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.

Martin R. Bradley: Teacher and Member of the Michigan State House of Representatives

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Many proficient classroom teachers are also quite adept as politicians, a fact that is confirmed by the distinguished career of Martin R. Bradley. Martin was a classroom teacher who was elected to five terms to the Michigan State House of Representatives.

Martin was born in Newberry, Luce County, Michigan, on April 1, 1888, the son of Robert and Josephine (Johnson) Bradley. When he was a young boy, his family moved to Huron County. When he grew to manhood, Martin enrolled first at the Ferris Institute in Big Rapids, Mecosta County, Michigan, and then at Central State Teachers College in Mount Pleasant, Isabella County, Michigan.

After his college graduation, Martin returned to Huron County, where he had accepted a position as a school teacher in rural schools. In 1910, he moved to Hermansville, Menominee County, where the experienced educator served as the Superintendent of Schools. Martin remained in that position until 1914. After he concluded his stint as the superintendent, Martin worked for a time in the insurance industry, and then, from 1914 to 1923, as the postmaster for Hermansville.

In 1922, the former teacher began his distinguished political career. He served an impressive five terms as a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives. He was first elected for one term in 1922, and then was re-elected to four successive terms beginning in 1926. In addition, he was selected by his peers as the Speaker of the House for the 1933-1934 session, the first representative from the Upper Peninsula to be so honored. In 1932, Martin became a delegate to that year’s Democratic National Convention, the historic convention that nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for President of the United States.

In 1935, when Martin’s final term was completed, he was appointed Collector of Customs, a position which required that he move to the Detroit area. Martin held this position until his retirement in 1953.

Sadly, Martin passed away in Leavenworth, Washington, on December 21, 1975, at the age of 88. For more about this accomplished teacher and politician, see the website for the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library.

NASA’s Educator Astronaut Project Sends Classroom Teachers into Space

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The Educator Astronaut Project is a program sponsored by NASA to educate America’s students about space exploration. Inaugurated in the 1990s, the program furthers the objectives established in the original Teacher in Space Program. One of these objectives was to elevate teaching as a profession, and another of these objectives was to inspire students to pursue careers in science and math. Educator astronauts are fully trained astronauts who fly aboard spacecraft as full-fledged crew members. They have duties and responsibilities that are the same as any other astronaut. In addition, they prepare lessons and demonstrations about space exploration for students in America’s classrooms.

Educator Astronauts Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (left), Ricard Arnold (center), and Joseph Acaba (right).

To date, there have been four teachers who have been trained as educator astronauts. These teachers are Montana teacher Barbara Morgan; Florida educator Joseph Acaba; Maryland teacher Richard Arnold; and Washington educator Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger. New Hampshire educator Christa McAuliffe, the first participant in the Teacher in Space program, was classified as a civilian member of the crew. Tragically, she perished along with six astronauts in the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.

To read more about teachers in space, click on this link to Citizens in Space.org. To read more about the Educator Astronaut Project, click on this link to Revolvy.

 

 

Sarah Lee Brown Fleming: Teacher, activist, and author

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Sarah Lee Brown Fleming

Sarah Lee Brown Fleming

There are many accomplished educators in American history who have distinguished themselves as community activists. Sarah Lee Brown Fleming, a school teacher from Brooklyn, New York, is one such educator.

Sarah Lee Brown was born in poverty in Charleston, South Carolina, on January 10, 1875. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York. As a young girl, Sarah dreamed of becoming a school teacher. However, her father discouraged this goal, believing that Sarah could only aspire to be a domestic. Little did he know that one day, Sarah would become the first African American teacher in the Brooklyn public school system.

In 1902, Sarah married Richard Stedman Fleming. After their marriage, the couple moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where Richard became the first African American dentist to practice in the state. The union produced two children: a daughter named Dorothy born in 1903, and a son named Harold born in 1906.

An associate of Mary McLeod Bethune, Sarah channeled her energy into bettering the educational opportunities for African American women. She organized the New Haven Women’s Civic League in 1929, and in 1936, she established the Phillis Wheatley Home for Girls, a shelter for young Black women who had just moved to New Haven in search of employment. In fact, Sarah’s work was recognized by Congress in 1955, the same year she received the Sojourner Truth Scroll from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club.

In addition to her civic work, Sarah was also a published playwright, novelist, and poet named as part of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Sarah’s most notable published works are her novel Hope’s Highway, published in 1918, and a collection of poems entitled Clouds and Sunshine, published in 1920.

Sarah passed away in January, 1963, five days before her 87th birthday.

Gifting for Teacher Appreciation Day!

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Super Teacher!

Super Teacher!

Teacher Appreciation Day is just around the corner! When trying to decide just the right gift to give to your friends and family members that are teachers, or that special teacher that works with your child, consider copies of Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes. Each volume is packed with inspirational stories about remarkable educators in American history, and the historical implications of their pioneering work. These books make great gifts for individuals in the teaching profession and those aspiring to become teachers some day. They are also appealing to history buffs and social scientists.

Among the captivating stories in Chalkboard Champions is the story of Charlotte Forten Grimke, an African American born into freedom who volunteered to teach emancipated slaves as the Civil War raged around her. Read the eyewitness account of the Wounded Knee massacre through the eyes of teacher Elaine Goodale Eastman, and educator Mary Tsukamoto, imprisoned in a WWII Japanese internment camp. Read about Mississippi Freedom Summer teacher Sandra Adickes who, together with her students, defied Jim Crow laws to integrate the Hattiesburg Public Library. Marvel at the pioneering work of Anne Sullivan Macy, the teacher of Helen Keller, the efforts of teacher Clara Comstock to find homes for thousands of Orphan Train riders, and the dedication of Jaime Escalante, the East LA educator who proved to that inner city Latino youths could successfully meet the demands of a rigorous curriculum.

In Chalkboard Heroes, read about dedicated educators who were heroes both inside and outside of the classroom, including WWI veteran Henry Alvin Cameron and Civil War veteran Francis Wayland Parker. Learn about teachers who were social reformers such as Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights activist Robert Parris Moses, suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, and Native American rights advocate Zitkala-Sa, all of whom put themselves at risk to fight for improved conditions for disenfranchised citizens. Discover brave pioneers who took great risks to blaze a trail for others to follow such as Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space; Willa Brown Chappell, the aviatrix who taught Tuskegee airmen to fly; Etta Schureman Jones, the Alaskan teacher who was interned in a POW camp in Japan during WWII; and Olive Mann Isbell, who established the first English school in California while the Mexican american War raged around her.

All these remarkable stories and more can be shared with someone you know this year on Teacher Appreciation Day!

Frank Caprio: The Former Teacher, Judge, and Television Personality

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There are many instances when masterful classroom teachers go on to find success in fields other than education. This is the case with Rhode Island’s Frank Caprio, a former social studies teacher who has earned a reputation as a fine municipal judge and popular television personality.

Frank was born on November 23, 1936, to parents who had immigrated from Italy to Providence, Rhode Island, in 1912. To support the family, the parents sold fruit from a pushcart on Providence’s Federal Hill. As a student in public schools, young Frank contributed income to the family by washing dishes and shining shoes. All during his childhood, Frank’s parents emphasized the value of hard work, the importance of education, and a commitment to service.

After his graduation from Providence’s Central High School, Frank earned his bachelor’s degree from Providence College. After he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, he accepted a position as a teacher of American history and government at Hope High School, a public high school on the East Side of Providence. The young teacher married and started a family. Then Frank decided he wanted to change careers and study law, so he enrolled in night courses at the Suffolk University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts.

The former educator began his career in the legal profession in 1965. Since 1985, he has served as a Providence Municipal Court Judge. His court is very popular in Rhode Island as a result of his highly acclaimed television show Caught in Providence, produced by his brother, Joseph Caprio. The show has appeared on a major local TV channel for three years and on a local cable channel for eight years.

Remembering his parents’ encouragement to be of service, Frank has established scholarships to benefit Rhode Island school children. The former educator named his scholarships in honor of his father, a man who had only a fifth grade education but, according to Frank, possessed deep wisdom and great perseverance. Frank also volunteers at local charities such as Boys Town of Italy, the Nickerson House Juvenile Court, and the Federal Hill House.

To recognize Frank’s many years of public service, the Multicultural Center of the University of Rhode Island honored him with its Lifetime Diversity Award. “Judge Caprio is the embodiment of the American dream, a man who understood that education and hard work unlock the doors to success,” expressed Robert L. Carothers, spokesperson for the University of Rhode Island. “Moreover, having succeeded as an individual, he turned his energies to helping others, especially the children of immigrants and minorities, find access to educational opportunities that would allow them to pass through those same doors,” Carothers concluded.

Read more about Frank at the link Judge Caprio or about his television show at Caught in Providence.