Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1060790
Jessica Husselstein Hitting just the right note with students Santa Maria Elementary Teachers Asso ciation he seventh- and eighth-grad- ers show up twice a week 30 minutes before the school bell rings, eager to play a variety of instruments including guitars, violins and trumpets. Some strum along on the vihuela, a high-pitched, round- backed guitar that provides rhythm, or a bass guitar called a guitarrón, which also provides rhythm. Singing along in Spanish is encouraged. Some students know how to play musical instruments because they perform in the school band. Others learn as they go along, with help from Husselstein and parent volunteers, including Rebecca Fuhri- man, who learned how to play the has grown professionally, as well. "I don't have a tech back- ground," she says. "I was a music major who got my master's degree in reading, but I was will- ing to humble myself and learn [how to code], because I did not want to rob the kids of this opportunity. In some ways, I just let the kids take the lead. I tell them to be fearless in the face of failure. I am learning so much from my students. They teach me new things every day." Students say they love the program. "Programing a robot is fas- cinating," says sixth-grader Mayte Lopez. "I love making them do stuff, like putting sensors on them so they can battle other robots. Coding also helps me with math, because you have to know how to do multiplication and division to program the robot." She adds, "Ever since I started doing it, I've thought it is some- thing I want to earn a living at. What a great way to have fun and make money." For Peters, a highlight was watching her students in FSD's annual Robot Nation compe- tition. Students programmed EV3 robots to navigate a maze. Eisenhower Elementary School robots battled Fullerton robots to see whose robots could stay in a circle the longest before being shoved out. Although none of her students took first place, they held their own. "I have never been prouder," Peters says. "They were able to prove me right, work hard and be competitors. It just goes to show that kids facing obstacles can learn anything if they are given the chance to succeed." —Sherry Posnick-Goodwin/ Scott Buschman Mariachi music is loud, joyful, and has roots in Mexico. The same can be said for most students in Jessica Husselstein's mariachi program at Tommie Kunst Jr. High School in Santa Maria, who happily perform this traditional Mexican music associated with cultural celebrations. t 28 cta.org the Innovation issue the Innovation issue I T I N O I N N E O S S V U A Innovation Issue 2018 I I 2018 Innovation issue the 2018