Walker Elementary Teacher Co-Authors Journal Article

A paper in the recent edition of the journal of California Council for the Social Studies was co-authored by Grace Nall, a National Board Certified Teacher at Walker Elementary School in Mira Mesa.

Nall, who teaches fourth grade, co-authored the Social Studies Review article, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Primary Sources to Enhance Content Knowledge," with Dr. Priscilla Porter, senior author of Reflections, the state's social studies program for kindergarten through grade six.

The California Council for the Social Studies is a non-profit professional organization serving both public and private school educators, and is the leading voice for quality social studies education in California. The Social Studies Review is the official journal of the Council; it is a nationally recognized and well-respected history-social science publication, offering cutting edge commentary and ideas for classroom teachers, curriculum consultants, and college-university educators.

Nall has been teaching at Walker Elementary since 2005.

For more information, contact Nall at gnall@sandi.net .

Walker Elementary Teacher Spent Summer in Library of Congress Program

Walker Elementary School's Grace Nall spent the week of Aug. 6-10 at the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute.

During the five-day program, participants work with Library education specialists and subject-matter experts to learn effective practices for using primary sources in the classroom, while exploring some of the millions of digitized historical artifacts and documents available on the Library¹s website.

Educators attending the teacher institutes develop primary-source based teaching strategies that they can take back to their school districts, apply in the classroom and pass along to colleagues. Teaching with primary sources is a powerful way to help students ask engaged, probing questions, develop critical thinking skills, and construct knowledge.

Applicants to the Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institutes reflect the diversity of the world of K-12 education. Participants in a teacher institute session typically include school library media specialists and school administrators in addition to classroom teachers. Participants come from many different states, representing large metropolitan school districts and smaller, rural school districts. The expertise provided by the Library of Congress during the institutes can benefit every level of K-12 education.

Primary sources are the raw materials of history ‹ original documents and objects that were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience. Students working with primary sources become engaged learners while building critical thinking skills and constructing new knowledge. Teachers working in the Library's collections will explore the largest online collection of historical artifacts with access to millions of unique primary sources for use in instruction.

Nall was selected from more than 300 applicants to participate in the program. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and recently was co-author of an article published in Social Studies Review, the journal of the California Council for the Social Studies.

For more information on the program, contact Nall at gnall@sandi.net.

Teachers of the Year Honored by San Diego Unified School District

Ellie Vandiver

Three teachers get the big honors, but each San Diego Unified school's teacher of the year will be honored during ceremonies Tuesday night at Madison High School.

A former nurse, a high-school dropout and a second-generation staff member are San Diego Unified's 2012 Teachers of the Year. They, along with runners up, are eligible to compete for the San Diego County Teacher of the Year.

The 2012 teachers are: Elle Vandiver, biomedical sciences, University City High School; Joey Lepetri, English/history/video, Marshall Middle School; and Patti Read, third grade Special Education, Lindbergh/Schweitzer Elementary School.

“Few other professionals touch as many people as teachers do,” said Superintendent Bill Kowba. “This year’s Teachers of the Year, selected by a committee of their peers, are an extraordinary group of individuals who exhibit passion for their profession and compassion for their students in their own unique ways.They are representative of the thousands of district teachers who each day inspire and enable students to work hard, strive for their best and ultimately achieve success.”

Joey Lepetri

Tuesday's ceremony will honor Teachers of the Year from each school, along with the new National Board Certified Teachers. In addition, the San Diego  Education Fund will introduce its 2011-12 Future Educator Scholars, MASHIN
Scholars and STEM Scholar. It is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, at Madison High School, 4833 Dolvia Drive. The event is free and open to the public; it is also a regular Board of Education meeting.

Read discovered her interest in teaching students who face physical and health challenges at the age of five, when she started spending her summer vacations volunteering in her father’s medical therapy unit that was housed at Lindbergh/Schweitzer.In her 32 years of experience, she has enjoyed a lifetime of celebrating her students’ accomplishments.

“I want students to always feel successful in whatever they're doing," she said. "At the same time, what are we learning from it, and what skills are we getting from this?"

Patti Read

Lepetri struggled as a young student, eventually dropping out of high school.Today, he looks to make connections with students who are growing up in tough circumstances. Once that connection is made, learning comes easier.
"When I was 19, I realized that I was missing something in my life, and that was my education," he said. "The educational journey transformed my life."

Vandiver began her career as a registered nurse in Michigan. She discovered her passion for teaching after working with high school interns in her hospital’s intensive care unit. Now in her 12th year of teaching, Vandiver strives to help her students see connections between the curriculum and the real world,having seen more than 20 of her students become nurses, as well as doctors, medical researchers and other occupations in the medical field.Her challenging courses also let students know if the field is really for them.

"Taking this real-world knowledge and bringing it to the kids is what I strive for every day," she said. "Because I have that background, I can open doors."

Read, Lepetri and Vandiver will compete for San Diego County Teacher ofthe Year, along with the district’s three Runners-up, Garth Hebbler from Rolando Park Elementary,Steven Santana from Lewis Middle School, and Michael Pedersen from Serra High.

News Coverage

• San Diego Union-Tribune
• KPBS/City News Service

Congratulations to Our New National Board Certified Teachers

Seven San Diego Unified teachers have earned or renewed the prestigious honor of National Board Certified Teachers: Monique Anderson, Morse High School; Crystal Howe, Clairemont High; Nichole Raiewski, Millennial Tech Middle School; Shanna Jennings, Silver Gate Elementary; Ashley Hensen, Keiller Leadership Academy; Julia Groff, Ocean Beach/Whitman Elementary (renewal); and Maria Guillermoprieto, San Diego High School of International Studies (renewal). The total number of National Board Certified Teachers in San Diego Unified is now 186.

Certification by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards is the "gold standard" for teaching excellence. National Board Certified Teachers must demonstrate advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices. Completion of the certification process signifies that teachers have developed and demonstrated the skills required of an accomplished education professional. By completing the certification renewal process, these accomplished teachers show that they continue to meet the nation's highest teaching standards.

For more information on the national program, please visit www.nbpts.org/2011NBCTs. For information about programs available to San Diego Unified teachers, contact Julia Groff at jgroff@sandi.net.