Category Archives: Education

Ag teacher Melanie Bloom named Iowa’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

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Agriculture teacher Melanie Bloom of Sioux Rapids, Iowa, has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Melanie Bloom

It is always exciting for me to share the story of an outstanding educator who has earned accolades for her work in public schools. Today I share the story of Melanie Bloom, a vocational education teacher from Idaho. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Melanie teaches  agricultural education courses at Sioux Central Community School District in Sioux Rapids, Iowa. She has taught there for the past 16 years. In her district, more than 25% of all middle and high school students are enrolled in agricultural education classes and are members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA). In her classroom, Melanie encourages her students to explore diverse careers in the agriculture industry, and then to develop career skills that prepare them for those careers. She also teaches them to make informed choices about food, fibers, and natural resources. 
 
To accomplish these goals, Melanie employs inquiry and project-based learning strategies. In addition, she designs and leads professional development sessions. She has influenced agricultural educators nationwide as a curriculum developer for the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education initiative. Melanie also serves in several agricultural advisory roles, most notably the Iowa Advisory Council on Agricultural Education, where she assists with identifying standards, escalating agricultural opportunities for all students, and promoting agricultural education as a career. She has also served as a beginning teacher mentor and faculty member in an Iowa teacher preparation program.

Melanie earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Agricultural Education and Animal Science, and her Master’s degree in Agricultural Education, all from Iowa State University. Currently she is a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri-Columbia, working on her degree in Agricultural Education and Leadership Development.

 

NJ educator Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele: Social Studies teacher extraordinaire

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New Jersey Social Studies teacher and community activist Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele teaches Africana Studies courses at his school. Photo credit: Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele

There are many extraordinary teachers working with young people in our nation’s public schools. One of them is Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele, a Social Studies teacher from Newark, New Jersey.

Bashir teaches US History and Africana Studies at Weequahic High School in New Jersey. The population of the school’s 545 students is comprised almost entirely of African American and Latino students.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Bashir is also a community activist and an active member of ASCAC, the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations. In fact, the respected educator was among the community activists and educators who took part in this year’s Amistad Commission’s Summer Institute, which was held at Stockton University’s campus in Atlantic City this past August.

One of the primary objectives of the summer institute was to improve the awareness of teachers in New Jersey schools of the state’s Amistad Law, which mandates that African and African American history be included in public school curriculums. The legislation, passed in 2002,  was the brainchild of two former New Jersey State Assembly members, William D. Payne and Craig A. Stanley.

“This law is leading the way to help abolish centuries of white supremacy ideology plaguing humanity in the classroom,” Bashir remarks. “The Amistad law cultivates the progressive and inclusive growth of our society by legally mandating the schools to teach the contributions Black people made to human civilizations in social studies classes and in subject area curricula throughout the state of New Jersey,” he continued.

To learn more about Bashir Akinyele, click on this link to a 2024 Op-Ed article he wrote that was published online by Patch.com. The title of the article is Stomping on Racist Education.

Author Terry Lee Marzell and celebri-dog Kurby to appear at Paws in the Park event

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Author Terry Lee Marzell and her celebrity-dog, Kurby, share Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell and her celebrity-dog, Kurby, will be making an author appearance at the Paws in the Park event to be held on Sat., Sept. 6, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. The event will be held at Vila Borba Dog Park located at 17001 Amadora Dr, Chino Hills, CA 91709. At the event, Terry will feature her book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, a children’s book which features a setting at Vila Borba.

The novel shares the story of Bowser which is based on the true-life experience of Kurby, who was rescued from his abusive former owner. He’s even depicted on the front cover of the book! Another character in the novel is the elegant tuxedo cat, Licorice, another of Terry’s fur babies. She appears on the book’s back cover.

But that’s not all the book is about! The narrative features a charming cast of animal characters and their human companions who live in or visit the dog park. Each event which takes place holds an essential message about kindness, community, inclusion, and personal responsibility. There are also messages about anti-bullying and anti-prejudice. In addition, the narrative includes commentary about how young people can appreciate nature, even if they live in a suburban environment. For example, there are chapters about the migratory patterns of Canada geese, the natural instincts of the animal characters, and the progression of the seasons.

Come to the Paws in the Park event to meet Terry Lee Marzell and Kurby! There you can purchase a copy of the novel and have it personally autographed by the author. You can also purchase the book online from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Shauna Waters named Mississippi’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

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High school English teacher Shauna Waters of Collinsville, Mississippi, has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Shauna Waters

I am always excited to share the story of a public school teacher who has earned recognition for their work I the classroom. Today, I share the story of Shauna Waters, a high school teacher from Collinsville, Mississippi. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Shauna teaches Dual enrollment English Composition 1 and Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition at West Lauderdale High School in Collinsville. She also serves as her school’s Academic Team sponsor, newspaper advisor, and National Honor Society advisor. As if all that were not enough, she has served as a reader for the AP English Literature and Composition national exam in 2010, 2011, and 2014 – 2023.

In her classroom, Shauna says she seeks to ensure students build flexibility by developing 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

In addition to her work at West Lauderdale, Shauna has taught in the Intensive English Program at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and in the Aichi University’s Comparative Cultures Department in Toyohashi, Japan. 

Her selection as Mississippi’s 2025 Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Shauna has earned. She has been honored as a Mississippi STAR teacher seven times; a Yale Educator; and a US Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher. She is also a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG), a professional honor society of women educators.

Shauna earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Mississippi State University with a minor in Spanish. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University. Currently, she is pursuing an educational specialist degree in educational leadership at William Carey University. She has been a teacher since 2001.