Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell
Nominate a chalkboard champion for this blog!
There are so many talented educators out there that by myself I cannot possibly find out about them all. How about some help? Do you know a remarkable teacher?Someone everyone looks up to: students, parents, and administrators alike. Someone who serves as a model for the profession? A true Chalkboard Champion? This teacher could be someone who is already retired, or even someone from history that you admire. You can nominate that educator to be the subject of a blog post on this web site. Simply use the contact form at right to send me the name and email information for the teacher you would like to nominate. I’ll do the rest! Hope to hear from you soon!
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Music educator Dre Graham: Just named Florida’s 2020 Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to music educator Dr. Dakeyan Chan “Dre” Graham of Tampa, Florida, who has just been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. Dre was selected from more than 176,900 Florida excellent public school teachers.
The honored educator currently serves as the Director of Instrumental Studies at his alma mater, C. Leon King High School. He has been an educator there for 10 years. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Dre works in his community to promote and infuse music education into Title I schools. Title I schools serve a large number of low-income students. He also belongs to numerous professional organizations.
During his years with Hillsborough County Public Schools, Dre’s students have performed at a high level of determination and focus. Some have even been selected to perform in the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran appreciates Dre’s expertise. “The fact that Dr. Graham has repeatedly earned superior ratings from the Florida School Music Association is a testament to his talent and ability to instill in his students a passion for the magnificent art of musical performance,” the commissioner asserts. “He possesses many qualities that make him an excellent role model, and it is a pleasure to recognize him.”
Dre earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from the University of Florida. He also earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University. As if all that wasn’t enough, he has a PhD in Music Education from the University of South Florida.
Music educator Dr. Dakeyan Chan “Dre” Graham of Tampa, Florida, has just been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.
In his role as the 2020 Florida Teacher of the Year, Dre will also serve for one year as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education. In this capacity he will work to increase public awareness of Florida’s exceptional teachers and the teaching profession. He will have the opportunity to promote and celebrate the countless contributions of Florida’s teachers. He will also provide professional learning opportunities for fellow educators and recruit future teachers into the education profession. In addition, Dre will receive an $8,000 two-Year scholarship from the Florida Prepaid College Board which he will be able to give to any student of his choice.
To read more about this chalkboard champion, click on this link to a story about him published in the Tampa Bay Times.
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Michigan’s Maxine Berman: English teacher, politician, and women’s health care advocate
Maxine Berman: Former high school English teacher and elected member of the Michigan State House of Representatives.
Many talented educators leave the classroom to go on to successful careers in politics. One of these is Maxine Berman, a high school English teacher who was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives.
Maxine was born on April 17, 1946. She grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, and attended Oak Park High School. After her high school graduation, she enrolled at the University of Michigan. Once she earned her degree, Maxine returned to her alma mater, Oak Park High School, to teach English.
After several years, Maxine left the teaching profession to run for political office. She won election to the Michigan State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She served there from 1983 to 1996. During her 14-year political career, the former teacher worked tirelessly as an advocate for women’s rights and other social justice issues. Representative Berman successfully pushed for mammography facilities in Michigan to be accredited, and then lobbied the federal government to require accreditation nationwide. She was a member of the House Bi-Partisan Team, which developed a new strategy for funding pubic schools. She also served on the House Elections Committee, where she created an expedited system for voter registration. Maxine also accepted the post of Chairperson for the Michigan Women’s Campaign Fund, a bi-partisan organization that raises money to assist women who run for political office.
Once Maxine completed her terms in office, she established an advocacy and consulting firm she named Capitol Strategies, Inc. She also became the leader of the Women’s Health Network of Michigan. In 2008, Maxine returned to her roots as a professional educator when she accepted a position as the Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government at Central Michigan University. She was the first woman to ever be named to the position.
Maxine retired in 2013. Two years later she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. More about this at www.michiganwomen.org.
Sadly, Maxine Berman succumbed to lung cancer on March 2, 2018. She was 71 when she passed away. She is interred in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
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Elementary school teacher Lela Lee Williams of Texas
Elementary school teacher Lela Lee Williams of Dallas, Texas.
Over the years, the state of Texas has produced many exceptional educators. One of these is Lela Lee Williams, an elementary school teacher from Wills Point, Texas.
Lela was born in July, 1883, in Wills Point. Her family greatly valued education, and both her father and grandfather were elected trustees of the local school board multiple times.
Lela earned her teaching certificate at Sam Houston Normal Institute located in Huntsville, Texas. She inaugurated her teaching career at Wills Point Elementary School. During her summers, she taught primary methodology and speech in normal schools and other teacher training schools in eastern and northern Texas.
In 1907, Lela moved to Louisiana to become the acting principal and a primary teacher of an elementary school there. When she learned that the Dallas Board of Education selected her to a position on their Board of Education, she relocated to Dallas. She remained there from 1908 until her retirement in 1953.
During the years she was teaching, the exceptional educator was continuously honing her professional skills. She earned a Bachelor’s degree at North Texas State Normal College. She earned her Master’s degree from the Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley. In addition, she completed graduate courses in primary methods and speech at the University of Chicago, the University of Colorado, and Teachers College in Columbia University in New York City.
Throughout her long career, Lela also participated in many educational organizations. In 1917 she was elected the first president of the newly-formed Dallas Grade Teachers Association. In 1919 she was instrumental in organizing the Texas Grade Teachers Association, and she was elected the group’s first president. In 1920, she was elected president of the Texas State Teachers Association. It was while serving in that capacity that she met Dr. Annie Webb Blanton, who was then State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The pair became two of the original founders of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG) in 1929. DKG is an organization which still endeavors today to promote the professional development of women educators.
Sadly, Lela Lee Williams passed away on Feb. 19, 1974, near Dallas, Texas. She is interred at Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas.
To read more about this chalkboard champion, see her biography on DKG’s web page at Lela Lee Williams.
