Exploring northern California’s redwood forests with students

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Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell recently visited several of California’s redwood forests. She is pictured here at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, located along the famous Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Educators who are creating lessons about California’s rich botanical heritage will surely want to include information about the California’s redwood forests. The majestic trees found in these forests are among the tallest and oldest in the world. Groves of redwoods can be found in redwood state and national parks along the northern coast of California. In fact, the state boasts a total of 31 such parks. I had the good fortune to visit several of them on a road trip my husband, our little dog Kurby, and I recently enjoyed.

The average height of a mature redwood is between 200 to 240 feet. Some can even grow as large as 350 feet with a diameter of over 20 feet. These amazing trees can live up to 2,000 years!

If you visit in person, you can explore these forests by walking along  easy, relatively short, well-marked, and well-maintained nature trails. Touring these trails is like venturing into a magical fairyland, complete with towering timbers, lush ferns, colorful mushrooms, spongy floors, and filtered light. I’m sure these forests would be impressive at any time of the year, but in winter, the growth is more green and lush, and because of the frequent insulating fog and the ample rain, over 300 types of mushrooms sprout up.

You and your students can also explore California’s redwood forests online. Here is a link to a six minute educational about the forests, and also a live webcam that shows a river flowing through the forest: Virtual Redwoods. To learn more about the various redwood parks along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County, click on this link. At this website you will find maps, photos, and information about visitor centers.

 

Visit the cabin once inhabited by author Jack London

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Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell visits the cabin once inhabited by celebrated author Jack London while he was living in Alaska. The cabin was disassembled, moved, and rebuilt in Oakland, California. Terry is flanked by her little dog, Kurby, on the right, and the famous wolf statue at left. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Many teachers lead their students through a study of the excellent novels written by celebrated author Jack London. Novels popular for classroom study include Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Sea Wolf. Teachers might be interested to know that the log cabin once inhabited by London while he was living in Alaska can be visited at two  different locations, one in California and the other in Canada.

Jack London’s original cabin was built on the North Fork of Henderson Creek south of Dawson City, in the heart of Klondike territory, just prior to the Gold Rush of 1898. London abandoned his cabin after the area’s Gold Rush fever faded. The small-scale structure was later discovered by trappers who observed the author’s signature scrawled on the wall.

In 1965, the cabin was dismantled and two replicas were constructed from the original logs. One was reconstructed in Dawson City, a town in the Canadian territory of the Yukon. The other was built in Oakland, California, where it was re-assembled at Jack London Square. Why Oakland? Jack London was born and raised there. Today, visitors can visit the cabin where it sits along Oakland’s waterfront at Jack London Square. There is no fee.

To learn more about the cabin, see this article published by the Jack London Museum written by Canadian historian and columnist Kenneth Spotswood.

Covid claims life of Alabama teacher, coach Leo Davidovich, Jr.

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Special Education teacher and coach Leo Davidovich, Jr., of Odenville, Alabama, succumbed to Covid on Sept. 23, 2o2o. Photo credit: CBS 42.

With sadness, we regret to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator and coach. Leo Davidovich, Jr., a middle school teacher in Odenville, Alabama, sucumbed to the disease on Sept. 23, 2020. He was only 47 years old.

Leo taught special education in a small group setting at Odenville Middle School in the St. Clair County School District. He had a reputation for reaching his students with engaging lessons that emphasized the development of functional life skills. He worked tirelessly to make his lessons applicable to his students, and he strongly believed students should be able to use the skills from his classroom later in life. “Leo was beloved by all his students at OMS,” recalled his wife, Cindy, “because his students knew how much he cared for them and loved them.”

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Leo served as the Assistant Softball Coach for nearby Drew Middle School. He also coached travel softball and basketball. He was the Founder and Head Coach of the Thunderstruck Softball Team.

Leo was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 28, 1972. He graduated from Mifflinburg Area High School in 1991. Later he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lycoming College. Lycoming is a nationally-ranked private college located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. During his undergraduate college years, Leo was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) Fraternity. Leo earned his Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Leo and his wife also owned a family farm in Lincoln, Alabama. Many of his days off from teaching and coaching were spent working on his farm.

To read more about Leo, click on the story about him at this link to CBS 42.

Olive Mann Isbell taught during the Mexican American War

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Author Terry Lee Marzell shares the remarkable story of Olive Mann Isbell, pioneer teacher who taught her students in a school established in California’s Santa Clara Mission while the Mexican American War raged all around them. Here is a short video that tells a bit more of the story of this remarkable Chalkboard Champion.

Nominate a Chalkboard Champion for this blog

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There are so many talented educators out there that, by myself, I cannot possibly find out about them all. How about some help?

Do you know a remarkable teacher?Someone everyone looks up to: students, parents, and administrators alike? Someone who serves as a model for the profession? A true Chalkboard Champion? This teacher could be someone who is already retired, or even someone from history that you admire.

You can nominate that educator to be the subject of a blog post on this web site. Simply use the contact form at right to send me the name and email information, if you have it, for the teacher you would like to nominate. I’ll do the rest!

Hope to hear from you soon!