Alameda County Office of Education
Resource: Sheila Jordan, (510) 670-4140Background information on District Teachers of the Year 1999-2000
Rufina "Ping" Mejia - Alameda USD Teacher of the Year
Longfellow Elementary, 500 Pacific Ave., Alameda, CA 94501 510/748-4008|
Ms. Mejia taught in the Alameda Unified School District for 21 years, until her recent retirement and taught English as a Second Language instructor at Longfellow for kindergarten through 5th grade, and 17 years with the adult school teaching literacy classes. She is described by Principal Jane Golden as "an exceptionally outstanding teacher who is committed to do whatever it takes to help her students learn." Ms. Mejia describes her philosophy of teaching as, "Every child is like a blank slate when that child enters school. Each day something is painted and printed on that page. That page increases in number and becomes a beautiful book upon graduation. I am very proud to have contributed to that book."
Janice Gidlund - Castro Valley USD Teacher of the Year
Creekside Middle School, 19727 Center St., Castro Valley, CA 94546 510/247-0665
Ms. Gidlund has taught for 22 years. She teaches 6th grade language arts and history at Creekside Middle School. She is described by Principal Mary Ann DeGrazia as "an inspiring, creative and stimulating educator who fosters enthusiasm for the subjects being taught and motivates students to become life-long learners." According to Ms. Gidlund, "My philosophy of teaching is tied up in the fact that we don’t know who is in our classroom each year. Future heart surgeons? Inventors of life-saving machinery? The next Beethoven or Robin Williams? Future wonderful moms and dads? My job comes with an awesome responsibility. I take it seriously."
Julia Gustas Antoniades - Emery USD Teacher of the Year
Emery High School, 1100 - 47th St., Emeryville, CA 94608 510/652-1056
Ms. Antoniades has taught for 28 years. She teaches French, German and History at Emery High School. She is described by District Superintendent J. L. Handy as, "a professional dedicated to the education of everyone she encounters--a positive and brilliant person who shares her intelligence, skills and knowledge with her colleagues and students." Ms. Antoniades describes her philosophy of teaching--"Each child has been endowed with a unique gift which is not always self-evident, for often it is still wrapped or cocooned. The teacher juggles all her skills, calls upon her parent, colleague, administrative partners to find the way to get past the child’s shield which too often covers the fear of failure, the fear of risk taking."
Don Reed - Fremont USD Teacher of the Year
Horner Junior High School, 41365 Chapel Way, Fremont, CA 94538 510/656-4030
Mr. Reed has taught for 12 years at Horner Junior High School. He teaches 8th grade English. He also hosts "Homework Helpline" on cable TV. He is a mentor teacher and professional writer. District Superintendent Sharon Jones describes him as "someone who exemplifies all that is positive about teachers and all that is great about teaching. There is no teacher in our District who is such an eloquent spokesperson for the potential and success of all children to live and perform in a world as diverse as ours." Mr. Reed describes his philosophy of teaching as--"I can honestly say I have never had a student I did not like. Each student is an individual and requires a slightly different approach. I want my kids to have the best chance in life they possibly can. School is a safe place to find out about life and we as teachers must make that clear."
Bruce Wolfe - Livermore Valley Joint USD Teacher of the Year
Mendenhall Middle School, 1701 El Padro Dr., Livermore, CA 94550 925/606-4731
Mr. Wolfe has taught for 25 years. He teaches 6th and 7th grade science at Mendenhall Middle School. School Board President Charlotte Michels describes him as someone who is "responsible, reliable, has sound judgment, is a motivator, has a pleasant sense of humor and is open to new ideas." Mr. Wolfe’s philosophy of teaching--"Teachers should plant not only knowledge in their students, but also team work, self-esteem, motivation, self-direction, respect, friendship, discipline, pride and a sense of accomplishment. One of the best rewards a teacher can receive is knowing that the ‘light bulb has been lit’."
Robin R. Burns - Newark USD Teacher of the Year
J. L. Bunker Elementary School, 6071 Smith Ave., Newark, CA 94560 510/818-3001
Ms. Burns has taught for three years and is a multiple subject teacher for a multi-age 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade class at J. L. Bunker Elementary. District Superintendent Ken Sherer describes her as a leader in the district on the subject of multi-age classrooms who has excellent teaching abilities, a willing desire to be collaborative, enthusiastic, innovative and extremely dedicated." Ms. Burns describes her philosophy of teaching--"Someone once asked me why I enjoyed working with children. They just couldn’t imagine how I could spend days with a little person whose nose was running and asked a million questions. I simply answered, "Unconditional Love’."
Thomas Charles Hall - Pleasanton USD Teacher of the Year
Amador Valley High School, 1155 Santa Rita Rd., Pleasanton, CA 94566 925/846-2818
Mr. Hall has taught for 13 years and is a physics and chemistry teacher at Amador Valley High School. He is described by Linda Ebright, a parent of one of Mr. Hall’s students, as "an exemplary master teacher whose love of teaching is as bountiful and exciting as his experiments. His qualities of unselfishness, humor and modesty endear him to all." Mr. Hall describes his philosophy of teaching--"My objective is to inspire all of my students to become lifelong learners. The most effective way I have found to do this, is to make my subject matter--physics--both possible and relevant. I try to ‘chop into small bits’ whatever concepts I am teaching, to make it possible for every student to learn and succeed."
Jill Ehorn - San Leandro USD Teacher of the Year
Roosevelt Elementary - 951 Dowling Blvd., San Leandro, CA 94577 510/667-3584
Ms. Ehorn has taught for 15 years, ten of those at Roosevelt Elementary teaching a kindergarten-first grade class. Assistant Superintendent James Bolar describes her as "a truly remarkable human being. She is warm, friendly and positive. She is one of those rare individuals who quietly leads by example. She believes in and practices life long learning." Ms. Ehorn describes her philosophy of teaching as--"I believe that next to the family, the institutions of education have the greatest impact on individuals who then make up our society. I want each child to take pride in all that they do, to feel they are capable, to persevere on a problem, and to know that they can get help when they need it."
Silver White - San Lorenzo USD Teacher of the Year
Lorenzo Manor Elementary, 18250 Bengal Ave., San Lorenzo, CA 94580 510/317-5400
Mrs. White has taught for 30 years, three of those years teaching literacy to primary grades at Lorenzo Manor Elementary and adults. District Superintendent Janis Duran describes her as an outstanding teacher and a true leader. She has worked with parents, helping them to better understand the needs of their children, and to learn ways to better support the child’s efforts to learn. Throughout her career, she has modeled what it means to be a true educator." Mrs. White describes her philosophy of teaching--"A teacher must never stop becoming a learner, for it is in that never-ending learning that I learn how to teach. If there is anything outstanding about my teaching it is that I now try to shape minds, whether in adults or children, as opposed to teaching a curriculum."For additional information see Teachers of the Year.
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