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.

Mikaela Saelua named American Samoa’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Mikaela Saelua of American Samoa has been named her territory’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, and one of four finalists for 2025 National Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Marion Malena

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work with young people. Today I share the story of Mikaela Saelua, a high school English teacher from American Samoa. She has been named her territory’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, and one of four finalists for 2025 National Teacher of the Year.

Mikaela teaches English to seniors, juniors, and sophomores at Leone High School in the villages of Vailoatai and Leone in the Western District of American Samoa. In addition, she is the class advisor for the senior class, the club advisor for the Forestry Club, the Peer Leaders Club, and the school’s volleyball coach.

As if all that were not enough, Mikaela fills the position of Department Chair of the school’s English Department, she leads the campus professional learning community, and serves as the Head of the campus Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Self-Study Team. And she is a National Pacific American Leadership Institute fellow as well as a former Executive Leadership Development Program fellow.

For her Samoan students who are learning the English language, Mikaela strives to design curriculum the goes beyond mere reading and writing. One of her favorite ways to do this is with a song translation project. In what culminates in music videos, her students learn figurative idioms, metaphors, and words to capture the soul of Samoan songs. “The goal isn’t just to teach them English,” Mikaela says, “it’s to help them appreciate and express themselves in a way that feels true to who they are.”

Mikaela earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Studies from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

 

Dear teachers, did you know?

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I saw this post by writer Casey Huff on Facebook the other day, and it really touched me. I thought maybe other teachers would find it touching, too. To see more by Huff, click on her link tohttps://www.instagram.com/casey.e.huff.

Dear Teachers,

Did you know? Did you know my kids talk about you at the dinner table almost every night? They tell us funny stories about you. They know little facts about your life. Where you grew up. Your dog’s name. How many siblings you have. Your likes and dislikes. They pay attention to the things that matter to you, because YOU matter to them.

Did you know how much your opinion means to them? I see how their eyes light up at your compliments. It’s obvious how much they value your input and validation. When they accomplish something, like reading their first chapter book or winning a baseball game, it’s you they want to tell.

Did you know you’re one of their safe places? I watch you on field trips and during class events. I see how you talk to them. The patience you have, the kindness you show. I see how the students give you unprompted hugs, how they want to sit next to you during a picnic lunch, how they can’t wait to tell you about their weekend. Your desk is adorned with hand drawn pictures and notes, “To Mrs. ____”. I notice that, too. Your students love you, and I know it’s because they feel genuinely loved by you, too.

Your career isn’t an easy one. I know firsthand—been there, done that. But you show up for them anyway. You push through the hard stuff—the long trainings, the hoops you have to jump, the heartbreaking truths you know about your students, and the parents who make you the undeserving target of their frustrations. I know the tears you probably shed behind closed doors, wondering if it’s all worth it. You know in your heart it is.

Dear teachers, did you know you’re changing the world? Did you know how wide the ripples of your impact will go? Did you know someday when our kids are grown, they’ll remember your name and tell someone that you were their favorite? That you changed their life? That they’re a better person because you once believed in them?

Dear teachers . . . thank you. I just wanted you to know.

Chicago’s Vivian Paley promoted the value of play in the classroom

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Chalkboard Champion Vivian Paley: Kindergarten teacher, early childhood education research, author, and passionate advocate for child play in the classroom. Photo Credit: The New York Times

One of the most remarkable teachers I have been reading about recently is Vivian Paley, a pre-school and kindergarten teacher, early childhood education researcher, and author originally from Chicago, Illinois. She devoted her lengthy career to proving the value of storytelling and fantasy play in the learning process.

Vivian was born in Chicago on Jan. 25, 1929. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1947. She earned a second degree, a B.A. in Psychology, from Newcomb College in Louisiana in 1950. She earned a Master’s degree from Hofstra University in New York in 1962.

After earning her degrees, Vivian inaugurated her teaching career in New Orleans. There, she once revealed, she felt burdened by what she considered to be an overemphasis on strict learning boundaries and memorization. She came to believe that such an approach stifled both learning and teaching. This experience became the catalyst for her later work. In the 1960’s Vivian relocated to New York, where she taught at public schools in Great Neck and Long Island until 1971. At that time she returned to Chicago, where she accepted a teaching position at the Lab Schools associated with the University of Chicago. There she was free to develop innovative instructional practices, conduct experiments, and pursue her research. In all, Vivian’s career as an educator spanned 37 years. Vivian retired from Lab in 1995, but in the years that followed she continued to lecture and hold workshops around the world.

Many professional educators believe that the most significant impact Vivian has had on the profession is in advancing the theory that storytelling and fantasy play are essential elements in academic and social growth. Her research on the subject was discussed at length in her books A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play; The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter; and Bad Guys Don’t Have Birthdays: Fantasy Play at Four. In these books, Vivian demonstrates that storytelling and fantasy play help young learners immensely as they make sense of their environment, develop language skills, collaborate with their peers, and successfully function in the classroom.

For her work as an educator and a researcher, Vivian has earned many accolades. In 1989, she garnered the prestigious MacArthur Award. Known unofficially as the “Genius Grant,” the prize is given each year to between 20 and 30 individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their field. The recognition comes with a cash prize of $625,000. Vivian is the only kindergarten teacher to earn the award.

Vivian also earned the Erikson Institute Award for Service to Children in 1987 and the David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Teaching in English in 1999. She also garnered the John Dewey Society’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2000 and was named an Outstanding Educator by the National Council of Teachers of English in 2004.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on July 26, 2019, in Crozet, Virginia. She was 90 years old, but she will always be remembered as an advocate for child play.