Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell
Maryland Elem teacher Kelly Cannon earns award from SMECO
Kelly Canon, an elementary school STEM teacher from Maryland, is the recipient of a 2024 Outstanding Teacher award from the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative. Photo Credit:
Congratulations go to Kelly Cannon, an elementary school teacher from Maryland. She was the recipient of a 2024 Outstanding Teacher award from the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO).
The annual honor is awarded to 20 outstanding teachers who have taught mathematics, science, technology, and engineering courses in the school systems of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties. The winning teachers were selected for their creativity, rapport with students, enthusiasm for teaching, professionalism, and innovative teaching methods.
Kelly teaches mathematics at Mount Harmony Elementary School in Owings, Maryland.
Over the past 33 years, SMECO has recognized nearly 500 teachers in an effort to support teachers who bring real-world science and math applications into the classroom. Each honored teacher receives a plaque and a cash award.
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Social Studies teacher Greg Kester named Missouri’s 2024 Teacher of the Year
High school Social Studies teacher Greg Kester of Potosi, Missouri, has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Missouri NEA
Many outstanding classroom teachers have garnered recognition for their work with young people. One of these is Greg Kester, a high school Social Studies teacher from Missouri. He has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.
Greg teaches at Potosi High School located in Potosi, Missouri. There he instructs courses in American History, Western Civilizations, American Political Systems, Psychology, and Sociology. He also serves as the Social Studies Department Chair. In addition, he serves as the faculty sponsor of Future Teachers of America, coaches the Scholar Bowl, and is the cadet teaching coordinator.
In addition to the work at the high school, each semester Greg teaches a college-level course in Foundations of Education in a Diverse Society, as well as an accompanying course in field experience.
Greg’s honor as the 2024 Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Greg has earned. In 2023, the Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars named him the Missouri High School Teacher of the Year. That same year, the Missouri State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution named him Missouri’s Outstanding Teacher of American History. In addition to these awards, Greg is a member of the Missouri National Education Association and past president of the association’s Potosi chapter.
“Relationships are my greatest accomplishments as an educator,” declares Greg. “Students aren’t data points,” he continues. “Standardized test scores are not always reflections of what was taught; they are sometimes the reflection of what a young person had to overcome and still succeed. That is what I have learned in almost three decades of teaching public school in rural Missouri,” he concludes.
Greg earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education at Southeast Missouri State University in 1995. He earned a Master’s degree in history from Southeast Missouri State University in 2001, and he completed graduate courses in school and community counseling at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, from 2010-2013 so he could qualify to teach psychology, sociology, and education classes. His career as an educator spans 28 years.
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VT elem teacher Aziza Malik named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year
Vermont elementary school teacher Aziza Malik has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Colchester Sun
I am always excited to share the story of an outstanding teacher who has earned recognition for their work in the classroom. Today I share the story of Aziza Malik, an elementary school teacher from Vermont. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Vermont Agency of Education.
Aziza teaches fifth grades at Champlain Elementary School in Burlington. She has taught there for the past 14 years. In her classroom, the honored teacher emphasizes connections between the Burlington School District and the local Indigenous population, the Abenaki. “Opportunities to weave in Indigenous ways of knowing and being are everywhere,” asserts Aziza. “I’m not talking about designing curriculum that teaches about Abenaki culture, I’m talking about using the lens of Abenaki culture to learn literacy, science and math skills; and writing, advocacy, collaboration and communication,” she explains.
She is also a big believer in hands-on learning. For example, she recently led her students on a field trip where they collected acorns, dogwood, and willow bare roots f to plant in their native tree nursery. Once the plants are grown, the students will distribute them throughout the city of Burlington.
In fact, through community partnerships, Aziza secured an intern to help plan, maintain, and assist teachers in developing the school grounds into an active outdoor classroom. The internship evolved into a full-time garden educator position, connecting teachers’ curriculum to hands-on garden activities in the growing months and cooking activities in the winter. This position, piloted under her leadership at Champlain Elementary, has expanded to become a model program across other schools in her district.
Aziz earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Humboldt State University in Acata, California. She earned her Master’s degree in Leadership for Sustainability from the University of Vermont (UVM). In 2022, she garnered the UVM Outstanding Teacher Award. Currently, Aziza is a participant in the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program, a program that is focused on creating international connections.
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Remembering foreign languages teacher Barbara Edwards, who perished in Sept. 11 attacks
Remembering foreign language educator Barbara Edwards, who was aboard American Airlines Flight 77 when it was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo Credit:
Today, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, we solemnly remember all who perished 23 years ago. One of those was foreign languages educator Barbara Edwards from Las Vegas, Nevada. She was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77 when it was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon. All 64 people on board and 125 others who were inside the building at the time perished.
Barbara taught courses in German and French at Palo Verde High School, where she had worked for four years. There Barbara built her German language program from one class to six. She also served as the adviser to the school’s International Club, and she was a passionate advocate for foreign travel. Prior to teaching in Las Vegas, she taught school in Indiana.
At the time of her death, Barbara was on leave from school, recovering from injuries sustained in a previous car accident. She had been traveling to Connecticut and Virginia to visit family and attend a friend’s wedding. She was aboard the plane for her return to Las Vegas.
Every year, students and staff at Palo Verde High School remember their beloved teacher in a solemn ceremony on campus. Members of Palo Verde’s Junior ROTC officiate the ceremony at a memorial built for the fallen educator on the soccer field. Barbara was an avid soccer fan, and spent many after-school hours watching the school team play their games on that field. In addition, a scholarship for foreign language students has been established in her honor.
To fellow teacher Patti Habermas, the outpouring of grief and support from students that followed Barbara’s death demonstrate that the things she does as a teacher really do matter. “I guess I never realized that as a teacher, I really do affect students’ lives,” observed Habermas. “It never dawned on me. I now look at every school year as a treat, and hope I’ll be able to make a difference on students,” Habermas concluded.
Barbara was born on April 5, 1948, in Frankfort, Germany. When she was 10 years old, her family moved to Michigan. In high school, she was a cheerleader and the runner-up for homecoming queen. Once she graduated from high school, Barbara earned her college degree at West Michigan University. She married, became the mother of three children, and launched her career as an educator in Bloomington, Indiana. Later she accepted the teaching position in Las Vegas. She was 58 years old when she died.
