When politicians greet teachers at the start of a new school year

In this YouTube video from August 23, 2015, South Carolina Governor Pat McCrory greets the teachers of his state with a message of inspiration to start the new school year. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all received messages like this from politicians? Watch:

Civil rights activist, algebra teacher, and chalkboard hero Robert Parris Moses

New York City math teacher Robert Parris Moses was a legendary figure during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. He was the courageous teacher who orchestrated the black voter-registration efforts and the Freedom Schools made famous during the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer. This heroic educator's revolutionary work, which was not without risk to life and limb, transformed the political power structure of entire communities.

Now, nearly forty years later, Moses is advocating yet another transformational change: the Algebra Project. Moses asserts that a deficiency in math literacy in poor neighborhoods puts impoverished children at an economic disadvantage when it comes to being able to compete successfully for jobs in the 21st century, and that this disenfranchisement is as debilitating as lack of personal liberties was prior to the Civil Rights Movement.

His solution is to organize people, community by community, school by school, to overcome the achievement gap and give impoverished children the tools they need to claim their share of economic enfranchisement. Moses's book, Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project written with fellow Civil Rights worker Charles E. Cobb, Jr., can be found easily and reasonably-priced on amazon. A fascinating read for anyone who is interested in Moses's story, either past or present. A chapter about this remarkable teacher will also be included in my second book, entitled Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor.  This book is also available on amazon; click on this link to view: Chalkboard Heroes.

Goals, plans, and action: How to be a chalkboard champion!

An earnest young student once said to me, "Some day I'm gonna be somebody!" It's the kind of statement that tugs at the heartstrings of a compassionate teacher. She wanted to graduate from high school the first in her family, and then enroll in college. Her ultimate goal was to be a registered nurse. The thing is, the student rarely brought her book to class, almost never did her homework, and spent more time hiding her cell phone use under her desk than actually participating in class. She was not actively involved in her own education. "It's great to have lofty goals," I advised her, "but you have to couple those goals with a practical plan and some robust action."

Even as an adult and a professional, I sometimes get a jolting reminder that talk, even if it is confident and optimistic, doesn't really accomplish much that's tangible. And if the talk sounds like whining and complaining, you can even severely sabotage the progress of your venture. We all face challenges and frustrations in our work, no matter what profession we are engaged in, but it's important to avoid becoming the bellyacher in the teachers' lounge that spends more energy describing the obstacles in minute detail than on coming up with some constructive and creative solutions.

To actually achieve your lofty goals, follow up your confident and optimistic talk by developing a feasible plan of action and then getting down to work. If you can do that, you will be a chalkboard champion, and you will have a great school year!

Former teacher Alexis Krauss becomes half of American noise pop band Sleigh Bells

There are many examples of contemporary entertainers who were once school teachers. One of these is Alexis Krauss, a former elementary school teacher who is now best known as the vocalist of American noise pop band Sleigh Bells.
Alexis was born September 15, 1985, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York. She is the daughter of a professional musician, and as a child, she frequently performed in musical theater productions.

Once she graduated from high school, Alexis enrolled in college and majored in political science. "I was studying poli sci and international studies and was doing a lot of research on the right to education and children’s education," Alexis once revealed. "I ended up joining Teach for America. I taught for two years in the south Bronx, and that was one of the most, probably the most, rewarding and challenging things I’ve ever done," she expressed.

After two years of teaching, Alexis met Derek E. Miller, a restaurant server. The two discovered they shared an interest in music, and before long, they decided to form a band they called Sleigh Bells. The duo has just released their fourth record.

Has Alexis received any feedback about her music from her former students? "You know, I have," she confesses. "They’re older now; they’re big, bad seventh-graders. But they’re way more interested in Demi Lovato and One Direction. You hear them trying to sound like they’re into it though! It’s so cute. They’re like 'Ummmmm, Mrs. Krauss, your music is really good but it’s kinda weird!'”

Ellen shares a big surprise with teacher Mayra Castillo

Every once in awhile you see a segment on national television that honors some deserving teacher somewhere. When you see it, you're energized about your work with kids, and you feel honored to be a member of the profession. I had that experience the other day when I stumbled upon a re-run episode of Ellen Degeneres that featured teacher Mayra Castillo. Mayra has two jobs: she teaches special needs students, and then when her regular work day is done, she runs an afternoon program for low-income kids.

Disguised as an impromptu need for a translator, Ellen invited Mayra to come out of the audience and up onstage to assist her in communicating with Spanish-speaking actor Danilo Carrera, who had recently been named "Most Beautiful" by People Magazine. Once Mayra was onstage, Ellen concluded her interview with Danilo, and then got down to the real business she had planned: a big surprise for Mayra.

Want to see the clip? Click on the link  Mayra on Ellen. You're in for a treat.

Alaska's State Senator Mia C. Costello publicly thanks her kindergarten teacher

There are many fine examples of talented teachers who make a positive contribution to their community as a politician. Mia C. Costello, an educator from Alaska, is one such teacher.
Mia was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on January 11, 1968. As a teenager, she attended West High School, where she graduated in 1986. After her graduation, she enrolled at Harvard University. Mia earned her degree in government in 1990, and her teaching certificate and master's degree in teaching from the University of Alaska Southeast in 1997.

Mia worked as an educator in both the Service High School in the Anchorage School District and Juneau-Douglas High School in the Juneau School District. For her accomplishments in the classroom she has been awarded the Alaska Humanities Forum Teacher Exchange to Sand Point, and she has been named a Co-Nect Schools Excellence in Education finalist.

After leaving the teaching profession, she became the owner of a public relations consulting business, worked as the Deputy Director of Communications for former Governor Frank Murkowski, completed a stint as the public information officer for the Media Support Center of the Office of then-Governor Walter Hickel, and also worked as an account executive for Bradley/Reid Communications. In addition, she served as an aide to state Representative Norm Rokeberg and as an instructor for Nine Star Education and Employment Services. In 2010, Mia was elected as a member of the Alaska State House of Representatives representing District 20, a post she held until 2014, when she was elected to the Alaska State Senate on the Republican ticket. She continues to serve in that capacity today.

Mia's special interests are youth literacy, flying, swimming, and camping. She is married and has two sons.

Even though Mia no longer serves in the classroom, she appreciates great teachers. She has even publicly credited her former kindergarten teacher, Caroline Nishimura, with making an important contribution to her own success.  To view this, view the video at this link: Mia recognizes her kindergarten teacher.  

Baseball's Victor Aldridge: "The Hoosier Schoolmaster"

There are many examples of capable educators who have also established themselves as talented athletes. One of these is teacher Victor Aldridge, who was also an accomplished pitcher for Major League Baseball.
Vic was born on October 25, 1893, in the small town of Crane, Indiana. He attended Tempy Primary School, just a short walk from his home. In high school, the teenaged Vic attended nearby Trinity Springs, and following his graduation, the young athlete enrolled in Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana.

From 1914-1915, Vic taught school at the Pea Ridge School in Trinity Springs, Indiana. He also taaught in Miami County, Indiana.

Dubbed the "Hoosier Schoolmaster," Vic was drafted in 1916 as a right-handed pitcher by the Chicago Cubs. Before his career was over, he also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Giants, and the Los Angeles Angels. Vic earned a reputation for a sharp, breaking curve ball, one of the three best pitches on any diamond in his day.  In 1918, the former educator played only three games, pitching a total of only twelve innings, before joining the US Navy during the final year of World War I. After returning from the war, Vic played for the Los Angeles Angels, an affiliate of the Cubs, then returned to the Cubs for the 1922 season. He played the next three years for Chicago, delivering consistent performances. But his most notable performances occurred during the 1925 World Series, when Vic pitched and won games two and five, only to pitch a disastrous first inning in the seventh game. He played his last game on August 29, 1928.

After he retired from baseball, Vic attended law school at the Voorhees School of Law. He also served in the Indiana State Senate from 1937 to 1948. He was first elected on November 4, 1936, on the Democratic ticket.

This distinguished educator and talented athlete passed away in Terre Haute, Indiana, on April 17, 1973, at the age of 79, and is buried in the New Trinity Springs Cemetery. For his work in baseball, he was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame on January 19, 2007, as its 131st member.

Texas educator Jeff Montgomery blogs about teaching

Recently I received an email from Jeff Montgomery, a classroom teacher and coach in Austin, Texas. He sent me a recent posting from a blog he writes. The title of the blog is A Teacher Like You, and through his postings Jeff offers reflections about his experiences in the profession.

"Teach because it matters," Jeff advises. “A wise man once told me, ‘If you do something that you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ And there are some hard days, but most of the time, I’m not working. One day, my father-in-law — an awesome man — asked me if I wanted to take over his plumbing business. It’s a very profitable business, and I was so honored that he would ask me. But I was in the midst of teaching, and I had to tell him no. I honestly feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.” I know many of us feel the same way about our own practice in the classroom.

You might find Jeff''s musings interesting or inspirational. If you'd like to check it out, here is the link: A Teacher Like You.

Terry speaks at Perris local authors event

Come out and see me today to the local authors event at the Ceasar E. Chavez Library in Perris, California, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event will feature raffles, a children’s storytime and craft, face painting, and refreshments. I have been invited be one of two featured speakers. I will be talking about my two published works, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students (Tucson: Wheatmark 2012) and Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teaches and Their Deeds of Valor (Tucson: Wheatmark 2015). This event is open to the public. The Perris library is located at 163 E. San Jacinto, Perris, California 92570. Hope to see you there!

Charles Westley Turnbull: The history teacher who became the governor of the US Virgin Islands

Many talented educators have also distinguished themselves as accomplished politicians. An example of this can be found in Dr. Charles Wesley Turnbull, the twenty-seventh governor of the US Virgin Islands.
Charles was born February 5, 1935, in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas Island. The city is the capital of the US Virgin Islands. His parents were Ruth Ann Eliza (Skelton) and John Wesley Turnbull, impoverished immigrants from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. As a child, Charles attended public schools, graduating from Charlotte Amalie High School in 1952.

As a young man, Charles earned both his bachelor's degree and master's degree from Hampton University, a traditionally African American institution of higher learning located in Hampton, Virginia. His education was funded by a Ford Foundation Scholarship. While at Hampton, Charles served as vice president of his freshman class and president of both his sophomore and senior classes. He was also selected as the chief justice of the student court. Charles earned a bachelor's degree in history with honors in 1958, and his master's degree in secondary education in 1959. In 1972 he earned a doctorate degree in educational administration from the University of Minnesota.

Charles began his career as an educator as a teacher at the elementary level, eventually becoming a history teacher at the secondary level. Eventually, he worked his way up to the position of principal of his alma mater, Charlotte Amalie High School. Later he became a professor at the University of the Virgin islands. In 1967, the gifted educator accepted a position as the Commissioner of the Territorial Department of Education, where he served from 1979 to 1987. During his years there, Charles was responsible for constructing new schools, eliminating double sessions, initiating vocational and technical programs, inaugurating alternative education programs, and encouraging the involvement of volunteers. He also established the Cultural Education Division to promote awareness of the history and culture of the Virgin Islands and the greater Caribbean region.

In 1998 Charles was elected the sixth governor of the US Virgin Islands. Prior to 1970, the governor was appointed by the US president. Once elected, Charles served two terms. During his tenure, he served as a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors Association, and the Democratic Governors Association.

For his tireless work as an educator, Charles has been honored with numerous awards. Among these are the Leadership and Service in the Field of Education award in 1989; the Citation for Excellence in the Service of Humanity in 1992; the Turner Broadcasting System's Trumpet Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Service and Education in 2001; and the Humanist Award from the Virgin Islands Humanities Council in 2005.

Charles Wesley Turnbull: a true Chalkboard Champion.

Coach and Chalkboard Champion Herb Banet

When we think of chalkboard champions, let's not forget all of our nation's talented coaches. These dedicated professionals work many long hours with our young people, teaching them the value of self-discipline, healthy competition, fair play, and teamwork, and helping them to choose a healthy, active lifestyle. One such chalkboard champion in Herb Bane, a high school teacher, basketball coach, and guidance counselor from Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

Herb was born in 1913 in Fort Wayne. As a high school student, he was a gifted athlete. At 6'2" and 200 pounds, he earned All-City Honors in both football and basketball. After his graduation from Fort Wayne South High School in 1933, he attended Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana, where he played collegiate football. While at Manchester, Herb played All-Conference Football and All-State Football in 1934, 1935, and 1936. During the 1937 season, Herb played in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers. He was also a war hero. When World War II broke out, Herb served his country in the U.S. Navy.

These experience served him well during his eighteen-year career as a coach at Central High School in Fort Wayne. While coaching there, his team made one trip to the Final Four in 1960, where they were defeated by just one point by East Chicago Washington. Later in Herb's career he served as a guidance counselor at Northrup High School. This talented educator retired in 1979. In recognition of his illustrious career as an athlete, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Herb Banet passed away in 2003 at the age of 89 and is buried at Falls Memorial Gardens in Wabash, Indiana. It is certain that his efforts as a gifted teacher, coach, and counselor will always be well-remembered.

Terry Lee Marzell to appear at Perris local authors fair

Terry Lee Marzell will appear at a local authors event at the Ceasar E. Chavez Library in Perris, California, on Saturday, August 15, 2015, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event will feature raffles, a children’s storytime and craft, face painting, and refreshments. Terry, who will be one of two featured speakers, will talk about her two published works, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students (Tucson: Wheatmark 2012) and Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teaches and Their Deeds of Valor (Tucson: Wheatmark 2015). This event is open to the public and all are invited to attend. The Perris library is located at 163 E. San Jacinto, Perris, California 92570.

Leonard Covello: The Talented Educator of Italian Immigrants

Here's a great book for anyone who is interested in progressive education or pluralism in education: Leonard Covello and the making of Benjamin Franklin High School: Education as if Citizenship Mattered. Leonard Covello came to the United States in 1896 as a nine-year-old Italian immigrant. Despite immense cultural and economic pressures at home, Leonard wanted to get an education. As an adult, he analyzed these cultural and economic pressures, which were common in Italian immigrant households at that time. He realized that Italian parents viewed the school as a wedge between their children and the family; he recognized the pressure even the youngest Italian children faced to go out and get a job rather than succeed in school. His answer? Involve the parents in the school, and involve the students in the community. The result was New York's Benjamin Franklin High School, a truly innovative marriage of school and home. Lots of lessons in this story are relevant even in today's times, especially for school personnel who are clamoring for more involvement from parents in the school system.

You can find this eye-opening book on amazon.com at the Leonard Covello link. You can also read the abbreviated version of Leonard Covello's life story in Chalkboard Champions.

Should you read Harper Lee's new novel?

Like almost every other Language Arts teacher in America, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Harper Lee's new novel, a freshly-discovered sequel to her Pulitzer-prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird. The release of the new book, Go Set a Watchman, comes amid controversy about the portrayal of the character Atticus Finch, long revered as a noble and humane man who, in his quiet and unassuming way, fights for justice for the African American community in Jim Crow South, despite the perils of such a stance. Critics of the new book assert that Atticus is not so noble in Lee's second book.

Here's what I think. To Kill a Mockingbird fits the definition of a bildungsroman; that is, a novel that describes and interprets the process of growing up as experienced by the main character, who is almost always a child. In Mockingbird, the child is six-year-old Jean Louise Finch, known affectionately as Scout, the daughter of Atticus Finch. Now, most people would concede that one of the most universal experiences when growing up is recognizing that parents are not perfect. Scout, who clearly and unabashedly idolizes her father, is not confronted with this fact of life until, in Watchman, she returns to her home town on vacation as a twenty-six-year-old New York City dweller. The novel is not really about how Atticus changes; it's about how Jean Louise changes. How she continues the process of growing up. In this way, the novel is an unusual kind of bildingsroman in that it describes and interprets the process of growing up as experienced by an adult character.

This new book is not likely to win the author another Pulitzer prize, but it does masterfully turn characters that might, upon close examination, appear to be somewhat flat into more round characters. By that I mean less one-dimensional and more multi-dimensional. More human. And Lee does make an attempt to explain the Southern perspective regarding the Civil War, and although I can't say I understood that explanation very well, I can say that the discussion is very timely when considering the recent debates over what it really means to fly a Confederate flag over government buildings in the Deep South. And, considering the revelations about Atticus presented in this new book, the novel adds to the ongoing conversation about the blight of racism, in both overt and subtle forms.

Read Go Set a Watchman. You'll find much to think about. After all, isn't that one of the primary functions of literature?

North Dakota's Merle Boucher: Educator, Rancher, and Politician

There are many gifted teachers who have also established themselves as hardworking politicians. Such is the case with Merle Boucher, a high school educator who also served in the House of Representatives for North Dakota.

Merle was born July 19, 1946, in Rolette County, North Dakota. After his high school graduation, he earned an AA from North Dakota University, attended Bottineau in 1966, and the Mayville State University, where he graduated with his bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate in 1970. Merle taught high school in Rolette for twenty years before he retired in 1990.

Merle taught business education and social studies, but he was as much a social worker as a teacher, says Joanne Musolf, the former school secretary who later worked as Merle's campaign treasurer.  According to his students, "Mr. Bushy" was an unconventional instructor who didn't always follow the textbook. One former student remembers doing some karate moves with Merle during a "bull session" before class one day. The student kicked Merle in the finger. The teacher's knuckle was dislocated, and to this day, he has trouble getting his wedding ring off. During his long career as an educator, he also served as the coach for the American Legion baseball team.

In his retirement years, Merle became a rancher, spending a great deal of his time with his cattle herds outside of town. He has one herd at his boyhood home, the family homestead. He's a sixth generation rancher, and even though his boyhood home burned to the ground a few years ago, he continues to keep cattle on the ranch while he lives in a small, modest ranch home in town.

In 1991, Merle was elected as a Democrat to the North Dakota House of Representatives, where he served until 2011. He served as Minority Leader from 1996 to 2011. During his political career, he served as a member of the Children's Services Coordinating Committee, the North Dakota Children's Caucus, and the Rolette Jobs Authority. He is a member of the National Education Association, the North Dakota Education Association, the North Dakota Farmers Union, and the North Dakota Mental Health Association.

The Strategies Annie Sullivan Used to Teach Helen Keller

Almost everyone has heard of Anne Sullivan Macy, the remarkable teacher who worked with Helen Keller, an extremely intelligent blind and deaf child from Tuscumbia, Alabama. The relationship between the teacher and the student is explored in the play The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, an iconic piece of American literature that is frequently taught in public schools. This award-winning play depicts the exact moment at which, due to Anne's expert instructional efforts, Helen was able to grasp the concept of language. This knowledge unlocked a world of isolation for the little girl, allowing her to connect with her fellow human beings, and making it possible for her to earn a university degree at a time when educating women was rare. The scene is sweet. But what strategies, exactly, did the miracle-working teacher use in order to achieve this breakthrough? After extensive reading on the subject, I think I may be able to identify a few of them.

First of all, Anne read every bit of published material available in her day about the education of handicapped students. Knowledge of pedagogy is the first step to effective practice. In addition to this, Anne had the "advantage" of personal experience, as she herself had wrestled with severe vision impairment as a result of trachoma. I'm sure at one time or another, we've all met an educator who is particularly effective at working with students who are facing the same challenges the teacher himself faced as a youngster.

Second, Anne was a keen observer, and she made it a point to watch the normal processes of language acquisition. She then replicated those processes as best she could to fit the particular circumstances and needs of her student. Today, we would probably call this strategy recognizing brain-based learning, and coordinating teaching strategies to fit the way the brain naturally learns.

Also, experts generally agree that much of Anne's success in teaching Helen language was attributed to the fact that the teacher always communicated to her student with complete sentences. Concrete nouns such as water or spoon, verbs such was pump or run, or adjectives such as hot or smooth,  may be easy to convey. But abstract ideas such as beauty or truth, or certain parts of speech such as pronouns and some prepositions are much more difficult to impart to an individual unable to see or hear.

Fourth, Anne was especially adept at incorporating experiential learning into her lesson plans. The effectiveness of "learning by doing" has been well documented, but in a day and age when most instruction consisted of rote memorization without necessarily comprehending, Anne's insistence on teaching through constructed experience was truly innovative. Wading through the creek water, climbing the tree, holding the chick as it hatched from the egg---experiences like these were the staples of Anne's instructional program.

To learn more about Anne Sullivan Macy, I have included an abbreviated but concise biography of this amazing teacher in my book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Teachers who Educated America's Disenfranchised Students, which can also be found at amazon.com at the following link: Chalkboard Champions.