Celebrating Excellence in Education! conTinued - 2015 Teaching excellence award winners Molly Salyk, 2nd Grade Teacher, Coronado Elementary School When Molly became a mother, her teaching philosophy changed drastically from what had become a rigorous focus on discipline to one that was much more focused on the individual needs of each of her students. Her current philosophy on teaching is guided by her answers to questions she began to ask herself as a parent. “What kind of class would I want my children in? What kind of teacher would I want for them?” In addition to making her classroom a safe space, her goal became one of truly teaching the whole child through interestbased learning. “When I started implementing this philosophy, it was mirrored back to me tenfold by my students. They show a deeper engagement in their learning because I make it clear I am engaged in them, in who they are now, and in who they might become.” Andre Shie, 7th Grade/Pre-Algebra Teacher, Walter T. Helms Middle School Andre believes his job as a classroom mathematics teacher is to help reduce the pathological fear and anxiety that many students have for mathematics and for school by creating a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment that encourages children to succeed, both academically and socially. As a former student and graduate of West Contra Costa Unified School District, it has been tremendously rewarding for Andre to have an opportunity to give back to his community. “The opportunity to scaffold academics into applicable and accessible lessons, while advocating for my students on an individual basis, continues to motivate and inform my teaching.” Keith Valdez, Kindergarten Teacher, Hanna Ranch Elementary School Maribel’s teaching is based on a very important foundational principle:” All of my students can achieve academic success. Our class motto, painted on our wall states, “The harder I work, the smarter I get!” This growth mindset has been crucial to ensuring all students understand they are not “born smart” but are able to focus, work hard and improve their success based on their effort. Maribel believes that teaching is the most challenging, important and rewarding work she has ever done. She has a small frame on her desk that reads, “The beautiful thing about teaching is that it matters. The hardest thing about teaching is that it matters every day.” This idea has been central to inspiring her to do her best for her students every single day. ( 5 1 0 ) 2 3 3 - 1 4 6 4 • F a x : ( 5 1 0 ) 2 1 7 - 3 9 9 6 • E m a i l : i n f o @ e d f u n d w e s t . o r g june 2015 MARKETPLACEcontrac osta .com 73
Contra Costa Marketplace - June_2015
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