Category Archives: Education

Terry Lee Marzell and Kurby to appear at Paws in the Park event

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

Join me and my beloved celebri-dog, Kurby, at an author appearance at the Paws in the Park event on Sept. 7, 2024, 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, I will feature my new book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, a children’s book which features a setting at Vila Borba. I say the book is for children, but dog-lovers and animal lovers of all ages would enjoy it!

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 an elegant tuxedo cat, Licorice, another of my fur babies. She is depicted on the back cover.

But that’s not all the book is about! The narrative features a cast of charming 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, resilience, and personal responsibility. There are also messages about anti-bullying and anti-prejudice. In addition, the narrative includes commentary about how all of us can appreciate nature, even if we 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 me and Kurby! There you can purchase a copy of the novel and have it personally autographed. You can also purchase the book from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. And I will also have my award-winning teacher books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes on hand.

See you there!

Patricia Roppel, Alaska Home Ec teacher, historian, and author

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Alaska home economics teacher Patricia Roppel also earned fame as a historian and author. Photo Credit: SitNews.

Many excellent classroom teachers earn recognition for endeavors outside of the classroom. One of these is Patricia Roppel, a home economics teacher from Alaska who also earned fame as a historian and author.

Patricia was born April 5, 1938, in Ellensburg, Washington. As a young woman, she earned her degree in Home Economics from Oregon State University. As a young co-ed, she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority. Patricia moved to Alaska in 1959, where she accepted a position as a home economics teacher at Ketchikan High School. She taught there until 1965.

In March of 1965, Patricia published her first article in the Alaska Sportsman. Over the next 50 years, she published 13 books and more than 100 articles about the history of southeast Alaska. In her writings, she expertly described the industries of the region, including mining, salmon fishing, hatcheries, and canning. For this work, she was honored as Alaska Historian of the Year in both 1978 and 2006.

In 1975, Alaska Governor Jay Hammond appointed the veteran educator to his newly-formed Alaska Historical Commission. She served on this body until 1983. Among the Commission’s tasks was the writing of a new high school textbook about the history of the state. In 1991, the former teacher was appointed by Governor Wally Hickel to the Alaska Humanities Forum, a position she held until 1996. In 2003, Patricia was once again named to the Alaska Historical Commission by Governor Tony Knowles. She served in this role until 2015. In addition, Patricia was one of the founding board members of Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture (SSRA).

Sadly, Patricia passed away from cancer in Bellevue, Washington, on January 6, 2015. You can read more about her in her obituary, published by SitNews.

Award-winning math teacher and Major League Soccer referee Mark Geiger

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Former high school mathematics teacher Mark Geiger was also a highly-respected Major League Soccer referee. Photo Credit: Major League Soccer

Many outstanding educators are also recognized for their impressive accomplishments in athletic arenas. One of these is Mark Geiger, a former high school math teacher who also worked as a full-time referee for Major League Soccer in both the United States and Canada.

Mark was born on August 25, 1974, in Beachwood, New Jersey. After graduating from Trenton State College, he taught Advanced Placement Math at Lacey Townships High School in Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey. In 2009, he was one of 103 teachers who received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This prestigious award is given annually to the best elementary and secondary science and mathematics teachers from across the country.

Mark earned his National Soccer Referee badge in 2003 while still teaching. He began his career as a part-time Major League Soccer referee a year later. In 2008, Geiger was added to US Soccer’s International Panel of Referees, making him eligible for higher-profile international matches. The position required extensive travel. When he was offered a full-time, salaried position with the Professional Referee Organization, he reluctantly decided to retire from teaching. He wanted to referee international matches, and he was aware of FIFA’s preference for officials with full-time referee jobs.

Mark once confessed that his experiences as a teacher made a significant contribution to his success as a soccer referee. He remarked that math is about quantity, structure, space, and change, and that is also true of  the dynamics on the soccer field. He said that maintaining order and clarity in a classroom of gifted, confident students is not that different from fairly governing a game for 22 of the world’s most gifted and talented soccer players. “When I was in the classroom, it was 25 or 30 students each with a different learning style,” he has said. “On the soccer field you have 22 different players, each with different personalities. So it’s about recognizing what’s going to work with a particular player and then implementing that,” he observed. “The situations that are in the grey areas, preventing players from taking that next step, communicating with them, managing them, working with them” is what a good referee brings to the game, he continued.

Mark has been recognized as one of the best professional soccer referees in the business. He worked the  Olympics games in 2012 and four matches during the U-20 World Cup finals in Colombia, which culminated in his officiating the championship game. The U-20 final marked the first time an American official refereed a major FIFA men’s tournament championship. Mark also officiated the FIFA’s Club World Cup in Morocco, and he worked the fifth-place match between the Egyptian and the Mexican clubs. Later Mark served as the fourth official at the championship game. He was also selected to officiate the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. For his outstanding work as a referee, Mark was selected the Major League Soccer Referee of the Year in both 2011 and 2014.

In 2019, Mark retired from refereeing and accepted a position within PRO as the director of senior match officials.

Native American teacher and author Catharine Brown of Alabama

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Native American teacher Catharine Brown of Alabama published a highly acclaimed memoir. Photo Credit: Public Domain

There are many examples of Native Americans who became teachers and leaders in their community. Some have also become celebrated authors. One of these was Catharine Brown, a Cherokee who, during the early 19th century, worked as a missionary teacher and writer.

Catherine was born at the turn of the century, circa 1800, in a small village in Cherokee Indian Territory, Alabama, approximately 25 miles southeast of the Tennessee River. Her parents, Yau-nu-gung-yah-ski (“Drowned by a Bear”), known by Westerners as John Brown, and Tsa-luh, known as Sarah, held a place of prominence in their tribe.

As a young girl of about 17, Catharine attended the Brainerd Missionary School. Her progress there was impressive. In only three months, she learned to read the Bible in the English language. Then she became a tutor to younger students in the school. May 1820, Catharine accepted a position as a teacher at a school for Native Americans established at Creek Path, her home town. The school opened with 20 students, but enrollment continued to grow, as both children and their parents were eager to learn.

In 1821, Catharine left the school to nurse her brother John, who had contracted tuberculosis. Unfortunately, he did not survive. Soon after he died, Catharine began to show symptoms of the deadly disease. By 1823, her condition was so serious that she was transported by canoe to the home of a missionary doctor. But, sadly, she died on July 18, 1823. She was not older than 23.

One year after her passing, Catherine’s biography was published. The volume, entitled Memoir of Catharine Brown, A Christian Indian of the Cherokee Nation, was widely distributed and became immensely popular. Largely forgotten in the following centuries, Catharine Brown has recently been rediscovered as an influential Native American leader and writer. You can find her memoir on amazon.

Gwen Walz: Former teacher and current First Lady of Minnesota

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Former English teacher Gwen Walz currently serves as the First Lady of Minnesota, and is married to the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, a candidate for the office of President of the United States. Photo Credit: Augsburg University

Sometimes an outstanding educator finds herself thrust into the arena of public service. This is certainly true of Gwen Walz, who is currently serving as the First Lady of the state of Minnesota. She is married to Tim Walz, who is the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, a candidate for the office of President of the United States.

Gwen was born in Glencoe, Minnesota, on June 15, 1966. Gwen was born into a family of educators. Her father was a physical education teacher and coach. Her mother served as the community education director for a school district. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, a liberal arts college located in St. Peter, Minnesota. She earned her Master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Once she completed her education, Gwen moved to Nebraska where she accepted a position as an English teacher. That’s where she met and married her husband, Tim. In fact, the two teachers shared a classroom! In 2004, the couple moved back to her native state of Minnesota. There she and Tim both became teachers at Mankato High School. Later she worked as an assessment coordinator for Mankato Public Schools, and she taught in alternative and migrant schools. She remained in that position until 2018. In 2019, she worked at Augsburg University on government relations and public service career projects for students.

In addition, Gwen and her husband founded Educational Travel Adventures, Inc., an organization that offered students trips to China. She has also worked through the Bard Prison Initiative to help incarcerated people pay for college courses.

Gwen Walz: A true Chalkboard Champion.