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.

Kansas teacher Mamie Dillard was a suffragist and civil rights activist

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Kansas teacher Mamie Dillard was a suffragist and civil rights activist. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many excellent classroom teachers also work tirelessly to improve society as a whole. One of these is Mamie J. Dillard, an African American teacher and suffragist from Kansas.

Mamie was born Mary Jane Dillard in Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas, on September 10, 1874. Although her name was Mary Jane, she always preferred to be called Mamie. Her parents, Jesse and Fannie Dillard, were both born in Virginia. Neither of them could read or write. The family moved to Kansas in 1870.  As a young girl, Mamie was an excellent student. She graduated from Lawrence High School with top grades. In fact, she was the only African American in her graduating class.

The future educator earned her Bachelor’s degree from Kansas University in 1896. Once she earned her degree, she launched her career as an educator at the Pinckney Elementary School in Lawrence. One of her most famous students there was famous Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes. In 1909, Mamie attended graduate school at the University of Kansas, where she studied English and special education. Once she completed her courses there, she accepted a position as the principal of the Lincoln School, a local segregated elementary school. In addition to her responsibilities at the school, Mamie was appointed delegate to the Negro National Educational Congress in 1916.

All her life, Mamie devoted herself to improving her community. She was an ardent activist for women’s suffrage. She promoted rights and votes for women and civil rights and leadership for the African Americans in her area. She was active in the African American Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. She was also a member of the Double Six Club, the Home and Garden Club, and the Sierra Leone Club. In addition, she was a patron of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.  in 1933, of the Self Culture Club, a local organization for African American women. In 1933, Mamie became a member of the Self Culture Club, an organization that promoted education and community building among working mothers.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in her home town of Lawrence on November 24, 1954. She was 80 years old. She was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence.

To read more about Mamie Dillard, see this article printed online in the Kansaspedia.

Former child star Christopher Castile declares teaching his true calling

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Former child star Christopher Castile says teaching is his true calling. He now teaches US History in California. Photo Credit: the Downey Legend

Many individuals who are talented actors go on to become excellent classroom teachers. One of these is Christopher Castile, a former child star who now teaches both at the high school and at the college level in California.

Christopher was born on June 15, 1980, in Orange County in Southern California. His career in acting began when he was only seven years old. He did a number of television commercials. But he earned his greatest fame for his role as Ted Newton in the 1992 family comedy Beethoven and the subsequent 1993 sequel Beethoven’s 2nd. He also portrayed Mark Foster in 160 episodes of the hit ABC television sitcom Step by Step. The show ran for seven seasons, from 1992 to 1998. In 1991, Christopher also appeared in three episodes of the ABC sitcom Going Places, where he portrayed Sam Roberts, in addition to numerous other appearances. Christopher also voiced the character of Eugene Horowitz on the Nickelodeon series Hey Arnold!

When Christopher’s career in acting came to a conclusion, he earned first a Bachelor’s and then a Master’s degree, both from California State University at Long Beach. He then accepted a position at Downey High School in Downey, California, where he currently teaches US History. He also teaches political science courses at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

In addition to acting, Christopher is also an author. He published his autobiography for young adults entitled Being You is Most Definitely Cool in 1996.

Christopher once said that, despite his success as an actor, teaching is his true calling. He revealed that he finds teaching far more fulfilling than acting. He always finds a way to fill his class with humor and a positive environment, he says, and this makes his students pay attention and truly understand the lessons.

He also admits that teaching high school is more challenging than teaching at the college level. “Being a high school teacher, I actually have to be good at what I do,” he confessed. “In college it’s up to the students to get the material. Being a college professor, you don’t necessarily have to be good at teaching, but know what you’re talking about.”

To read more about Christopher Castile, see this story published by The Downey Legend.

Reflections about America’s Chalkboard Heroes

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Terry Lee Marzell

Author Terry Lee Marzell with her book, Chalkboard Heroes. Photo credit: Hal Marzrll

It seems to be a universal practice in classrooms to ask students to think about, talk about, and write about the topic of heroism. Teachers frequently ask, “Who are our heroes?” “What are the qualities of a hero?” “What actions are considered heroic?” Often, a common response to these questions is a hero is an individual who goes above and beyond the usual, the expected, or the required, and that a heroic act involves significant courage, risk, and sacrifice.

In book, Chalkboard Heroes, you will find the stories of 12 courageous teachers in American history who took considerable risks and made substantial sacrifices. For example, there are the countless teachers who protect our country by serving in the Armed Forces and the National Guard. If the times call for it, they valiantly march off to war. Henry Alvin Cameron who fought in World War I and Francis Wayland Parker, a Civil War veteran, are but two of these soldier-teachers. There are the social reformers, the chalkboard heroes who endanger their personal safety to bring about improved conditions and better lives for America’s disenfranchised citizens. Teachers like Dolores Huerta, the champion of migrant farm workers; Robert Parris Moses, the 1960’s civil rights activist; Prudence Crandall, who defied prevailing social convention to open a school for African American girls; Carrie Chapman Catt, the suffragist; and Zitkala Sa, who campaigned tirelessly for the constitutional rights of Native Americans. There are the courageous pioneers who take great risks to blaze a trail for others to follow. Educators like Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space; Willa Brown Chappell, the pioneer aviatrix who taught Tuskegee airmen to fly; Etta Schureman Jones, the Alaskan pioneer who landed in a POW camp in Japan during WWII; and Olive Mann Isbell, who immigrated to the West and established the first English school in California—while the Mexican American War raged all around her. And then there are the teachers who lay down their lives to protect the students whose safety has been entrusted to their care. Teachers like Dave Sanders, the chalkboard hero of Columbine High School.

These 12 are but a few of the countless heroic teachers in American history. Their stories are perhaps all the more remarkable when we consider that in our society, teaching is usually considered a safe profession, classrooms are typically considered safe places, teachers are not usually recognized as risk-takers. The accounts of the 12 chalkboard heroes presented here show us that these perceptions are not at all a reflection of reality.

You can find Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor at amazon.com.