Chalkboard Champion Fanny Barrier Williams: Teacher, Activist, Author, and Orator

Throughout our country's history, there have been many examples of talented and dedicated educators who have made a mark on society as a whole. On such example is Frances "Fanny" Barrier Williams, a 19th-century teacher and activist. 

Born on February 12, 1855, in Brockport, New York, to free parents, Fanny and her siblings attended the local public school. In 1870, Fanny became the first African American to graduate from the State Normal School in Brockport. When the Civil War was over, this energetic educator accepted a teaching position in the south to help educate newly freed slaves. 

In 1893, when she was 38 years old, Fanny moved north to the city of Chicago, a city which experienced a boom when it hosted the World's Fair. When Fanny and other black women leaders protested their exclusion from the fair's planning, this leading-edge teacher was appointed to gather exhibits for the women's hall. She was also selected to give two speeches during the fair. In her speeches, Fanny argued to a predominantly white audience that African American women were eager and ready for education and to learn new skills. Fanny's speeches were so well received that she soon became a popular author and orator.

Once the fair was over, Fanny helped form the National League of Colored Women in 1896. She also donated her energy to assist other African American women when they migrated to northern states.

Fannie Willimas dedicated her whole life to aiding and uplifting those in need, improving inter-racial relations, and working for justice for all. This remarkable chalkboard champion passed away of natural causes on March 4, 1944. She is buried at High Street Cemetery in Brockport, New York.

Roberta Flack: Public School Teacher and Grammy-Award-Winning Music Icon

Many people have heard of the Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer Roberta Flack, whose best-known songs are "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly With His Song," and "Where Is the Love?" But did you know that this famous jazz, folk, and R&B icon was once a public school teacher?

Roberta Cleopatra Flack was born February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, although she was raised in Arlington, Virginia. Her mother was a church organist, so Roberta grew up in a musical household. At the age of nine, Roberta began to study classical piano, and by the time she was fifteen, she had won a music scholarship to Howard University. She completed her undergraduate work and her student teaching as the first African American student teacher at an all-white school near Chevy Chase, Maryland. Then Roberta accepted a position teaching music and English in Farmville, North Carolina, a gig which paid her only $2,800 per year. She also taught junior high school in Washington, DC, and at the same time she took side jobs as a night club singer. It was there that she was discovered and signed to a contract for Atlanta Records. The rest, as they say, is music business history.

In recent years, Roberta's contribution to education came when she founded an after-school music program entitled "The Roberta Flack School of Music" to provide free music education to underprivileged students in the Bronx, New York City. 

Roberta Flack: Truly a Chalkboard Champion.

Hail to Carter Godwin Woodson: The Founder of Black History Month

Carter Godwin Woodson is often credited with originating annual Black History Month celebrations. He is also recognized as the first African American of slave parents to earn a Ph.D. in History. To be sure, these are noteworthy accomplishments. But there is so much more to this brilliant man's life story than is usually publicized. Did you know that Carter was required much of his childhood to work on the family farm rather than attend school? As a child he taught himself to read using the Bible and local newspapers. He didn't finish high school until he was 20 years old. Were you aware that he once worked as a coal miner in Fayette County, West Virginia, and then later went back there to teach school to black coal miner's children, offering them a model for using education to get out of the mines? Did you know that Carter taught school in the Philippines, and then became the supervisor of schools, which included duties as a trainer of teachers, there? All these biographical details and more about this fascinating historical figure can be found in my book Chalkboard Champions.

How to be an Excellent Teacher

Every once in a while I come across a video about great teaching that I feel hits the nail on the head. Here is one I came across the other day. Before you watch it, you might want to think about what qualities you think a great teacher should possess. Then compare your list with the one presented here. Enjoy!

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.