Category Archives: Education

We Rode the Orphan Trains by Andrea Warren

Posted on by

Have you ever heard anything about America’s orphan trains? Not many have, but orphan trains are a fascinating solution to a problem of homeless children.

During the early years of the 20th century, there were literally thousands of homeless children roaming aimlessly on the streets of New York City. The Children’s Aid Society (CAS), an organization which still exists to benefit children today, developed a method for finding loving and wholesome homes for many of these children. The CAS organized small groups of children to be transported to states in the Midwest and the West. These children were placed in foster homes or adoptive homes on farms and in rural communities. To care for the children, the CAS recruited teachers to escort them, conduct background checks on the prospective caretakers, and make periodic checks on the children’s progress.

Andrea Warren has documented the phenomena of the Orphan Trains very diligently in her book, We Rode the Orphan Trains, available through amazon.com. You can also read a chapter about one of the CAS teachers, Clara Comstock, in my first book, Chalkboard Champions.

Choosing the stories of remarkable teachers to share

Posted on by

Author Terry Lee Marzell speaks about her work to recognize and celebrate great teachers.

Whenever I give author talks, one question that often comes up is how did I select the teachers that I wrote about in my book, Chalkboard Champions.

Two of the twelve were easy: Anne Sullivan, the teacher who worked with Helen Keller, and Jaime Escalante, the teacher who was the subject of the movie Stand and Deliver. Any book about outstanding teachers must include these two. It helped that Anne Sullivan worked with handicapped students and Jaime Escalante worked with inner city Latino youth, since the thrust of this book is teachers who worked with disenfranchised student populations.

After I selected these two, I began to think about other groups of disenfranchised students. I thought about minority groups such as Native Americans and African Americans, which led me to Elaine Goodale Eastman, Charlotte Forten Grimke, Carter Godwin Woodson, and Sandra Adickes. I specifically looked for a teacher in Hawaii, and discovered Gladys Kamakakuokalani Brandt. I have to say, the chapter I wrote about Gladys is among my favorite chapters. I stumbled across Eulalia Bourne, the Arizona teacher who worked with Mexican American students, and couldn’t resist her.

Next I considered underprivileged students such as the poor, orphans, and newly-arrived immigrants. Researching these groups led me to Julia Richman, Clara Comstock, and Leonard Covello. And then I specifically looked for a teacher who was working with students in World War II Japanese internment camps, and after much effort found Mary Tsukamoto.

When selecting the teachers I wrote about, I tried to include a good cross section of ethnic groups, both as teachers and with regards to the student groups they served. I strove to include both men and women, although frankly it is easier to find women teachers to write about because there are so many more of them. I also attempted to include representation from a variety of geographic regions within the United States. Lastly, I tried to select teachers that came from different time periods in American history, starting from the Civil War era and continuing through to more contemporary times.

I love to tell stories about remarkable teachers, and although I selected twelve very extraordinary teachers to write about, there were, of course, many more that I did not have room to include in the volume. That led me to my second book, Chalkboard Heroes.

Talented music educators lead marching bands in 2020 Rose Parade

Posted on by

One of my favorite events of the year is the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. And every year when I watch this parade on television, the dedication of our nation’s talented band directors amazes me. Here is Part 2 of a three-day series that features these accomplished music educators.

Kamehameha Warrior Marching Band and Color Guard

Band Director Matthew Urabe led the Kamehameha Warrior Marching Band and Color Guard from Honolulu, Hawaii, in the 2020 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Band Director Matthew Urabe conducted the Kamehameha Warrior Marching Band and Color Guard from Honolulu, Hawaii. Always a crowd favorite, the 200 student-member group represented Kamehameha Schools as they celebrated their Hawaiian culture. I loved the spirit the performers’ grass skirts, hula dancing, and conch shell players. This is the school’s fifth appearance in the Rose Parade.

Matthew is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools, class of 1999. This talented educator earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Music from Oregon State University in 2005.

The Pride of Owasso Marching Band

The Pride of Owassa was led by Director of Bands Chris Harris  in the 2020 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Chris Harris, Director of Bands at Owasso Public Schools, led his 375-member group from Owasso, Oklahoma. The 2020 Rose Parade was the sixth time The Pride of Owasso has performed in the Rose Parade, and the first time under the direction of Chris. With six invitations, The Pride of Owasso has participated in more Tournament of Roses Parades than any other school from Oklahoma.

Owasso High School Director of Bands Chris Harris.

Chris Harris has been a music educator in Owasso since 2004. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education (1990) and a Master’s degree in Music Education (1992). The talented educator is a member of many professional organization. These include Phi Beta Mu, OkMEA, and NAfME. Furthermore, he is the 2019-2020 Vice President of the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Chris plays steel pan for Something Steel, an island- based cover band from Tulsa, and performs with the Barrel Fish Community Steel Band, which he founded in December of 2018. Chris also enjoys playing coed soccer and officiating OSSAA soccer matches.

The Pride of Pearland Marching Band

Director of Bands Joe Munoz led the Pride of Pearland Marching Band from Pearland, Texas.

Director of Bands Joe Munoz led the Pride of Pearland Marching Band from Pearland, Texas. The 325-member group is well-known for its musicality and marching skills. But an additional reason that Pearland High School was chosen for the parade was because of the band’s community service. The group took quick action in setting up and running a shelter for those who had lost their homes immediately following Hurricane Harvey.

Joe Munoz, the Director of Band for the Pride of Pearland Marching Band of Houston, Texas.

Joe Munoz has been the Director of Bands for Pearland since 2013. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston. There he studied instrument pedagogy and conducting. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, he is an active adjudicator and clinician. His professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu International School Bandmaster Fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority (Honorary Member). Joe is also the lead instructor at the famous George M. Parks Drum Major Academy.

To learn more about the Tournament of Roses, click on this link for the Rose Parade.

Talented music educators lead students in 2020 Rose Parade

Posted on by

One of my favorite events of the year is the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. The event takes place every year on the morning of January 1. This exciting parade is televised live from the city of my birth: Pasadena, California. I love everything about the parade: the flower-festooned floats, the sprightly equestrian units, the celebrity appearances, and the spectacular marching bands. And every year when I watch this parade on television, the dedication of our nation’s talented band directors always amazes me. Here is Part 1 of a three-day series that features these accomplished music educators.

Alhambra Unified School District Marching Band

The Alhambra Unified School District Marching Band performed in the Rose Parade under the direction of music educator Mark Trulson.

Head Marching Band Director Mark Trulson led the 275 students who comprise the impressive Alhambra Unified School District Marching Band. The students who form this group come from three high schools that represent the Southern California cities of Alhambra, Monterey Park, and San Gabriel. Those schools are Mark Keppel High School, Alhambra High School, and San Gabriel High School.

Head Marching Band Director Mark Trulson led the Alhambra Unified School District Marching Band in this year’s Rose Parade.

“To get into the Rose Parade, it’s like making it to the Super Bowl,” asserted Mark. He was the band director when the school made their Rose Parade debut 10 years ago. “It’s fun to be back,” the talented music educator remarked. “The first time you do, it’s awe-inspiring,” he said. “The second time, we’ve done this before, we got this,” he concluded.

Mark hails from Massachusetts originally. He has been a music teacher at Alhambra High School since 2003. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts. He earned his Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon.

Interestingly, 2020 Tournament of Roses President Laura Farber is a graduate of Alhambra High School.

Dobyns-Bennett High School Marching Band

Music Educator Lafe Cook serves as the Director of Bands for Dobyns-Bennett High school in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Director of Bands Lafe Cook led more than 300 students from Dobyns-Bennett High School located in Kingsport, Tennessee. This accomplished group encompasses the largest band program in the state of Tennessee. It is one of only 14 band programs in the country that has earned both the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s prestigious Sudler Flag of Honor and the Sudler Shield Award. This is the group’s fourth appearance in the Rose Parade.

Lafe has been a high school band director for a total of 26 years. He is in his 20th year as the Director of the Dobyns-Bennett Band program. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. There he was the drum major of the university’s marching band and a graduate assistant with the Music Department. He taught at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, for six years prior to coming to Dobyns-Bennett.

The Dobyns-Bennett High School Band under the direction of Lafe Cook made its fourth appearance in the annual Rose Parade extravaganza.

Greendale High School Marching Band

Director of Bands Tom Reifenberg led the Greendale High School Marching Band from Greendale, Wisconsin, through the parade route. This was the first appearance of the 222-member award-winning group. Greendale High School has earned the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s prestigious Sudler Shield Award. In addition, the school has garnered the Wisconsin School Music Association State Marching Band Competition an impressive 15 times. They also marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2016.

Director of Bands Tom Reifenberg led his students in this years Rose Parade.

“There are thousands of high schools across the country, and only a select few get to do something on this scale, marching in front of not only that many people in California, but that many people watching around the world on New Year’s morning,” observed Tom.

Tom has been the Band Director at Greendale since 2001. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater in 2001. He earned his Master’s degree in Music Education from Boston University in 2008.  For his work in the classroom, this talented music educator garnered the Michael G. George Distinguished Service Award in 2017. He also earned the Educator of the Year honor from the Greendale Chamber of Commerce in 2016, and the Herb Kohl Fellowship Award in 2015.

The Greendale High School Marching Band marched in the Rose Parade under the leadership of Director of Bands Tom Reifenberg.

To learn more about the bands that marched in this year’s parade, see the list at this link: Tournament of Roses.

Alaska’s Amy Gallaway named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Alaska’s Amy Gallaway, a social studies teacher in Fairbanks, has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I love to tell stories about teachers who have been recognized for their outstanding effort in the classroom. One of these is Amy Gallaway, a high school social studies teacher from Fairbanks, Alaska. Shes been named her states 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Amy inaugurated her 20-year career as an educator in Alaska in 1993. That was the year she was working as an archeologist in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. While working at that job, she took a seasonal position as a teacher’s aide in Glennallen School. She loved that temporary job so much she decided to go back to school to earn her teaching credentials. Amy had already completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at Northern Arizona University. To earn her Master’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching, she enrolled in courses at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She completed that program in 1999.

After earning her teaching credentials, Amy accepted her first teaching job in Nuiqsut, an Inupiaq village on the Colville River. There she became involved in local civics projects. She wanted to show her students how they could use their personal power to benefit the entire community.

In 2002, Amy started working for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Currently, she works at West Valley High School in that district. There she teaches history, government, and career education to high school students.

Because of her strong belief that learning should be empowering, relevant, and community-oriented, Amy is a teacher mentor for the national We the People civics program. The program emphasizes critical thinking skills and features a simulated Congressional hearing with judges from the community.

To read more about this amazing educator, click on this link to Amy Gallaway of Fairbanks named Teacher of the Year.