Recharge with stories about inspirational teachers

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Congratulations, educators! You have nearly made it to the end of a particularly challenging school year! These past three months, dedicated educators all over the country have devoted themselves staying in contact with their students, preparing innovative online lessons, conducting classroom sessions via Zoom, and helping parents work with their kids to keep up. They’ve also been involved in attempts to preserve as many end-of-year traditions as possible, including scholarship awards and commencement activities. So much to do before concluding the end of a most unusual academic year!

Now that it’s almost over, you might be considering how to spend your well-earned summer vacation weeks. No doubt some time during this summer will be spent reflecting on how to best prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. But your leisure time might also include stocking up on something inspirational to read during your much-needed time off. The kids aren’t the only ones who can benefit from a summer reading list, right?

Reading the stories of inspirational teachers in challenging circumstances during American history is a terrific way to reflect upon your successes from the past year. And they can really add that extra oomph that helps you recharge your batteries for the year to come.

I have two splendid titles to suggest:  Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students (available here) and Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor (available here), both by Terry Lee Marzell. Each one is available in print or in e-book formats and is reasonably priced. You can also browse the titles on the Books to Read list found elsewhere on this website.

However you decide to spend your precious time off, enjoy!

Terry Lee Marzell

Author Terry Lee Marzell with her book, Chalkboard Heroes:Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor.

Retired Ohio teacher Hazel Begovich succumbs to coronavirus

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Retired elementary school teacher Hazel Begovich of Troy, Ohio, succumbed to the coronavirus on March 25, 2020.

Sadly, the coronavirus has claimed the life of yet another teacher. Retired educator Hazel Lee Begovich passed away at Upper Valley Medical Center on March 25, 2020, in Troy, Miami County, Ohio. She was one of the first Miami County residents to lose her life to the coronavirus. She was 88 years old.

Hazel was born on December 21, 1931, in Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky. After her graduation from high school, she enrolled in Eastern Kentucky University. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education.

After moving with her husband to Troy, Hazel inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position working for the Troy City Schools as a first and second grade teacher. She spent the majority of her teaching career as a second grade teacher at Concord Elementary School in Troy. She retired in 1996.

Hazel was married to Charles Begovich for 59 years, and the union produced one daughter, Malissa Evans. To honor Hazel’s memory, Hazel’s husband has established the Hazel Begovich Memorial Scholarship in her name. The $1,000 scholarship will be offered starting in the 2021-2022 school year. Mr. Begovich says the scholarship will be available for three consecutive years to a graduating Troy High School senior who declares the intention of pursuing a career in primary education.

According to her obituary, Hazel will always be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. The obituary also said that Hazel worked tirelessly to help her students pursue their goals.

Read more about this dedicated educator in this online story from the Troy Daily News.

Teacher, coach, and athletic director Paul Loggan succumbs to coronavirus

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Teacher, coach, and athletic director Paul Loggan of North Central High School in Indiana, succumbed to coronavirus on April 12, 2020.

Sadly, the coronavirus has claimed the life of another dedicated educator. Paul Loggan of Indianapolis, Indiana, succumbed to the illness on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020. He was only 57 years old.

Paul was born on April 5, 1963. As a young man, he graduated from Rushville High School in Rushville, Indiana, and then enrolled at the University of Indianapolis. He attended the university from 1981 to 1985. There he was an All-American linebacker. In 1981, he was a member of the Heartland Collegiate Conference Championship team.

Paul was named the Athletic Director of North Central High School in Washington Township, Indianapolis, in 2014. He had already been serving his school as a teacher, coach, department chair, and assistant athletic director. His career at North Central, which began in 1988. Before teaching at North Central, he also taught at Roncalli and Franklin High Schools. In all, Paul devoted 31 years of his life to his profession.

During his lengthy career, Paul coached 24 Division II and 36 Division I athletes, including players in a total of 14 bowl games. Three of his former players went on to play in the NFL. For his many successes as a coach, Paul garnered the Ken Leffler Award Contribution from the Indiana Football Coaches Association in 1990. He also earned the President’s Award winner for the Indiana Football Coaches Association in 1992. In addition, he was named a member of the UIndy Board of Directors for the Greyhound Club from 2005 to 2010. He was inducted into the University of Indiana Hall of Fame in 2012.

“Paul’s passion and dedication for North Central were unmatched,” remembered Rick Doss, Director of Secondary Schools of Washington Township. “He was an unbelievable advocate for NC athletics and every student who ever donned an NC uniform. While he wanted every NC team to win a state championship, he was he was an even bigger cheerleader for every NC athlete,” Doss continued. “He knew the value of team sports but wanted every student to grow through his/her athletic experience because he knew those experiences would set him/her up for success beyond high school,” Doss concluded.

To learn more about this amazing chalkboard champion, see this online article at WishTV.

Teacher Carmen Farina became Head of NYC Dept of Education

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Carmen Fariña at PS 29 in Brooklyn, where she once taught third grade. Later in her career she became the Head of the NYC Department of Education (Photo Credit: Michael Appleton, The New York Times)

Many fine classroom teachers have advanced to lofty positions within their local Department of Education. This is certainly true of Carmen Farina, an elementary school teacher who eventually became the Head of the New York City Department of Education.

Camen was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 5, 1943. Her parents had emigrated from Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Carmen overcame language and cultural barriers to succeed in school. She became the first person in her family to go to college. The ambitious young woman earned her Bachelor’s degree from New York University. She also earned three Master’s degrees. She earned a Master’s in Bilingual Education from Brooklyn College, another from Fordham University in Gifted/Arts Education, and her third from Pace University in Administration and Supervision.

Carmen inaugurated her career as an educator at PS 29 in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. There she earned a reputation as an exceptionally talented teacher, particularly in the social sciences. In fact, one of her students, novelist and professor Jonathan Lethem, once described her as the “perfect” teacher. He even dedicated his first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, to his former teacher. Her career at PS 29 spanned 22 years.

From 1991 to 2001, Carmen served as principal of PS 6. Under her leadership there, the school’s improved its ranking on the citywide reading test from 76th to 4th, and nearly 92% of the school’s students were classified as reading at grade level.

Eventually, Carmen was selected to serve as the Core Curriculum Coordinator for Brooklyn’s District 15. While in this role, she published her multi-cultural and interdisciplinary program Making Connections. The program became the model for similar programs in districts throughout the city. Later, she was elected Community Superintendent of District 15, and then she was selected Superintendent of Region 8. She also accepted a position as an adjunct professor at Bank Street College.

From 2004 to 2006, Carmen served the New York City Department of Education as the Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning. There she expanded programs for middle school students, including increased services for special needs students, Saturday school classes, workshops to improve study skills, and parent counseling.

In January, 2013, Carmen began her tenure as Head Chancellor for New York City Department of Education. Carmen served in that capacity until her retirement in April, 2018.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this story published in the New York Times.

Educator, jazz musician, and Tuskegee Airman LeRoy Battle

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Educator, jazz musican, and Tuskegee Airman LeRoy Battle with his 1995 autobiography, Easier Said.

I always enjoy sharing stories about superb educators who have also distinguished themselves in areas outside the sphere of education. One of these is LeRoy Battle, a high school music teacher who was also a fine jazz musician and a heroic Tuskegee Airman.

LeRoy was born Dec. 31, 1921, in the Harlem section of New York City, New York. His father owned a candy store, and his mother worked as a beautician and cook. While a youngster, LeRoy expressed an interest in music. He was able to take music lessons through both the Boy Scouts and the YMCA, where it was obvious he was a natural. By the time he was in the seventh grade, young LeRoy owned his own drum set. After years of learning and practice, the youthful musician was proficient enough to give music lessons as a private tutor.

As a teenager, LeRoy attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. There he played drums in the marching band and the school orchestra. He also performed in New York’s All-City Orchestra, the Harold Cabbell Orchestra, and the Al Bounds Orchestra. By the time LeRoy was a senior, he played with legendary singer Billie Holiday at the Three Deuces Jazz Club. He also worked with Pearl Bailey. After his graduation, the youthful musician joined a traveling band and went on the road.

Educator LeRoy Battle shown during World War II, when he served in the prestigious Tuskegee Airman group.

During WWII, Leroy was drafted. He served in the United States Army Air Corps from 1945 to 1947. Once he earned his silver wings and bars, LeRoy volunteered to join the Tuskegee Airmen. “I can’t say that I ever had any previous aspirations to be a pilot,” he once confessed. “But it sounded like a much better opportunity than anything else that was likely to come along.”  After completing the Tuskegee program at Tuskegee University, gunnery training at Tyndall Field, and bombardier training at Midland Air Force Base, LeRoy joined the 616th Squadron of the 477th Bombardment Group stationed at Freeman Army Air Force Base. For his heroism during WWII, LeRoy garnered the Congressional Gold Medal.

When the war ended, the former pilot continued his studies in music. He returned to New York City and enrolled at the Juilliard School of Music.Then Morgan State University, a historically Black college located in Baltimore, Maryland. There he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Musical Education. He also earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Maryland, College Park.

In 1950, LeRoy accepted a position as a music teacher at Douglass High School in Washington, DC. That year he established a stage band for his students. Over the next eight years, The Douglass High School Band placed garnered first place in 14 competitions. In 1958, the students became the first African American band featured in the prestigious yearbook First Chair of America. Jet Magazine  also printed a spread on the outstanding young musicians. Before LeRoy retired in 1978, he also served as a guidance counselor and assistant principal. For 17 of those years, he also served as a drummer in the Washington Redskins Marching Band.

Post-retirement, LeRoy continued to make music. From 1992 to 1996 he did session work with jazz musicians Eva Cassidy and Chuck Brown.In addition, he worked as a motivational speaker for the Tuskegee Airmen’s Speaker’s Bureau. And, as if all that wasn’t enough, he authored an autobiography entitled Easier Said, published in 1995.

Sadly, LeRoy passed away on March 28, 2015, in Harwood, Maryland. He was 93 years old. To read more about this remarkable Chalkboard Champion, see his obituary published in the Capital Gazette.