Terry Marzell's book Chalkboard Champions mentioned on Asian American Journal website

I am always gratified when I discover that others are supportive of my efforts to honor remarkable teachers, so I was excited to learn that my first book, Chalkboard Champions, was recently mentioned on the website for Asian American Journal. A chapter of my book explores the life and work of Japanese-America educator Mary Tsukamoto, an elementary school teacher from northern California who was incarcerated in a Japanese-American internment camp during WWII. Her life story highlights a shameful episode in American history, but the good that comes out of her family's misfortune truly inspires the reader.

You can check out the mention on the website at this link: Asian American Journal. Enjoy!

A thought about education from Civil Rights Movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. George Fischbeck: Dynamic Science Teacher and Television Weatherman

There are many fine examples of talented educators making a mark in fields outside of education. A notable example of this is George Richard Fischbeck, a former science teacher who became a well-known television weatherman in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in Los Angeles, California.

George was born on July 22, 1922, in the small town of Wallington, New Jersey, and raised in Farmingdale, New Jersey. The oldest of four children, he was the son of George and Johanna (Mohlenhoff) Fischbeck. His father was a farmer and his mother was a teacher.

Always an avid student of nature, George first became interested in meteorology when he was stationed in Hawaii with the US Army during World War II and the Air National Guard during the Korean War. Once he was discharged, George attended the University of New Mexico, where he earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in education. Then he worked in Albuquerque as a teacher in a career that spanned 23 years.

His daughter, Nancy Fischbeck of Woodland Hills, once described her father as a whirlwind of energy, and he focused it on teaching others about how nature works. "That's what my childhood was, and why it was so exciting," she  said. "We’d do experiments up on the roof, collect meteor fragments on the mesas in New Mexico, or make clouds in a bottle. He was such a great science teacher."

After he retired from teaching, George launched his career as a television personality as the host of a children's science program in Albuquerque. Known popularly throughout his 20 years on TV as "Dr. George," he was well-known for his non-scripted and humorous broadcasts, and for his bow ties, thick-rimmed glasses, and mustache. "That was the classroom. He was the old professor and that was the look,” Nancy remembered. "The old professor with the mustache, glasses, and pointer."

Dr. Fischebeck could see the obvious similarities between his two careers. "I come from a family of teachers, and I’ll tell you one thing about teaching, if you can get a kid's attention you can teach them anything,” he once said during an interview. "You've got to do whatever you can to make sure they're listening to you and not doing anything else. And then you can teach them." It was a strategy that also worked with his television audiences.

For his service to youth, George garnered a Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 1979.  He was honored again in 2003 when he was given the Los Angeles Area Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He was given an honorary doctorate in humanities from Albuquerque University.

George retired from television in 1997. Once he retired, he became a guest speaker in Los Angeles schools, served as a volunteer with the Los Angeles Zoo, and worked with the Los Angeles Police Department Volunteer Surveillance Team. This amazing educator and television personality passed away from natural causes on March 25, 2015, at the age of 92.

Veteran educator Lisa Lee talks about "Getting at the Heart of Teaching"

Here's an inspirational You Tube video created by educator Lisa Lee, a veteran teacher with over 26 years of experience in the classroom. Her topic is Getting at the Heart of Teaching. I'm sure it will inspire you as you face the students in your own classroom tomorrow morning. Enjoy!

Carol Jago: A Truly Remarkable Educator

Here is a truly remarkable chalkboard champion: Carol Ann Jago.

Carol was born in the Chicago area to Italian parents, John Crosetto and Mary Giacchino. Her father was from Turin and her mother came from Sicily. After her high school graduation, Carol was educated at st. Louis University and the University of California, Sana Barbara, where she earned her bachelor's degree in English in 1973. She earned her master's degree in education from the University of Southern California the following year.  

After her college graduation, Carol worked for 32 years as a junior high school and high school English teacher in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District. She has also served as a content advisor for the Advanced Placement Literature test and also on the English Advisory Committee. Formerly, she was the president of the National Council of Teachers of English and an editor for the journal for the California Association of Teachers of English. She has worked as the director of UCLA's California Reading and Literature Project. She's also been engaged as an educational consultant and a motivational speaker, and she has published numerous books. 

Carol Jago is truly an extraordinary educator.

For All Those Chalkboard Champions Out There!

For all those chalkboard champions out there!

George M. Wertz: Teacher, Pennsylvania State Senator, and US Congressman

There are many fine instances where skillful educators who have also made their mark in the political realm. One example of this is George Wertz, an Ohio teacher who also served in the Pennsylvania State Senate.

George was born July 19, 1856, near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Jacob and Mary (Hoffman) Wertz, and was born one of seven children on the family farm homestead. As a youngster, he attended public schools, Ebensburg Academy, and the National Normal School in Lebanon, Ohio. In later years, National Normal School merged with Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio. After his graduation from college, George found employment as a teacher, working from 1876 to 1884. He continued his service as an educator working as a school director from 1886 to 1894.

George began his career in politics when he was elected county commissioner, a position he held from 1893 to 1896. He went on to serve as sheriff of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, from 1897 to 1901. In 1909, the former teacher was elected as a Republican to the Pennsylvania State Senate, where he served until 1913. 

Once he left the state senate, George organized and managed the Johnstown Daily Leader, where he worked from 1911 to 1917.

Between 1923 and 1925, George served in the 68th United States House of Representatives representing Pennsylvania. After he left Congress, George worked as a real estate agent.

This talented educator and politician passed away at the age of 72 on November 19, 1928. He is buried in Grand View Cemetery in Johnstown. The family farm where he was born has been named a state forest.

Patrick Seitz: Animated Movie, Anime and Video Game Voice Over Artist---High School English Teacher

There are many fine examples of teachers who have made their mark in professions other than education. Such is certainly the case for David Patrick Seitz, a high school Language Arts teacher who has also distinguished himself as a voice actor, script writer, and ADR director. ADR means automated dialogue replacement, and is commonly known as "dubbing."

David Patrick who prefers to be called Patrick, was born March 17, 1978, in Riverside, California, and raised in that suburb of Los Angeles. After graduating from high school, he earned his bachelor's degree in Creative Writing (1999), and his master's degree in Creative and the Performing Arts Writing (2005), both from the University of California, Riverside. Then he went to work as an English teacher at his high school alma mater.

In 2001, the enterprising educator began his career as a voice actor. In this capacity, Patrick has provided voices for several English versions of Japanese anime and video games, performing in over 100 projects to date. In the movies, Patrick is known for his work on the animated movies Inside Out (2015), Monsters University (2013) and Resident Evil: Damnation (2012). He has also done voice over work for video games. He has supplied the voice of Ragna in the BlazBlue series, Scorpion in the last few Mortal Kombat titles, Lucian, Kog’Maw, and Renekton in League of Legends, Arthas Menethil and Garrosh Hellscream in World of Warcraft, among others. As an ADR director, Patrick has adapted and directed over 100 episodes of popular series. He adapted and directed the English dubbed versions of Girls Bravo, Kamichu, Tales of Phantasia, Zegapain, Hell Girl, and Romeo and Juliet.

Whoopi Goldberg Praises Teachers on National Television

If you watched The View today on national television, you may have heard Whoopi Goldberg's praise for professional educators. "When you get a great teacher, you never forget them!" the award-winning actress and talk show host declared. "All hail great teachers!"

Well said, Whoopi!

Chalkboard Champion Fannie Richards: Fighting for Desegregation Detroit's Schools

To me, one of the most remarkable aspects about teachers is their willingness, ability, and dedication to bringing about positive social change. A wonderful example of this is Fannie Richards, a Michigan schoolteacher who worked to desegregate Detroit public schools.

Fannie Richards was born on October 1, 1840, in Fredericksberg, Virginia. Her parents were free African Americans. As a young child, Fannie's family moved to Toronto, Canada, where Fannie was enrolled in school. When she grew up, Fannie traveled to Germany, where she worked with innovative educator Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel to develop the first kindergartens. When she completed this work, Fannie returned to the United States and settled in Detroit, Michigan.

Always eager to learn new skills, Fannie enrolled at the Teachers Training School in Detroit, and after her graduation, she became passionate about educating the African-American community of Detroit. Even decades before the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education decision was handed down in 1954, Fannie was advocating desegregation in Detroit schools. In 1863, while the Civil War was still raging, she opened a private school for African-American children in Detroit. A few years later, the Detroit Public School system opened a school for black children, and when Fannie learned the school board planned to open a second school, she applied for a teaching position. In 1869, she was hired to be a teacher in Colored School #2, the first African American teacher to work in Detroit Public Schools.

To Fannie's delight, in 1871, the Michigan State Supreme Court ordered the integration of Michigan schools. That same year, the school board transferred Fannie to the newly desegregated Everett Elementary school, where she taught for 44 years. As a teacher, Fannie was known for her devotion to the children, using modern pedagogic methods, and maintaining a high standard of scholarship. 

Fannie Richards retired in 1922 after more than fifty years as an educator. This chalkboard champion passed away on February 13, 1922, at the age of 81. She is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.

What Do Teachers Do All Day?

Here's a great video created on October 27, 2015, by NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia which describes what teachers do all day. Enjoy!

Educator Jenifer Fox: Chalkboard Champion of the Strengths Movement

Many innovative teachers make wonderful mentors to other educators. One terrific example of this is Jenifer Fox, a leader in what is known as the Strengths Movement.

Jenifer was born on December 9, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she spent her childhood. After her high school graduation, she earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master's degree from Middlebury College, and a second master's degree in education from Harvard.

Jenifer has over 25 years of experience as a teacher and administrator in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, day and boarding schools, religiously affiliated, single-gender schools, special needs schools, and international and American schools. But she is best known for her work in promoting a strengths-based approach to children's education. In 2008, her book Your Child's Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them was published by Viking Press. In 2007, Jenifer traveled all over the United States on a bus tour with Marcus Buckingham, a promoter of what is known as the Strengths Movement. Buckingham wrote the foreword to Jennifer's book, where he specifically praised her revolutionary vision for education.  To learn more about the Strengths Movement, click on this link: Strengths Movement.

Jenifer is also known as the founder of a high school curriculum called the Affinities Program. The name of this program was changed to Strong Planet in 2009. Jenifer also authored The Differentiated Instruction Book of Lists published in 2011 by Jossey-Bass.

Jenifer has delivered keynote speeches on 21st century education, business and school innovation, and developing children's strengths to over 200 organizations. Additionally, she has made numerous television and radio appearance speaking about schools, students, and leadership.

Jenifer Fox: a true chalkboard champion.

Rose Parade Highlights Dedication of Talented Music Educators

Happy New Year, one and all! One of my favorite activities on New Year's Day is to watch the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, whether in person or on television. I was born in Pasadena, and this unique, flower-inspired parade has always been very special to me. I have many happy childhood memories of standing on the curb on Colorado Boulevard to watch the spectacular floats, outstanding bands, and marvelous equestrian groups go marching by. This year, the theme of the parade is "Find Your Adventure." I was especially impressed with the many talented high school bands from all over the country that participated in this marvelous parade today. Let's pay tribute to them!

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Launching the parade was the Etiwanda High School Band, which hails from Etiwanda, California. The 200-member Marching Eagle Regiment performed under the direction of Jeremy Hackworth. Jeremy's students were teamed with Corporate Magic to present the opening act for this year's parade, performing a drill team sequence and original music composed specifically for the event. "These kids work so hard -- not just on the field, but also behind the scenes with their academics and their work schedules," praises Mr. Hackworth. This talented music director earned his bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and he is currently working on his master's degree..

Next, parade-watchers were treated to selections of Western-style music performed by the Wyoming All-State Marching Band, directed by Mr. Dan Holroyd. This accomplished composite band, based in Cheyenne, featured 301 students from 32 communities and 27 high schools from around the state. This was the thirteenth appearance of the band in the Tournament of Roses Parade. The students played popular compositions including "The Magnificent Seven," "Ghostriders in the Sky," and the theme from the movie "Blazing Saddles." Mr. Holroyd graduated from the University of Wyoming, and is employed as the Director of Bands at East High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

To continue, Director of Bands Blane Hinton led the brilliant Allen Eagle Escadrille hailing from Allen, Texas. The Escadrille claims to be the largest high school marching band in the United States, boasting a whopping 782 members. "Our philosophy here (at Allen) is we try to make sure that every student of ours gets the opportunity to participate in the marching program," explained Mr. Hinton. "Plus, the kids are just phenomenal." This amazing music director earned his degree at Texas Technical University.

Next came the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Band. Directors David Armbruster and Jonathan Thomann led this accomplished band from Wayne County, Michigan. The band represents three comprehensive high schools: Salem, Canton, and Plymouth, which employs 350 teachers to serve 6,500 students in grades 9-12. This fabulous band has won over 500 awards in the past 16 years, and has performed before Presidents Ronald Reagan, H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Director of Bands Mr. Armbruster earned his bachelor's degree in music education in 2000 and his master's degree in 2005, both from Western Michigan University.

The Los Angeles Unified Schools All-District High School Honor Band. This 380-member noncompetitive band is comprised of distinguished student musicians from high schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District. The group has been marching in the Rose Parade since 1973. For the past three decades, this group has been marching under the able direction of Director Mr. Tony White. Mr. White worked as a music educator at John C. Fremont High School for ten years. Although he currently works as a professional jazz musician playing the saxophone and clarinet, he is still heavily involved with music and arts education, serving as the music and entertainment coordinator in the LA Unified School District. "The  challenge for me is maintaining both," he asserts. This chalkboard champion earned his bachelor's degree from University of California, Riverside, his teaching credential at Cal State Dominguez Hills, and his master's degree in educational leadership from Pepperdine University.

Hailing from Saratoga High School in the Silicon Valley in California, the 400-member Saratoga High School Marching Band and Color Guard performed under the direction of Michael Boitz. When Michael accepted his position as Music Department Chair at Saratoga High in 1997, there were only eleven students in the entire orchestra program. Fourteen years later, the department has expanded to hundreds of students, as you can see below. "I think it's an incredible testament to the dedication the community has in our kids," expressed Michael. "It's a testament to the support the community gives to the kids and the school as a whole." Named the 2013 Music Educator of the Year by the California Music Educators Association, Michael graduated magna cum laude from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and earned his master's degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

The next band to perform was the magnificent Jenks High School Trojan Pride Band from Jenks, Oklahoma, under the direction of Director of Bands Scott Hillock. "The program has grown and improved in the last five years," informed Scott. "Five years ago it had 112 band members and 12 color guard members. This year, it has a record 240 band members and 45 students in color guard," he said. Mr. Hillock earned his bachelor's degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and his master's degree from Southern Methodist University. He has been in charge of bands at Jenks since 2006.

Next, parade-watchers were treated to a performance by the Franklin Regional High School Panther Band. Led by Director Kevin Pollock, this amazing band from Murraysville, Pennsylvania, performed "Walking on Sunshine." The band this year has approximately 200 musicians, Pantherette dancers, majorettes, silks, and honor guard. "We are excited. We are proud to represent Pennsylvania in 'America's New Year Celebration,' " Mr. Pollock expressed. "We have a talented group of students who are looking forward to sharing their performance with the huge audience in Pasadena and the television audience around the world," he said. This talented educator earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has been the music director at Franklin for 28 years.

The 192 members of the Punahou Marching Band from Honolulu, Hawaii, marched under the direction of Mark Falzarano. Punahou serves students from kindergarten through grade 12, including alumni President Barack Obama, dancer Carrie Ann Inaba, and professional golfer Michelle Wie. Mark earned two master's degrees from Northern Arizona University and worked as a high school band director in Arizona before moving to Hawaii. Advice for aspiring music directors? Mark urges, "You need to make sure that this is something you need to do, not something that you want to do," he says. "To be good at being a music teacher is not a responsibility that you can take lightly. If you merely like something, you should not be responsible for the lives of young people," he advises. 

Next came the acclaimed 330-member William Mason High School Marching Band from Mason, Ohio, led by Director Robert Bass. Mr. Bass has had a long career, teaching for an impressive 29 years, 15 of them as Director of Bands at Mason High School. Bands under his direction have performed in Carnegie Hall, Chicago Orchestra Hall, and the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival. A graduate of a small rural high school in Greensburg, Ohio, he earned his bachelor's degree in music education and performance at the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music, and his master's degree in music education at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. Mr. Bass takes his job as a music educator very seriously. "It is important to me to show students how music is involved in our everyday lives and the positive effects it can have on us," he says. "I enjoy working with students," Robert confesses. "In my opinion, it is the most rewarding job on the planet."

The final high school band to march down Colorado Blvd. was the spectacular Mira Mesa High School Sapphire Sound, under the direction of band leader Ms. Jeanne Christensen, the only woman Director of Bands featured in the parade. This fabulous 210-member composite band represents the entire San Diego Unified School District. The ensemble performed "Ode to Joy" and "America the Beautiful" along the five-and-a-half-mile parade route. "This is the Super Bowl of parades," says Ms. Christensen. "I couldn't be more proud of these students." This talented music educator earned her bachelor's degree at University of California, San Diego, and her master's degree at National University.

Congratulations to all these remarkable music educators, their hard-working students, and their supportive families and communities! A Happy New Year to all of them!