Since beginning teaching in 1966, I have been blessed to have had a wide variety of opportunities from 1st grade through community college both in teaching and administration.
- As the Resource Specialist at Hapgood Elementary, I became aware of second language students who were having difficulty with learning, which was not based on their language acquisition but on a learning disability. Working with Bob Altavilla and the Special Education Department, I initiated a bilingual Resource Program to assess and provide services to those students. We were identified as an Exemplary RS Program by the state.
- In 1987, I applied to the district's Mentor Teacher Program with the idea of establishing a Cooperative Learning Mentor position. The application was accepted and, after initial and ongoing training, I served the teachers and students as trainer and facilitator of cooperative and collaborative learning for five years.
- In 1992, because of cuts in state funding, staff development programs and outside presenters had to be eliminated, so I applied to be the district's Staff Development Mentor. I surveyed all interested staff members on their strengths and interests and published a directory of local educators and their skills and abilities. We were able to weather those budget cuts because of the strength and talents of our own teachers who were able to share their expertise with others.
- As the principal of Maple High School, I led the staff through the Western Association of Schools and College (WASC) accreditation process and we earned the same accreditation as other high schools, including Lompoc and Cabrillo. Maple has continued to be accredited which means it is recognized by all other schools and colleges as a "real" school and their approved courses, grades and transcripts must be accepted as equal to traditional high schools.
- Since I became principal at Maple we have been consistently recognized by the California Continuation Education Association as a model Continuation/Alternative high school, each year with one or two model programs for other schools to emulate.
- In the fall of 1999, during a time of two groups of students having significant problems both at school and around town, instead of just punishing the students, I initiated a Peer Mediation Class and training program. It has proved to be very effective and all significant behavior problems are handled by a trained team of students. I knew that it had become part of the school culture when, after two years, students began coming into the office and asking for mediation instead of continuing the problems. it has been a California State Schools Model Program since 2001.
- In 2002, my frustration with students coming to us with 15 and 20 credits in high school math and with D- grades, and their inability to do basic math problems and to think critically about themselves and their education, was the impetus for me to apply as the district's Director of Curriculum. Working with each academic task force, K-12, we collaborated and identified the basic skills that all students must have to be successful; backward mapped the California High School Exit Exam to identify the key standards that each child should master in order to pass the test in 10th grade, and developed a plan for basic instruction, after school interventions and summer school remediation, leading to grade level success and high school graduation.
- Working with the community and district Wellness Task Force, as the Curriculum Director, we realized how important it was to increase the physical activity of our children and create a greater awareness of the danger of increasing obesity in children. I facilitated the purchase and training for the Sports, Play and Active Recreations for Kids (SPARK) Program for the district and which is now being used in our elementary schools as their physical education activities.
- It is my passion to join leadership in this district to facilitate student and staff success in teaching and learning.
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