Category Archives: Education

CA teacher Helen Agcaoili Brown founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library

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Helen Agcaoili Brown, a former third grade teacher in Los Angeles, California, founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library. Photo Credit: UCLA Alumni Association

Students in our country are so fortunate to have many talented Chalkboard Champions in our schools. One of these is Helen Agcaoili Brown, a California teacher who is the founder of the Filipino American Reading Room and Library.

Helen was born May 16, 1915, in Manila, the Philippines. Her family immigrated to the United States shortly after her graduation from Manila Central High School in 1934. As a young woman, Helen studied first at Pasadena City Junior College, and then at the University of California, Los Angeles. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education and her Master’s degree in Social Work.

After she earned her college degree, Helen accepted a position as a third grade teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California. Her career as a professional educator there spanned many years.

In 1985, Helen founded the Filipino American Reading Room and Library, the first of its kind in the country. To enlarge the library’s collection, she donated her private library collection. She realized the value of the library she inherited from her father, and she worked diligently to build on it by collecting books, pamphlets, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and even the souvenir programs given out during the events of various Filipino organizations. She believed that nothing was too insignificant when it came to preserving the social history of Filipinos in the United States. In addition to founding the library, she also served as the facility’s librarian.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 25, 2011. She was 95 years old.

The Filipino American Library is located at 135 N. Park View St., Los Angeles, CA 90026. You can visit their website at Filipino Library.

Dr. Roy Biñas Basa has been named New Mexico’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Dr. Roy Biñas Basa of Zuni, New Mexico, has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: New Mexico Public Education Department

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Dr. Roy Biñas Basa, a STEM teacher from Zuni, New Mexico.

Roy teaches natural science and career and technical courses to high school students in grades nine through twelve at both Twin Buttes Cyber Academy and Zuni High School.

Most of Roy’s curriculum involves project-based activities, such as making fatty acid methyl esters from selected plant seeds as an alternative biofuel. That project garnered the 2022 New Mexico Governor’s STEM Challenge. Roy’s students also make motors and generators, solar panels, simple robots, and windmills.

Roy earned his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a major in General Science; his Master’s degree in Education with a major in School Administration and Supervision; and his PhD in Educational Management. He earned all of his degrees at the University of Negros Occidental, Recoletos. While studying there, Roy’s academic excellence was recognized with awards such as High Academic Distinction and Outstanding in Dissertation. While still engaged in ongoing studies for his Master’s of Education in Special Education at Western Colleges, he also earned a Master’s of Education in Natural Science from the University of St. La Salle. He has also obtained Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) certification, an International Teaching License, and successful completion of the Licensure Examination for Teachers in the Philippines. He has also authored a number of books. To view a list of his books click on this link to roybasa.com.

Roy is a dedicated educator who has made significant contributions to the field, being recognized with numerous awards and honors from local, regional, national and international organizations. His pedagogical priorities revolve around fostering an inclusive learning environment where every student’s unique needs and perspectives are valued, ensuring that high-quality education is accessible to all and empowering students to reach their full potential.

To read more about Roy Biñas Basa, click on this link to the New Mexico Department of Public Education.

Alaska’s Aurora Borealis offers opportunities for science instruction

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Nothing offers opportunities for learning better than travel, whether to destinations that are near or far. Travel allows the student—and the teacher who practices lifelong learning—to fully experience a locale with all the senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. And one of the most fascinating destinations for travel for both students and teachers is Alaska.

Alaska offers wonderful natural environments for scientific study and observation. On a recent trip to the state, I explored several excellent opportunities for learning that teachers could share with their students. The most spectacular of these is the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis.

Of course, most teachers are unable to escort their students on a field trip to observe this magnificent natural phenomenon, but students can still learn about it from some excellent resources online. A brief description of the science behind the Aurora can be found on the website of the US Government’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Another brief explanation of the phenomenon can be found on the website of National Geographic. Information about predicting Northern Lights in Alaska, including a question and answer section, can be found on this website for the Geophysical Institute sponsored by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. You could also share this three-minute YouTube video of the Northern Lights that was recorded at about the same time of our visit:

 

My husband, Hal, and I were fortunate to observe the Aurora while we were in Fairbanks. We had to select a night with little cloud cover in the sky, travel about a half-hour’s drive away from the city in order to escape the lights of the city, and wait until the later hours of the night. We also had to dress head-to-toe in protective snow gear to shield us from the cold temperatures. But we were well-rewarded for our effort.

Author Terry Lee Marzell (left) and her husband, Hal (right), enjoy the spectacular phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis on a recent trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. The experience offers opportunities for science instruction for students of all grade levels. Feb. 10, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert FrankevichPhoto Credit: Robert Frankevich (Our Alaskan tour guide)

One of the surprising aspects about the Northern Lights that we learned is that we thought the colors were better perceived by the camera than by the naked eye. This observation opens the door for an informative lesson about the human eye,  how rods and cones in the eye function, and how these functions affect our visual perceptions. Despite the limited ability of our human eyes, we were amazed by the beauty of the stunning Northern Lights, not to mention the glittering starscape in the sky above us.

Remember, too, that Alaska is not the only place where the Aurora can be observed. There are terrific viewing spots in Canada, Iceland, and Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Finland. And there are also the Southern Lights, also known as the aurora Australis, which can be seen in Antarctica, New Zealand, and parts of Australia.

I hope this blog post helps educators in the Lower 48 share the science and the beauty of this spectacular display with their students, no matter what the grade level. Enjoy!

The Wild West tamed by frontier schoolmarms

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The American Wild West was tamed, in part, due to the talented and dedicated women who served diligently as frontier schoolteachers. These pioneering women who became teachers during this period of our nation’s history were indeed a special breed.

At the turn of the 19th century, women were expected to be completely dependent upon their husbands, fathers, or other male relatives. It was extremely unusual, and not at all encouraged, for a woman to support herself and function independently. Nevertheless, many intelligent and self-reliant women in search of personal freedom and adventure joined the Westward movement as schoolmarms.

The stereotype of a frontier schoolteacher was that of an unattractive spinster or a prim and proper young miss. In reality, she was often neither of those. Many of these ladies came from influential and affluent Eastern families. A few of them were filled with burning ambition, and others were seeking a better life, and perhaps some were seeking a husband of like ambition. In general, though, these intrepid women were dedicated practitioners of their profession. Despite primitive working conditions, uninviting classrooms, low wages, and overwork, these stalwart women introduced literacy, culture, and morality to the roughneck communities they served. A few of these teachers became missionaries, others became suffragettes, and one of them—Jeannette Rankin of Montana—even went on to become the first woman to be elected to represent her state in the United States House of Representatives!

Our society owes these heroic frontier schoolmarms a great debt. Read more about pioneer teachers in my book, Chalkboard Champions, available through amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Click on the link to find out how to get a copy of the book. Enjoy!