students since the coronavirus pandemic forced school closures worldwide. But no one can doubt the sincerity of Dutch kindergarten teacher Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin at the Dr. H. Bavinck School located in Haarlem, the Netherlands. She actually knitted a doll for each one of her students!

Ingeborg got the idea to knit the dolls when she saw a knitted doll on Pinterest one day. Without any previous lessons, she decided she was going to knit every one of her students a personal doll.

The creative teacher knitted 23 dolls, one for each of her students. Each doll took three to four hours to create, and each resembles the child it represents. She made sure every student who wore glasses or had freckles had these features represented on the dolls she made. She didn’t leave out any detail. When her students asked if there was a doll to represent the teacher, Ingeborg created one to represent herself.

During recent school closures due to coronavirus pandemic, Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin, a teacher at the Bavinck School in Haarlem, the Netherlands, knitted a doll to represent each child in her class.

To read more about this creative teacher, see this link at Shared.com.

Takeru Nagayoshi named Massachusetts 2020 Teacher of the Year

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Educator Takeru Nagayoshi of New Bedford, Massachusetts, shares his passion for Language Arts with his students.

I enjoy sharing stories about talented educators who have been pubicly recognized for their outstanding work in the classroom. One of these is Takeru Nagayoshi, a high school Language Arts teacher from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Takeru was named his state’s Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator inaugurated his career in education with Teach for America. He admits that teaching wasn’t really something he imagined himself doing long term, but, “I really fell in love with the craft of education,” he said. “Quality teaching is really not about telling kids what to know, but really empowering them to gain the skills so that they can find out what they need to know,” asserts Takeru.

Takeru teaches Advanced Placement English at New Bedford High School. The school serves urban students on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. He has also piloted the research-based AP Capstone program. Less than ten of these programs exists throughout his entire state. In addition to his classroom duties, Takeru coaches colleagues in high-needs districts and serves on an educator diversity task force. This year, he lent his expertise to the launching of an educator leadership program, Southern New England Alumni Leadership Initiative (SNEALI). The program develops local capacity for teachers in the Southern New England area.

For his work, Takeru has earned many accolades. He received the Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teacher Leadership Award in 2019. That same year, he garnered the Boston University Young Alumni Award. In 2018, he earned the Sontag Prize in Urban Education.

Takeru graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. He also earned a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University.

Last year, Takeru encouraged minorities to go into the field of education when hepublished an op-ed piece in the Brown University Daily Herald. “If you’re a person of color and passionate about social justice, try becoming a teacher,” he wrote. “Our presence in the classroom has long-term implications on how future generations will come to navigate race.”

Read more about this chalkboard champion at this link in South Coast Today.

Fanny Barrier Williams: Educator and Activist

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Fanny Barrier Williams: Educator and Activist

Throughout our country’s history, there have been many examples of talented and dedicated educators who have made a mark on society as a whole. One such example is Frances “Fanny” Barrier Williams, a 19th-century teacher and activist. 

Born on February 12, 1855, in Brockport, New York, to free parents, Fanny and her siblings attended the local public school. In 1870, Fanny became the first African American to graduate from the State Normal School in Brockport. When the Civil War was over, this energetic educator accepted a teaching position in the south to help educate newly freed slaves. 

In 1893, when she was 38 years old, Fanny moved north to the city of Chicago, a city which experienced a boom when it hosted the World’s Fair. When Fanny and other black women leaders protested their exclusion from the fair’s planning, this leading-edge teacher was appointed to gather exhibits for the women’s hall. She was also selected to give two speeches during the fair. In her speeches, Fanny argued to a predominantly white audience that African American women were eager and ready for education and to learn new skills. Fanny’s speeches were so well received that she soon became a popular author and orator.

Once the fair was over, Fanny helped form the National League of Colored Women in 1896. She also donated her energy to assist other African American women when they migrated to northern states.

Fannie Williams dedicated her whole life to aiding and uplifting those in need, improving inter-racial relations, and working for justice for all. This remarkable chalkboard champion passed away of natural causes on March 4, 1944. She is buried at High Street Cemetery in Brockport, Monroe County, New York.

To read more about Fanny Bafrrier Williams, see this link to blackpast.org.

George Anderson honored as Iowa’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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George Anderson, a social studies teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been  honored as Iowa’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional classroom teachers who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is George Anderson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who has been honored as his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

George was born in Peoria, Illinois, but was raised just south of Myrtle Beach, in Murrells Inlet/Garden City, South Carolina. He graduated from Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach in 1994. After high school, George enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Infantry. In Fall, 1994, he completed boot camp in Paris Island, South Carolina.

Once he earned his discharge from the military in 1999, George relocated to Iowa to attend the University of Iowa in Iowa City. There he pursued a degree in history. He also completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Social Science Education in 2006 from the same university.

Once he completed his education, George accepted a position at John F. Kennedy High School, where he still teaches today. “I decided I wanted to go back into the community, and find the students that maybe aren’t in love with high school or the idea of secondary education — or really just [have] no big trajectory in life — and try to help those students out,” he confessed. His career at JFK has spanned 13 years.

Within his district, George has a reputation for creating innovative and dynamic curriculum. “As a teacher, I like active rooms, students moving around and discussing the material with other students,” he expressed. “I like to see students engage with the material of history in a way that isn’t just fact recollection or sequencing events. I want student-centered dynamics in the classroom. I do not want to be the center of attention,” he continued.

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, George has served as a the Co-Department Chair for Social Studies, Head Coach for the freshmen and sophomore football teams, and the Assistant Varsity Coach. He also coached shot put and discus for his school’s track & field team, winning two state championships and numerous state and Drake appearances. George has sponsored the Green Club, Young Republicans, and the Video Game Club. He has also served as a building representative for his local teachers’ union.

Way to go, George! To learn more about him, see his biography at CCSSO.