Here is a two-minute podcast I created a while back to share information about my first book, Chalkboard Champions. Hope you enjoy it!
Tag Archives: Terry Lee Marzell
Author Terry Lee Marzell inducted into prestigious Delta Kappa Gamma Society
Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell inducted into prestigious Delta Kappa Gamma International Society.
Author Terry Lee Marzell was inducted into the prestigious Delta Kappa Gamma International Society on Saturday, March 2, 2019, in an impressive ceremony held at Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Fontana, California.
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG) has a long and rich history. The organization was founded in 1929 by Dr. Annie Webb Blanton and a group of eleven of her colleagues at the University of Texas, Austin. Dr. Blanton, who was a professor at the university and had served as state superintendent of public instruction in Texas, and her fellow women educators were prohibited from meeting together professionally, yet they believed there was a pressing need for an organization in which women educators could assist each other in their efforts towards becoming better teachers.
The organization has declared seven purposes. In brief, these are: To unite women educators in fellowship; to honor women who have excelled in the field of education; to advance women as professional educators; to support legislation that is in the best interests of education and women educators; to provide scholarships for outstanding women educators to further their study of the teaching profession; to stimulate personal and professional growth; and to involve women in international educational issues.
Since 1929, the DKG organization has spread to over all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and 17 international countries. Terry Marzell has been named one of 37 charter members of the newly-formed Kappa Beta chapter, which will serve Corona, Norco, Chino, and Chino Hills area.
To learn more about DKG, click on this link: Delta Kappa Gamma.
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Author Terry Lee Marzell speaks to Delta Kappa Gamma Society in Highland, CA
Author Terry Lee Marzell speaks at the monthly meeting of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society in San Bernardino.
Author Terry Lee Marzell made an appearance yesterday (January 10, 2019) at the monthly meeting of the San Bernardino Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. The meeting was held at St. John Bosco Church Hall at 28991 Merris Street in Highland, California.
Terry shared some of her favorite stories about remarkable teachers that are contained in her two published books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes. She also shared information about the book she is currently working on, tentatively titled Chalkboard Politicians.
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International is an international organization that promotes excellence in education, and supports professional and personal growth of women educators. The organization boasts members in 17 countries.
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International was founded May 11, 1929, at the Faculty Women’s Club at the University of Texas, Austin. Instrumental in founding the organization was Dr. Annie Blanton, who was a member of the faculty of the University of Texas and a former Texas State Superintendent of Pubic Instruction. Dr. Blanton was passionate about the idea of an organization that provided peer support for women educators. The organization’s Alpha Chapter was installed later that year.
Following the meeting, chapter members assembled Jared boxes, activity boxes for children who are hospitalized.
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Field trip to Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum generates mind-shift
Author Terry Lee Marzell on her recent field trip to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Just about every educator would agree that field trips are an excellent example of experiential learning, and a terrific learning tool for teachers. But, let’s be realistic, very few teachers can afford to escort a group of students to Europe. Most of the time the best the teacher can do is take a tour personally, and then share the experience with the class upon return home. One field trip I would definitely recommend to any art teacher is a tour of the Vincent Van Gogh Museum located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
I have to say, visiting this museum, coupled with my reading of Irving Stone’s landmark biographical novel Lust for Life, truly expanded my knowledge and appreciation of this iconic 19th-century Dutch painter. Here’s what I learned. In Van Gogh’s day, most painters studied how to realistically reproduce pictures of the human body, because they relied on painting portraits of wealthy patrons in order to earn a living. Many of these portraits depicted prominent citizens and their families or servants seated in the affluent surroundings of their homes or businesses. Usually, these portraits were pragmatic representations using dark and somber colors, steady brush strokes, and clear outlines for the objects in their works.
“View of Arles with Irises in the Foreground” by Vincent Van Gogh in 1888. Hanging in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
But Van Gogh was an innovator. He preferred to paint pictures depicting breathtaking landscapes of expansive fields full of blooming flowers. If he chose to paint portraits, his subjects were the common working man and his family, such as farmers or coal miners. These were portraits Van Gogh did not get paid for. He didn’t worry about earning a living because most of his life he was supported by his younger brother. Van Gogh’s paintings are characterized by brilliant colors and swirly, dramatic brush strokes which convey energy and movement. And as forerunner of the impressionist movement, he used indistinct outlines for the objects in his works.
Once inside the museum, standing before these stunning paintings, I fell in love with Van Gogh’s art.
What I learned about Van Gogh through my reading and my field trip to the Amsterdam museum is probably nothing new to the art teacher. But because of these experiences I achieved a monumental mind-shift in my understanding and appreciation of art in general, particularly 19th-century art, and specifically Van Gogh’s art. This mind-shift would not likely have occurred otherwise. This is what the educator hopes to achieve through field trips.
In a tour to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the visitor encounters this image of the famous Dutch painter, surrounded by a comprehensive exhibit of his self-portraits.
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Taking a field trip to Hitler’s famous Eagle’s Nest
Author Terry Lee Marzell recently took a field trip to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, shown here. The site is located near the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavaria region of Germany.
When teaching students about historical figures, it always helps to take a field trip to places associated with the figure in question. Visiting places connected to former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is difficult, though, because so many of them have been destroyed since WWII. One site that still exists, and is open to the public, is Hitler’s famous Eagle’s Nest.
The Eagle’s Nest, known in German as the Kehlsteinhaus, was built in 1939. It is located near the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavaria region of Germany. An impressive feet of engineering, it was built on the 6,000-foot summit of Kehlstein Mountain. The incline is so steep that the vehicles which transport visitors to the entrance must be specially equipped to handle the slant.
To access the house, Hitler was driven through an entry tunnel. Today’s visitor passes through the tunnel on foot. Next, Hitler used an elaborately-decorated elevator to ascend the 400-foot shaft that leads to the house. The elevator’s ornate design was intended to impress visitors, and it certainly impressed us, until we remembered that our feet were standing on the very same ground that former Nazis stood on. The elevator seemed spacious—large enough for about 20 people—but not large enough for Hitler, who was reportedly claustrophobic. He never fully trusted the device, and riding in it made him exceedingly nervous.
At right, the reception hall of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest as it was during WWII. Notice the grand red Italian marble fireplace gifted to Hitler by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. At left, Hitler (far right) and his guests admire the stunning views.
Once you have reached the top, we toured the rooms used by the Nazis for government meetings, receptions, and social events. In the main hall, the showpiece architectural element is the grand fireplace of red Italian marble, a gift from Italian dictator and Nazi ally Benito Mussolini. The unfurnished stone rooms were stark and cold, and seemed harsh in comparison to the spectacular views that could be seen through the windows. Even photographs from Hitler’s day showing the rooms in use, outfitted with thick carpets, overstuffed furniture pieces, and a blazing fire in the fireplace, do not make the room appear soft and warm. It’s almost as if the bleak interiors of the rooms mirror the interiors of the stony hearts of those who used them.
Author Terry Lee Marzell admires the spectacular views from Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Germany.
Ahh, but the views were breathtaking. The natural beauty of the vast landscape was wasted on Hitler, though, who was afraid of heights. For this reason, he visited the Nazi showcase only 14 times. But in my opinion, the views alone are worth the trek to the summit.
Of course, the best way for a teacher to share the experience this historical place with students is through a field trip, but since travelling to Germany with your class is unlikely, you and your students can learn more about Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest from a visit to the site’s official website at Kehlsteinhaus.
