Teacher Samuel Youngs: The Inspiration for Washington Irving's Iconic Character Ichabod Crane

History abounds with school teachers who have earned fame outside of the classroom. Such is the case with Samuel Youngs, an American school teacher who was a close friend of famous American author Washington Irving. In fact, it has been speculated that Samuel served as the inspiration for the character of Ichabod Crane in Irving's story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

Samuel Youngs was born December 4, 1760. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a lieutenant in the 4th New York Infantry Regiment led by Baron Frederick von Weissenfels. Throughout the war, Samuel served the fledgling American army as a guide over the roads and trails in the county around his home. He was one of a dozen native soldiers who were known as “The Westchester Guides. His father’s farmhouse, located near the intersection of Bradhurst Avenue and Grasslands Road in Eastview, was the scene of a British raid during the Revolution.

After the war was won, Samuel served as a Federalist member of the New York State Assembly from 1796-1797, 1809, and 1810. Additionally, Samuel served as a Surrogate of Westchester County for terms of one or more years in 1800, 1807, 1810, 1811, and 1819.

The intrepid school teacher and veteran passed away on September 12, 1839. He was originally buried in the yard of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow in New York. There he was honored with other citizens of Tarrytown who fought during the Revolutionary War with a monument, pictured at left. The inscription at the bottom of the monument reads: "This monument is erected by Major General Aaron Ward, 9 division, N.Y.S.M. in testimony of his high appreciation of the services of a brave officer and a true patriot." In 1851, Samuel's remains were relocated to the Dale Cemetery in Ossining, New York. He was the first person to be buried in that cemetery.

Former Teacher Gabriel J. Campana Elected Mayor of Williamsport, PA

How astonishing is it that so many politicians were once school teachers? Such is the case for Gabriel J. Campana, an elementary school educator who has been the mayor of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, since 2008.

Gabriel was born July 6, 1963, in Williamsport, one of eleven siblings. His father, Dr. Louis F. Campana, was a local physician, and his mother, Rose Campana, is a retired nurse. As a teenager, Gabriel attended St. John Neumann Academy, a local parochial school, where he graduated in 1981.  Following his high school graduation, he earned his bachelor's degree from Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and his master's degree from Wilkes University, a private institution located in Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania. He earned a doctorate degree in administration from the University of Sarasota.

For twenty years, Gabriel served as a fifth grade teacher at Stevens Elementary School in his home town of Williamsport. In addition to this teaching experience, he taught master’s degree classes at the College of New Jersey and he served as an adjunct assistant professor at Gratz College. In 2005, this remarkable educator was a recipient of the YMCA Racial Justice Award, and he has been named in Who's Who in American Education.

The talented educator also served on  his home town's city council. In November of 2007, he was elected the thirty-ninth mayor of the town of Williamsport. He ran on a platform of public safety and economic development. During his tenure as mayor, Gabriel continued to find time to work with young children. He is pictured here visiting Penn College’s Children’s Learning Center during the Week of the Young Child in 2008. The former teacher read a popular book aloud to the children and then gave a copy of the book to each youngster.

Still living on the same block where he grew up, Mayor Campana lives with his wife, Sonia, and their five children.

Terry Marzell's "Moonplay in Egypt" Published on WeSaidGo Travel Website

Like most teachers, I love to travel to intriguing and historic points of interest in both my home country and abroad. And just like many intrepid travelers, I wish I had the time and money to do more of it! Nevertheless, I feel very fortunate to be able to indulge in a semi-annual overseas vacation, because as a child from an impoverished family, I thought traveling was something only rich people could do. I never thought I would ever be able to muster the funds to go to any of the phenomenal places I was learning about in school. Fortunately, I have been able to quite a bit of traveling, actually.

It's been a few years now, but it seems it was only yesterday I spent two weeks in Egypt, one of the most captivating countries I have ever visited. When I returned, I wrote a little piece I call "Moonplay in Egypt," which not only describes an incident I experienced there, but also reveals an important life lesson. I'm very excited to announce that this piece has just been published on the very popular website for travelers We Said Go Travel.

The website was established by science teacher Lisa Ellen Niver, a talented and passionate writer, educator, social media ninja, speaker, and global citizen who has traveled to over one hundred countries and six continents. You might find her underwater, traveling to an exotic location, teaching in the classroom, or in print about social media, science education, lifelong learning, books, and travel.

To view the post and explore her website, simply click on this link: We Said Go Travel.

Rita Pierson says "Every Kid Needs a Champion"

Every once in a while I come across an inspirational video that just resonates. This is the case with the video below, a recording of Rita Pierson, an educator with forty years of experience in the profession. As she tells it, she once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" This video presents a rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, and personal level. Enjoy!

Comic Book Artist and High School Art Teacher Franco Aureliani

Often talented educators win acclaim in fields other than teaching. Such is the case for Franco Aureliani, an art teacher at Carmel High School in Carmel, New York. Franco has taught courses in studio art, portfolio preparation, drawing and painting, and advance placement studio art.

In addition to teaching, Franco is a comic book writer and artist. With Art Baltazar, Franco won acclaim for co-writing the DC Comics series Tiny Titans, for which he won an Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids in both 2009 and 2011.He also won an Eisner Award for Early Readers in 2014 for Itty Bitty Hellboy. The two have made a name for themselves in the comic industry for their work on some of the most fun and ageless comics of all time.

Below is a one-minute video showing this personable teacher and his co-author Art Baltazar in action at Comic Con.

Praise for Chalkboard Heroes

Praise continues to mount for the new book, Chalkboard Heroes, a collection of inspirational biographical sketches recognizing twelve teachers from American history who were both exemplars of the teaching profession, pioneers, social reformers, protectors, and role models of society.

Donald L. Johnson of the Cameron High School Alumni Association says, "Terry, what an excellent job done on the chapter for Prof. Henry Cameron!  You actually brought him to life and gave him an identity and an existence. I commend you for your research and writing ability."

Chalkboard Hero Prudence Crandall: She Dared to Educate African American Girls

There are many courageous teachers who have made great sacrifices for the sake of their students. One of these was Quaker Prudence Crandall, a Connecticut teacher who lost everything in order to educate African American girls in a time when doing so was unheard of.


In 1831, Prudence opened a boarding school for young ladies in Canterbury, Connecticut. By the end of the first year, she had earned the praise of parents, community members, and students throughout New England.

Then one day an African American student named Sarah Harris asked to be admitted to the academy. Sarah said she wanted to learn how to be a teacher so she could open her own school for black students. Prudence knew admitting an African American student would generate some resistance from her neighbors, but after some soul-searching, she decided her conscience would not allow her to refuse the request. Prudence had severely under-estimated the resistance.

Figuring the complaint was that she was operating an integrated school, the intrepid teacher closed her academy for white girls and re-opened as an academy for "misses of color." That just made the situation worse, causing ripples all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulting in Prudence's brief incarceration in the local jail. Eventually, Prudence was forced to close her school and leave town.

Years later, however, the courageous stance taken by this heroic teacher caused her to be named the Female State Hero for Connecticut. Read the gripping account of what happened in my newly-released book, Chalkboard Heroes, now available on amazon.com.