Martha Louise Callahan
Teacher, Middle College High School
Memphis TN
Link to Team Portfolio

I grew up in a rural mountainous county (Lee County) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. I graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1985 with a BS in Social Science Education and earned my MS in Counseling and Human Development from Radford University in 1989. I attended a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on children's fantasy literature for 6 weeks at East Tennessee State University in 1990.

As an educator I have a diverse background. I have taught Special Education, History and Social Studies and I have been an elementary and middle school guidance counselor in Lee County Virginia. I am currently teaching History and Government to at risk students in Memphis Tennessee. This has been a dramatic change for me and I thoroughly delighted with my new position because I find that each day brings a new learning experience to me. I strongly believe to be an effective teacher one must enjoy and seek out new and innovative ideas.

I was thrilled to learn of the Institute dealing with collections on the internet. To instruct learners in new ways to seek information is very exciting and I am looking forward to attending this institue.

My personal hobbies and relaxation activities are varied and change from time to time as I do not like to become bored with a hobby. The computer has been my greatest interest for several years. The information available to me on the internet is unlimited and I enjoy searching for new facts and information.


Rebecca F. Kolb
Teacher, Middle College High School
Memphis, Tennessee
Link to Team Portfolio

I have been a teacher and learner all my life. "Playing school" as a child has culminated in a 24-year career as a public high school teacher in Tennessee---15 years in a rural community, the rest in inner city Memphis. I have taught English 9, 10, 11, 12, Advanced Placement English 12; French I, II, III; Speech and Drama; Journalism and American History, but my present assigmentincludes French I and II and Coordinator of Expeditionary Learning at the Middle College High School in Memphis, a unique collaborative for at risk students between the Memphis City Schools and Shelby State Community College. The population is 99% African-American, and they are my children. I love what I do because I believe teachers have the most important job in the world---preparing American citizens for the future.

Professionally I have had some wonderful experiences that range from being a 1991 participant in the Teaching Shakepeare Summer Institute at the Folger Library in D.C. and at Goergetown University to spending a week at a Dominican convent in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, studying human anatomy and physiology. On May 3 I will present at the National Expeditionary Learning Conference at the Harvard Garduate School of Education. Most recently I was nominated for a "Thanks to Teachers" award presented by our local NBC affiliate, but the jury is still out on this one.

My hobbies reflect my southern heritage: reading, shopping and stimulating conversation over a leisurely dinner. I look forward to growing personally and professionally in the American Memory Fellows Program.


Gerald Thurmond
American Studies Teacher, Westbury High School
Houston, TX
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Professionally, I teach American Studies (U.S. history and English 1 combined) to gifted and talented ninth-grade students at an urban high school in Houston, Texas. One night a week I teach a Methods of Teaching class at Rice University, where I am also a regularly contributing writer for their journal "Center Piece". Additionally, I work for Brown University's Annenberg Institute for School Reform as an education consultant and professional development group facilitator. Recently, I have been awarded a graduate school scholarship by Northern Life Insurance.

Personally, I enjoy playing music, writing fiction, and tracing history. I play gigs as a guitarist in Houston-area folk/rock groups and I write fiction when on vacation from school. Last year my historical fiction piece titled "Eating Buzzards" won "Best Short Story on the Internet in 1996" and was published in eSCENE magazine. As a member of the Houston Civil War Roundtable, I attend meetings, lectures and reenactments. Currently, my father and I are tracing the history of our two famous great-grandfathers, John Pittman who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War and James Pittman, who fought in the American Revolution. Both my father and I have the middle name Pittman, his mother' s maiden name, and have devoted a great deal of time and resources to tracing these histories for posterity. The stories we have recorded are among my students' favorite lessons.


Ken Estrella
Government/History/Geography Teacher, Westbury High School
Houston, TX
Link to Team Portfolio

I currently teach at Westbury High School in Houston, Texas. As a teenager at Westbury, I recognized that I had the ability to academically motivate and challenge other students. These experiences encouraged me to pursue a career in teaching -- although it is my second career -- where I have experienced unmeasured satisfaction. I was able to get a job quickly by getting certified in all the Social Sciences. This composite certification has allowed me to teach content areas such as American government, free-enterprise economics, world civilizations and world geography. I have developed an intense passion for these subjects. The greatest barrier in my case is the limitations caused by such a large, urban school and district. . Despite the economic and social barriers, I have no intention of fleeing to the "greener pastures" characterized by a homogeneous population. I prefer the multicultural diversity Westbury has to offer with its students from over 70 nationalities.