Former English teacher Mark Takano serves in US House of Reps

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Former English teacher and member of the US House of Representatives Mark Takano works to improve educational opportunities for learners of all ages. Photo Credit: The Press Enterprise.

Many fine classroom teachers go on to successful careers in politics. One of these educators in Mark Takano, a former teacher who now serves in the US House of Representatives.

Mark was born on December 10, 1960, in Riverside, California. He spent his entire childhood there. As a Japanese American, he grew up listening to stories told by his parents and grandparents about their internment in an American camp during WWII. As a young boy, Mark attended La Sierra High School. When he graduated in 1979, he was named the school’s valedictorian. After his high school graduation, Mark attended Harvard, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Government in 1983. He earned a second Master’s in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Creative Writing for the Performing Arts, from the University of California, Riverside, in 2010.

Once he earned his degree, Mark worked as a substitute teacher for various public school systems in the Boston area. Later he returned to Riverside, and, in 1988, he inaugurated his teaching career in the Rialto Unified School District. He taught British Literature at Rialto High School. Only two years later, he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Riverside Community College District. There he worked diligently to increase job training opportunities for adult learners. In 1991, Mark was elected Board President. In all, Mark taught for 23 years in public schools.

In 2012, Mark was elected elected on the Democratic ticket to represent the 41st District in the US House of Representatives. His District includes Riverside, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley, and Perris. As a Congressman, he serves on a variety of committees, including the Education and Labor Committee; the Science, Space and Technology Committee; and as the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

To learn more about Mark Takano, see his Congressional website.

Tisha chronicles engaging story about teaching in the Alaskan wilderness

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One of my favorite “teacher” books of all time is Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness. The volume is the memoir of pioneer teacher Anne Stevenson Hobbs, as told to masterful chronicler Robert Specht.

I absolutely love this action-packed true story about a young teacher who travels to the Alaskan wilderness in the 1920’s to teach in a frontier school. This book is as much an adventure story and a romance as it is a chronicle of early Alaskan history.

At the age of 19 in the 1920’s, Anne Hobbs, a plucky young lady, travels from her home in Colorado to the Alaskan wilderness with the intention of setting up a frontier school. She knows nothing about Alaska or living in the wilderness, and she is completely naive about the social conditions or customs there, but she is full of a desire for adventure. She certainly finds it when she lands in a small village called Chicken. Besides encountering the expected lack of teaching materials and frigid temperatures, Anne heroically battles prejudice against the Native Alaskans when she falls in love with one of them.

If you haven’t read this book yet, run—don’t walk—to your nearest brick-and-mortar bookstore and buy it right away! You can also order Tisha on Amazon.com, but don’t wait too long to read this exciting story. This tale will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Marzell’s books included in several prestigious academic libraries

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I always get excited when I learn that one of my books has been added to the collection of a prestigious university library. A search of WorldCat reveals that both of my books have been added to the collections of prestigious university libraries.

My first book, Chalkboard Champions (2012), is part of the collection of the twelve academic libraries. These include the University of Arizona, Tucson; University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii; the City University of New York in New York, New York; and Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. The volume is also part of the collection of the libraries of Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota; the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and the State University of New York in Oswego, New York. The book is also available at Hunter College in New York, New York; Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts; and the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. In addition, it is part of the collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Chalkboard Heroes (2015) has been included in the collections of the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, California; Chadron State University in Chadron, Nebraska; the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and the University of Chicago Library in Chicago, Illinois. The volume can also be found in the Alaska State Library in Juneau, Alaska; Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana; and Central Connecticut State Library in New Britain, Connecticut.

Many thanks to all these university libraries for honoring my work!

The intrepid Susie King Taylor: Civil War teacher, nurse, and author

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Susie King Taylor was an intrepid teacher, nurse, and author who practiced during the Civil War period. Photo Credit: National Park Service

Every once in a while I come across the story of an intrepid teacher who has made a signifiant contribution to our nation’s history. One of these is Susie King Taylor, a teacher, nurse, and author who practiced during the Civil War Period.

Susie King Taylor, whose birth name was Susan Ann Baker, was born into slavery on August 6, 1848. Her place of birth was a plantation owned by Valentine Grest located in Liberty County, Georgia. Susie was the oldest of nine children born to her parents.

When she was a child, her grandmother, Dolly Reed, made sure that Susie received an education, despite the fact that in that day, it was illegal to teach enslaved persons to read and write. Susie attended secret “underground” schools and her teachers were free women of color. Even at a young age, Susie demonstrated an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

When the Civil War erupted, Susie and her family were led to freedom by her uncle. The family escaped to the South Carolina Sea Islands, an area under the control of Union forces. She was only 14 years old at the time. The Army officers Susie met there were impressed by her education and kindness, and so they asked her to teach newly-freed African American children in an emancipation school sponsored by the government, even though the war was still raging. She became the first African American teacher in the area. In 1862, Susie married Sergeant Edward King, and she joined her husband’s regiment. During this time, she taught illiterate soldiers to read and write, and at the same time, she nursed injured soldiers back to health. In fact, she became the first African American Army nurse to serve during the Civil War. She was well-known for the dedication she demonstrated while caring for sick and injured.

Once the war was won, Susie and her husband relocated to Savannah, Georgia, where she hoped to continue her career as an educator in a private school of her own. Unfortunately, the death of her husband left her without the financial means to realize this dream. In 1872, she moved to Boston where she met her second husband, Russell Taylor. She married him in 1879. In her later years, she devoted her time and attention to working with the Woman’s Relief Corps, a national organization that provided services for female Civil War veterans.

In 1902, Susie penned and self-published her memoir, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers. The volume became a valuable historical account of her Civil War experiences.

This amazing woman passed away on October 6, 1912, in Boston, Massachusetts. She is interred in Mount Hope Cemetery. Today, Susie King Taylor is celebrated for her significant accomplishments as a teacher, nurse, and author.