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.

Social Studies teacher and Massachusetts politician Annissa Essaibi-George

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Social Studies teacher and Massachusetts politician Annissa Essaibi-George

I enjoy telling stories about hardworking educators who also experience success as politicians. One of these is Annissa Essaibi-George, a high school social studies teacher who is also a Massachusetts politician. She serves as the member at large on the Boston City Council.

Annissa was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of immigrants. Her mother, whose parents were Polish, was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany. Her father was born in Tunisia. The couple met in school in Paris, married, and immigrated to the United States in 1972. They  landed in Boston.

As a young girl, Annissa graduated from Boston Technical High School. The institution is now known as the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.  As a high school student, she got involved in student government. She even spoke out at a City Hall Plaza rally protesting school budget cuts proposed by Ray Flynn, then mayor of Boston.

After her high school graduation, Annissa enrolled at Boston University, where she majored in political science. During these years she completed an internship in the office of US Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) in Washington, DC. Once Annissa earned her Bachelor’s degree, she accepted a position as the Student Services Liaison at the Boston Private Industry Council. While in this job, Annissa earned her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Once she earned her Master’s, Annissa inaugurated her career in education as a social studies teacher at East Boston High School. She instructed courses in Economics, Business Management (as part of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship), Financial Literacy, and Health & Human Services to juniors and seniors. She also served as the assistant softball coach. Annissa taught at the high school for 13 years, from 2001 to 2013.

in November, 2015, Annissa was elected on the Democratic ticket as a member at large on the Boston City Council. There she serves as the Chairperson of the Committee on Homelessness, Mental Health, and Recovery. But she says her main priority is issues related to schools. “Education will always be at the top of my list,” declares Annissa. “I’m a teacher. I’ve had that very real experience. That’s one reason the voters picked me—my intimate knowledge of education as a teacher and as a parent, and as a product of the Boston public schools,” she concludes.

To read more about Annissa, see this link at the City of Boston.

Educator Cornelius Salisbury earned renown as a painter

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Educator Cornelius Salisbury is well-known for his paintings of Utah landscapes, pioneer homes, and historical figures of the Old West.

Many fine educators have distinguished themselves in fields outside of education. One of these is Cornelius Salisbury, a public school teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah, who has also earned renown as an artist.

Cornelius was born on December 31, 1882, in Richfield in central Utah. He earned his college degrees at the University of Utah and at Brigham Young University. He also refined his artistic skills extensive, training at the Art Students League of New York, the Pratt Institute of New York City, the Broadmoor Art Academy in Colorado Springs, and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, DC.

Cornelius earned fame as a painter of landscapes of his native state, pioneer homes, and historical figures from the Old West. He served as the president of Associated Utah Artists, and was a member of the Utah Historical Society.

Cornelius taught school in Salt Lake City until 1943. He taught at Lewis Junior High in Ogden from 1920 to 1924, at Jordan Junior High from 1925 to 1927, and at West High School from 1928 to 1943. He is so highly respected in Utah that his work is on display at many public school throughout the state. Some of his pieces also hang in the Springville Museum of Art.

This amazing educator passed away on Oct. 9, 1970, in Salt Lake City. He was 87 years old. He is interred at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah. To read more about this amazing educator, click on this link to his biography compiled by the University of Utah.

First-year kindergarten teacher Blake Fingalsen garners prestigious award

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I just love to tell stories about remarkable teachers who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is kindergarten teacher Blake Fingalsen of Kansas. Blake has just been named the 2020 Horizon Award Winner by the Kansas State Department of Education. Blake teaches at Rhein Benninghoven Elementary School.

The Horizon Award program is designed to identify and recognize talented first-year educators at both the elementary and secondary levels. Here’s an inspirational video about this remarkable teacher.