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.

Art Garfunkel: Famous musician and former high school math teacher

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Art Garfunkel: Famous musician and former high school math teacher

Almost everyone has heard of the famous musician Art Garfunkel of Simon & Garfunkel fame. The duo brought us such famous hits as “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Sound of Silence,” and “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.” But did you know that Art was once a high school math teacher?

Art was born on November 5, 1941, in Forest Hills in Queens, New York. He was the middle of three sons born to Jewish parents, Rose and Jacob Garfunkel. Art earned his Bachelor’s degree in Art History at Columbia College in 1965. He earned his Master’s degree in Mathematics at Columbia University in 1967. He also completed coursework towards a doctorate in Mathematics Education.

Art met Paul Simon when they were in the sixth grade together at Forest Hills Junior Elementary School in Queens. The two were cast in a school production of Alice in Wonderland, and the long-lasting musical partnership blossomed from there. As adults, Simon & Garfunkel won five Grammy awards together, two in 1968 and three in 1970. In 1990, Art and Paul were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The celebrity once confided that if he had not had a career in music, he would have been happy with a career as a teacher. “I loved the curriculum. I loved the act of teaching,” Art once confided. In fact, in 1971-1972, after his breakup with Paul Simon, Art taught math to high school students at the Litchfield Preparatory School. The school is a private academy located in Litchfield, Connecticut.

To learn more about Art and his experience in the classroom, you can read this online the article at Forbes Magazine.

Former teacher Joyce Kulhawik establishes successful career in television

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Former high school English teacher Joyce Kulhawik establishes a successful career in television.

There are many fine educators who establish careers in television. One of these is Joyce Kulhawik, a former English teacher from Vermont who also earned fame as a television personality in Boston, Massachusetts.

Joyce was born in 1954 in Connecticut. At a very young age, Joyce was exposed to arts. As a child, she played piano, sang, and played organ in her parish church. After her high school graduation, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from Simmons College. That was in 1974. As one of the top two graduating seniors, she garnered a Crown Zellerbach Award and a full fellowship from the University of Vermont. She enrolled there, and in 1977 she completed the requirements for a Master’s degree in English Education.

Once she earned her degrees, Joyce inaugurated her career as a teacher at Brookline High School. She taught there from 1976 to 1978. She also taught at the Boston Architectural Center from 1977 to 1979.

Joyce has covered local and national events from Boston and Broadway to Hollywood. She has reported live from the Oscars, the Emmys and the Grammys. Nationally, the former teacher co-hosted the syndicated movie-review show Hot Ticket with Leonard Maltin, and she was a continuing host on Roger Ebert and the Movies. For her work in the entertainment industry, Joyce was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2007. In addition, she earned the N.E. Emmy’s Governor’s Award. 

A three-time cancer survivor, Joyce testified before Congress on the 20th anniversary of the National Cancer Act. Since 1983 she has chaired the American Cancer Society’s largest spring fundraising campaign, serves on the ACS advisory board, and continues to help raise millions of dollars for the ACS first “Hope Lodge” in Boston. For this work, the ACS honored Joyce with their national bronze medal.

Currently Joyce serves as the president of the Boston Theater Critics Association, a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, and a member of the Boston Online Film Critics Association. In addition, she performs as a guest narrator with the Boston Pops, the New England Philharmonic, Boston Musica Viva, the Boston Civic Symphony, and the Concord  Orchestra.

To read more about Joyce, see this link at Wayland Student Press Network.

 

US Mint to produce coin that honors teacher Christa McAuliffe

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The US Mint will produce a commemorative coin to honor high school social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe, the first Teacher in Space.

Chalkboard champion and first Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe will soon be honored with a $1 silver coin to be produced by the US Mint. Christa was a social studies teacher from Concord, New Hampshire. In 1985, she was selected from over 11,000 teacher applicants nationwide to participate in NASA’s Teacher in Space program. Tragically, she perished on January 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff. The accident was the result of a faulty rocket booster. Six other astronauts were also lost in the disaster.

In 2021, the US Mint will issue 350,000 coins to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. To authorize the minting of the coin, the US House of Representatives passed the Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 on Thursday, September 19. The US Senate approved the bill last July. Next, the legislation will go to the White House for the president’s signature.

The Secretary of the US Treasury will have the final say in the appearance of the coin. Currently, plans are to place the name and likeness of the intrepid educator on one side, and an image that depicts Christa’s work as an educator on the other side. The public will be able to buy the coins at a price that will include the $1 face value of the coin, plus the cost of their design and issue, and a $10 surcharge per coin. The money raised through the surcharge will benefit an organization known as For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). FIRST organizes robotics competitions to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Some of you may recall that Christa’s motto as the Teacher in Space was ‘I touch the future, I teach,’ and she was looking forward with such excitement, not only to leave the bounds of Earth, but to return to Earth and engage with her students, to share her experience, to share the excitement and adventure of going into a new frontier that we call space,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD). The lawmaker personally knew Christa. He met her when her husband served as his law clerk in the late 1970s.

To read more, see the article at space.com.

Science teacher Mary Appelhof, the “Worm Woman”

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High school science teacher Mary Appelhof, known as “Worm Woman,” earned recognition for developing the practice of vermicomposting.

Many talented classroom teachers become recognized specialists in their specific field of study. One of these educators is Mary Arlene Appelhof, a science teacher from Michigan, who became well-known for developing the practice of vermicomposting.

Mary was born on June 11, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan. As a young woman, she attended Berea High School in Berea, Ohio, where she graduated in 1954. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled in Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1958. The following year she earned her Master’s degree in Biology there. She later earned a Master’s degree in Education and completed advanced courses in biology.

After earning her degrees, Mary taught science courses at Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She also taught at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan.

In the early 1970s, Mary experimented with “vermicomposting,” a system using worms to recycle food waste into fertilizer. To spread the practice, she developed lessons for her students and home gardeners. She also talked to garden clubs, and exhibited at harvest festivals, barter fairs, and energy expos. She became a vocal advocate for protecting the environment when she served on solid waste planning committees. These efforts led others to nickname her the “Worm Woman.” For her work, the innovative teacher garnered a grant from the National Science Foundation to videotape her experiments. With footage developed with the money from the grant, she produced an educational video entitled Wormania! You can learn more about the practice of vermicomposing at Mary’s website, Worm Woman.com.

This amazing educator passed away on May 4, 2005. She was 68 years old. She is interred in Benzonia Township Cemetery. In 2009, the National Women’s History Project honored Mary Appelhof as a Women’s History Month Honoree.