Category Archives: Education

Award-winning actress Quinta Brunson inspired by her teacher, Joyce Abbott

Posted on by

Joyce Abbot with her sixth grade student, Quinta Brunson. Photo credit: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

There are many praiseworthy educators in classrooms all around our country, but not all of them receive the praise they are due. One of these teachers, though, has received more praise than she could ever have imagined. She is Joyce Abbott, a retired elementary teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joyce is, in part, the inspiration for a character on the award-winning television show, Abbot Elementary. She was the teacher of sixth grader Quinta Brunson. When Quinta grew up, she became the creator and star of the show, and while writing the show, she didn’t forget her former teacher.

Abbott Elementary highlights the difficulties faced by an inner-city school staff as they teach their young students. Those difficulties include substandard facilities, underfunding, lack of educational resources, and, in some cases, poor leadership.

The show has garnered an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2022, a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy in 2022, and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2023.

Joyce taught for 27 years in inner-city schools within the Philadelphia School District. Most recently, she served as a climate manager at Andrew Hamilton Elementary, a K-8 school located in West Philadelphia. In this role, she ensures the campus environment is safe and conducive to learning.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Joyce is also a veteran of the US Army, where she attained the rank of staff sergeant. She spent ten years in the military, including a ten-month tour of the Person Gulf during the Persian Gulf War.

Joyce has admitted publicly that it wasn’t always easy for her to succeed in the classroom. “At the onset of my journey, it was very difficult. I had 36 students my first year, very limited textbooks, several behavior problems, and in addition to several students academically challenged,” Joyce recalls. But she says that it was her passion that kept her in the classroom.

Joyce admits that teachers in the classroom today continue to face obstacles in their profession. “It’s difficult with the many outside challenges that teachers are facing today,” she asserts. But she encourages them to keep up the good work. “Know that you can do it, believe in yourself, and believe in that child. They need you, sometimes you’re their only hope,” Joyce says. “Just know that every day that you’re going in, even though every day may not be great, you are making a difference,” she concludes.

This Chalkboard Champion earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, in 1983, and her Master’s degree in Education from Cheyney University. She is listed in the Who’s Who Among America’s Finest Teachers.

Texas teacher Lillian Greer Bedichek contributed to awareness of social issues

Posted on by

World languages educator Lillian Greer Bedichek is known for her contribution to awareness of social issues in the American Southwest. Photo Credit: University of Texas

Skilled classroom teachers are often recognized for advanced accomplishments in their field. One teacher that fits this description is Lillian Greer Bedichek, a world languages teacher who is known for her contribution to awareness of social issues in the American Southwest.

Lillian was born in 1885 in Keachie, Louisiana, the daughter of James and Virginia Greer. In 1893, her family moved to Waco, Texas, because her father had accepted employment as vice president of Baylor University. Upon her high school graduation, Lillian enrolled at Baylor, but later she transferred to the University of Texas. There she majored in Greek and minored in Latin. Lillian earned her Bachelor’s degree from Baylor in 1903. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of Texas in 1926.

In 1910, Lillian married celebrated naturalist Roy Bedichek. Before her marriage, the young educator taught in Waco public schools, at Grayson College, and in Deming, New Mexico. When she became pregnant with her first child, Lillian took a break from the classroom. Before long, two additional children were born to the couple.

In 1917, Lillian returned to the classroom when she accepted a position as a Spanish teacher at Austin High School in Austin, Texas. Eventually, she became the chair of the Spanish Department there. She even published a textbook, Mastering Spanish, in 1945.

Outside of the classroom, Lillian joined a network of educators, folklorists, and writers who were active in raising awareness about social and cultural issues of the American Southwest. She contributed to the movement by writing book reviews and publishing articles about life in the Southwest, including her concerns about sharecropping and land ownership. For her efforts, Lillian was recognized in 1965 as an honorary member of the Texas Institute of Letters. In addition, the University of Texas distributes an annual scholarship named in honor of Lillian and her husband.

Lillian passed away in 1971 at the age of 86. She is buried in Eddy Cemetery in the city of Falls, Texas. To learn more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to Lillian Greer Bedichek.

Mandy Vance named Oregon’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Middle school teacher Mandy Vance of Portland, Oregon, has been recognized as her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: North Central Education Service District

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for her work with young people. One of these is Mandy Vance, a middle school teacher from Portland, Oregon.

Mandy earned her Bachelor’ degree in Social Studies Education from Corban University in Salem, Oregon in 2008. There she earned honors for her leadership and athletic achievements. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2011, also from Corban. She earned her PhD in Education from Concordia University in 2019. There her research centered on the specific needs of students who are also athletes.

After earning her degrees, Mandy inaugurated her career as a professional educator in the Oregon Trail School District. In the District she taught at Boring Middle School for 15 years. Currently, she develops curriculum for courses in sports management, academic success, and creative science at Cedar Ridge Middle School in Sandy, Portland. She also serves on her school’s Site Council Leadership Team, in her local union, and as a mentor teacher. And as if all that were not enough, she also works as an adjunct professor for Eastern Oregon University.

Mandy says she believes her personal educational philosophy is paramount to their success. “I have discovered that what matters most isn’t what I do,” she declares. “It’s not the strategies I use, the standards I teach to, the technology I utilize, or the instructional methods I employ. It’s the quality of my presence, the state of being I bring to my students,” she continues.

The Oregon Teacher of the Year program is administered by the Oregon Department of Education in partnership with the Oregon Lottery. As part of her recognition, Mandy will receive a $10,000 cash award. In addition, $5,000 is also awarded to Oregon Trail School District. She says she plans to use the money to help set up a scholarship fund for students who want to become teachers.

 

Exploring Oodi, the Central Public Library of Helsinki, Finland

Posted on by

Teachers know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful experiential learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. Summer Break is a great time for travel! Earlier this month, I returned from a vacation to Scandinavia, and while I was there I visited an internationally-renowned Helsinki Central Library in Helsinki, Finland. This visit offers an excellent opportunity to incorporate a travel experience into the classroom curriculum.

Author Terry Lee Marzell visited the Helsinki Central Library on a vacation to the Scandinavian country of Finland in July, 2024. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

This public library, the brainchild of Finnish Minister of Culture Claes Andersson, was conceived in 1988, and opened to the public on December 5, 2018, the flagship project celebrating the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence. The facility, affectionately known as Oodi (“Ode”), is located on Kansalaistori Square, directly opposite the Finnish Parliament House. The positioning represents the library’s place as a promoter of equality, literacy, reading, and freedom of speech. In 2019, the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) named Oodi the best Public Library of the Year.

Author Terry Lee Marzell shows one of several sewing machines available for use by patrons at the Helsinki Central Library. Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

Oodi holds a collection of over 100,000 books in 23 languages. The collection also offers musical instruments, sheet music, movies, video games, and board games. I even saw a patron carry out a fishing pole he’d checked out! There are also sewing machines, a laser cutter, a vinyl cutter, 3-D printers, and a UV printer available for use.

The facility also boasts meeting rooms, game rooms, a playground for children, rehearsal rooms, a cafe, and a theater that holds 250 patrons. Often called “Finland’s living room,” there is a massive reading room located inside, a youth space, an interactive fairy tale wall, and seating options on a casual second-floor patio known as the Citizen’s Balcony located outside. The library also hosts lectures and concerts.

At a visit to the Helsinki Central Library, Hal and Terry Marzell came across this little robot transporting books from floor to floor. This little robot appears to have personality! Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

A model of updated technology, we were delighted to come across one of three robots that runs errands around the library, transporting books from floor to floor. And this little robot appears to have personality!

Simultaneously bustling with activity and a haven for quiet, independent study, Oodi is everything a modern library should be.

Given that Finland is a country not often found on travelers’ itineraries, it’s probably unlikely that you might ever escort your students on a trip there, but you can view a virtual tour of the facility—or share that virtual tour with your library science students—at this link: Oodi. Whether in person or online, I wish you happy exploring!