EYE ON EDUCATION A Publication of the Paramount Unified School District
15110 CALIFORNIA AVE., PARAMOUNT, CA 90723 • TEL: 562-602-6000 • FAX: 562-634-6029
JUNE 2009
Paramount Unified School District Teacher of the Year 2009 Celebration District staff, members of the Board of Education, and community leaders joined in the celebration of each school site’s Teacher of the Year at the District Office on May 12, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. during the Board of Education meeting. The program was moderated by Assistant Superintendent Stella Toibin and the Board of Education Trustees awarded the recipients a plaque. Teachers don’t always realize the impact they have had or can have in the life of a student, but this recognition reinforces the positive effect teachers have on the lives of students each and every day. Each year, teachers at each school site are asked to select one outstanding teacher who will represent that school in the District-wide Teacher of the Year selection process. In making that selection, teachers are asked to consider the following criteria: a teacher who is committed to continued professional development training, one who supports his/her colleagues to improve their skills, a teacher who is involved in educational activities beyond the school, a positive problem solver, one who delivers a high quality instructional program, and a teacher who communicates positively with students and parents. Once the District-wide Teacher of the Year has been determined through a Selection Committee of teachers and administrators from across the District, the one District-level recipient has the opportunity to apply for the Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year competition. If the candidate is identified as a County winner, their name moves forward to the State level of competition. This year’s 2009-10 Teachers of the Year and their school sites are as follows: Early Childhood Education -Clauhdet A. Garnett Alondra School -Kimberly Kay Bardsley Collins School -Anne Bilek Collins School -Katie Shinyoung Hwang Gaines School -Maria Eterna de Oliveira - Le Compte Hollydale School -James M. Wulkowicz Jackson School -Carlos Sierra Jefferson School -Mercedes O. Batres Keppel School -Yvonne R. Cruz Lakewood School -Veronica M. Valdez Lincoln School -Christina Wolf-McMillin Los Cerritos School -Art R. Luna Mokler School -Jason Henry Gonzales Paramount Park School -Leilani Coco Roosevelt School -Gracie Diaz Tanner School -Christina Patterson Wirtz School -Maria Diane Childres Zamboni School -Stacy Aleta Willard Buena Vista High School -Lisa M. Ferrer Paramount High School West -Brent L. Rummell Paramount High School -John M. Teeples Community Day School/ Adult Education Center -Romichelle Ligot Del Rosario
This year’s District-wide Teacher of the Year is John Teeples, a chemistry teacher, from Paramount High School who has been teaching for nineteen years. He graduated as Valedictorian for the Paramount High School Class of 1984. As a young child, he conducted class in the front yard of his home and had a chalkboard, books and the best lessons ever written by a ten-year old. John shares that he loves those times in class when he does a demonstration for the students or they are working in lab and they have that moment which he refers to as suspension of a teenager, when they are truly excited by the experience and revert back to the wide-eyed child they were before they adopted the indifference characteristic of their age group. What keeps him going in spite of the challenges presented in education today is the knowledge that teachers do change lives and sometimes we’re lucky enough to hear about it. A student recently handed him a letter which read, in part, “The routine of walking
up the stairs into your class for two years was a routine that changed my life. Every time I walked through your door, I knew I would learn something. I knew I would be challenged and be expected to push the limits... Now that I am not in your class, it feels like something is missing, but those years of chemistry will stay with me forever.” This teacher expects his students to compete with students from any school and he works hard to give them the confidence to believe this themselves. He creates an environment where it is safe to be wrong. He doesn’t want them to be afraid to be wrong because making mistakes and learning from those mistakes is the best way to learn. This outstanding District Teacher of the Year on a daily basis provides an outstanding education with high standards for every student. Students in his class succeed in meeting the high standards he expects of them because along with his high expectations he provides a high level of support. In addition, John has been a teacher leader in the area of developing a Professional Learning Community at Paramount High School. He is a pioneer in implementing collaboration time believing that collaboration allows teachers to share strategies about how to keep standards high while moving more students to succeed. Together with his colleagues, he strategizes on how to close the gap between what students know and what teachers want them to learn. Congratulations to John Teeples, Paramount Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year!
He inspires all of us to do our best for the students and families
of the Paramount Unified School District!
El Camino College Course at Buena Vista High School This semester, El Camino College is offering a college course to Buena Vista High School students. The class meets at the BVHS campus every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after school. Ms. Tracey Weiss is the instructor of the Art I: Art in Modern Life course. She says, “Hopefully this class will give students a better understanding of the expectation in college courses.” Students not only learn in a college-like atmosphere, but they earn credits that they can use toward high school graduation requirements. For students, enrollment in this course has been very rewarding. Senior Galeisha Ligons says, “I like art, and this class is showing me things that I need to know if I want to take
art in college.” Similarly, Darrius Thorne enjoys learning about the different types of art and comments, “It’s a more mature class.” Tiaira Heard explains, “It’s a great way to get college experience on our campus in a convenient way.” For Ms. Weiss, teaching high school students is somewhat different than teaching college students. She enjoys exposing students to completely new subject matter, and she now has an appreciation of the issues that both high school and college students face. Senior Jimmy Moo sums up the experience: “I really enjoy learning about how amazing art is.” Jean Law Assistant Principal
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATES June 9, 2009 - June 23, 2009 Board of Education meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the District Office, 15110 California Avenue, Paramount, and are open to the public