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Educators EXTRAODINARY SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY TEACHERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

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 BY NORA HESTON TARTE / D DAN HOOD

Teachers are the backbone of our communities, stepping in to help mold tomorrow’s adults in the ways that matter most. But—not all teachers are created equal. While they’ve all undergone hardships, especially in these past couple of years, many of the teachers in San Joaquin County have continued to show up, above and beyond, to support both their students and their students’ families. From special education and reading intervention teachers to innovators in STEM, our communities are ripe with educators who have taken home many accolades that support the positive words their colleagues, peers, and superiors have to say about them. And while the five educators in this feature are only a small sampling of the amazing teachers in SJC, they are also a solid representation of the talent, tenacity, and tenure we have in our own backyard.

JACQUE CHANDLER Special Education Teacher McFall Preschool

As any parent with a child with special needs knows, navigating the world of special education can be difficult. There are Individual Education Plans and certain red tape to get through in order to best advocate for your child. For Jacque Chandler, a special education teacher at McFall Preschool in Manteca, being there for her students means also being there for their families.

“She is a cheerleader for [students’] families,” says Monica Vallerga, division director of Special Education at San Joaquin County Office of Education. “Jacque assists families who are brand new to special education by helping them navigate the school system as well as helping them gain access to community resources for their child or family.”

In the classroom, Jacque serves both an AM and a PM class of students ages 3-5, many with multiple disabilities or serious medical conditions. Each student gets three hours of instruc-tion per day, and at this age, it’s about making learning fun. “My job does not stop just because I am off the clock,” she says. “I am always looking for new materials and ways to incorporate hands-on learning.”

Many of Jacque’s students’ needs are severe and more than once she’s endured the unexpected death of a young student with a serious medical condition. “Even during the incredibly difficult time of losing a student, she continues to take care of their family by offering support, providing resources, and showing up to assist them when needed,” Monica shares.

For Jacque, becoming a teacher was a lifelong goal realized. In the fourth grade, her brother died, and when he did, she said her teacher at the time made a huge impression on her, becoming not only an integral part of her support system, but for her family, as well. That experi-ence set her on track for pursuing her own career in education.

“I truly feel like students come into our classroom and enjoy being there because they are respected and loved,” Jacque says.

In fact, Jacque is so dedicated to her students that despite enduring her own battle with breast cancer last year, she continued to show up and rally for her community. Monica says, “The admiration for Jacque stretches far beyond the time the students are in her class. It lasts years and years in the hearts of the families of the students she serves.”

COLLEEN GUIDI K-3 Reading Intervention Teacher

Lodi Unified School District

If you step into Colleen Guidi’s classroom, you’re likely to see kiddos bouncing on yoga balls, laying on the floor, wobbling on wobble stools, sitting on the couch, and more. “[There’s] tons of movement, music, songs, laughter, and hands on activities,” Colleen says. The sight might not be what you’d expect of a reading intervention classroom, one where children who are struggling to meet grade level reading requirements gather to get up to speed.

As one of six K-3 Reading Intervention Teachers in Lodi USD, Colleen is focused on creating fluent readers by adding focused lessons to the curriculum as a sort of extra benefit outside of the core classroom. “I am able to use our assessment data to focus on very specific reading skills and then provide short term lessons to fill those holes in our students' reading. The groups are fluid, changing almost monthly, and have a range of learners,” she says.

In addition to her 24 years of experience in education, Colleen is a Nationally Board-Certified Teacher (NBCT) in Literacy: ReadingLanguage Arts/ Early and Middle Childhood. She also acts as the Internal Coach at Oakwood school to supervise reading and math tutors from Ampact and she sits on Lodi USD's Review Board for the Excellence in Teaching Committee.

“Colleen’s purpose and mission is to have a positive impact on the lives of students… she is all in,” says Cassandra Sotelo, principal at Oakwood Elementary. “She is here to make a difference in their lives and do whatever it takes so our children can grow up one day and be successful, live a fulfilled life, and give back to their own communities.”

“I hope I make an impact by instilling a love of learning and a genuine caring for our kiddos both in and out of the classroom,” Colleen says. “When I first started teaching… a veteran teacher told me that many people travel abroad on missions, but we are blessed to live our mission every day in our schools. That stuck with me. Teaching is my mission, my way to give back.”

A desire to give underprivileged kids a leg up in math led Stephen Callahan—a former Silicon Valley techie—to teaching, but what started as a five-year plan to give back has turned into 19 years (and counting) in education. “I saw (and still see) education as the greatest chance for the most people to have economic opportunities. I wanted to be a teacher so that more students could have bright futures,” he says.

Stephen is perhaps best known for his work in the FabLab, which is, quite literally, his largest responsibility, clocking in at 7000 square feet. Stephen uses the space to teach those at every place in their education from kindergarten to professional development for adult educators more about STEM subjects. “We have technology from augmented reality ZSpace computers to giant wooden construction pieces for early elementary students called Rigamajig. There [are] CNC mills, laser cutters, 3D printers, and various robots for every grade span… I do teacher professional development in person, remote, or even producing videos for asynchronous support.”

Stephen says it is the creativity linked to teaching that he loves most.

“Teachers design works of art, interactive experiences, and memorable prose that stick with students a lifetime,” he says. And it’s those long-lasting impressions that keep him going. Many previous students, he says, add him on Facebook and he gets to follow their forays into technical and science related careers.

“Steve is one of those people that goes above and beyond all the time,” says Kirk Brown, who was previously Stephen’s boss at SJCOE. “His heart is in the total right spot when it comes to education.”

But it’s perhaps Stephen’s constant chasing of knowledge that makes the biggest difference. Desiring to be a master himself in all subjects he touches, Stephen is a Concord Consortium Robert Tinker Fellow, a Google Innovator and Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and served on the Computer Science Standards Advisory Committee for the state of California.

“What’s really interesting abut Stephen’s approach is that he’s always learning new things,” Kirk says. “He not only becomes an expert himself but he plays a critical role in this region, if not the state, if not the nation, around the use of computer science technology.”

TEXAS KEO Title 1 Response to Intervention Teacher Ripon Elementary School

Texas Keo, a Title 1 response to intervention teacher at Ripon Elementary School, was named the 2021 San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year by the San Joaquin County Office of Education—and the designation comes as no surprise to anyone who knows her.

“I can’t say enough good things about her,” says Dana Phelps, principal at Ripon Elementary, describing Texas as a reliable team player and extremely hard worker, skilled at not only teaching students how to read but also teaching others (aides and parents) to teach students, as well.

“I’ve always wanted to become a teacher,” Texas says. Raised in a male-dominant culture, she was always the mother hen. Despite living in a big, Cambodian family, she wasn’t shy to break rules and standout instead of fitting in as a submissive female figure.

Her first experiences in education were raising her sisters. After her mom passed away, Texas adopted her four younger siblings (she had seven sisters in total). At the time, they were 16, 14, 12 and 10. Living in a bad neighborhood with gang violence, they saw it all, but

Texas was able to get them out of that environment and get them into higher education. “I’m very proud of all of them,” she says.

Today, Texas says teaching students in Ripon allows her to live the childhood she never had. Seeing her students thrive and find success while exuding joy and positivity are highlights as she moves through lessons aimed at catching them up to grade level. She also focuses on socialemotional needs with the help of the school’s full-time counselor and has a handful or students who don’t speak English at home, an experience she personally can relate to.

To best aid her students, Texas does more than lead intervention classes. She also works closely with parents to garner the most success. “The parents are their first teachers and building a repoire with them, learning their traditions, their culture, their backgrounds, it’s power,” she says.

Ultimately, progress is about connecting with students. Uncovering their interests, encouraging parent involvement, it all contributes to the end goal. “She could tell you every one of our kids and what they struggle in and will actually curtail that curriculum to fill in all of those gaps,” Dana says.

Steve

FELKINS

English and Career Studies

Teacher Discovery Challenge Academy

When students are threatened with the possibility of not graduating on time, Discovery ChalleNGe Academy in Lathrop is one option available through the San Joaquin County Office of Education to get students back on track. The program is geared toward helping kids (ages 15.5-18) succeed by becoming cadets and focusing on both academics and life skills that will serve them for years to come in partnership with The National Guard.

In addition to making grades, cadets (the term used in lieu of students) are expected to meet rigorous standards of discipline, accountability, and physical fitness, as well. It’s also commonplace for a soldier of the Army National Guard that is trained in the ChalleNGe Academy’s ethos to be sitting in the classroom to assist in making sure the cadets are meeting the high disciplinary standards that are expected of them.

“The ChalleNGe program has given me the opportunity to work with students that were behind in high school credits for various reasons but have now committed five and a half months to improving themselves in so many areas,” says Steve Felkins, an English and career studies teacher at ChalleNGe. “To be a part of that student’s academic progress and the whole personal improvement process that the student/cadet will undergo is a great thing to witness.”

Steve’s tenure at ChalleNGe has lasted four years so far, but in all he’s served 20 years as an educator through SJCOE, earning his 20 Years of Service award in 2021. In addition to his classes, Steve also teaches a nature program at ChalleNGe for interested students. The lunch-time program, “incorporates learning about nature on the academy’s grounds, as well as a nature hike that we do at Caswell State Park,” Steve says.

His students also enjoy that he plays the drums and the hobby is part of his approach to teaching, bringing real life into his lessons whenever possible to build interest. “One thing I like to do is to bring any kind of realia items to the classroom that may help the cadets’ understanding and enjoyment of the lesson we are learning,” he says. This includes any sort of real-life items that relate to a lesson and deepen the understanding for students. “At the end of the English language arts lesson where we learn about the jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, myself and some of the other staff members demonstrate a live music performance for the cadets,” Steve says.

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