Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1190776
T H E N U M B E R 2 0 2 0 carries a little extra meaning into the new year. 20/20 indicates clarity and sharpness of vision, always a good thing. And numerologists say 2020 is an "angel" number because 2 resonates with relation- ships and the purpose of life, and 0 is associated with spiritual growth, so angels are ready to help us unlock our potential and make a better world. Sounds a lot like teaching to me. Consider the educators we highlight in our cover story (" 'I' is for Innovator," page 17). Each is hyper- focused on creating immersive learning environments for their students that build real-world skills and foster ingenuity — making a better world, indeed. By teaching Yurok, a Native American language once nearly extinct, James Genshaw is keeping alive an entire culture for his students, instilling pride in their heritage and confidence in their identity. Somphane Hunter's cooking classes are about health and nutrition, but also community and family bonding. Rebecca McKinney uses her energy and inventiveness to build relationships with students — who learn Next Generation Science Stan- dards along the way. Truly, all the educators in this issue are innovators, from the 2020 California Teachers of the Year (page 54) to NEA Foundation's 2020 Award for Teaching Excel- lence recipient Wil Beshears (page 46) to the Cultivating Teacher Leaders network, which is strengthening the educator pipeline from student to leader (page 44). ey all possess a vision of how students (and fellow educa- tors) can best learn, and the resourcefulness to bring their ideas to fruition. Angels in Our Midst Angels are surely at work when traumatic events unfold at schools, from natural disasters to gun violence. Educators rushed to protect students during the recent school shooting in Santa Clarita — "at's what we do," says Kaitlin Holt, who sheltered dozens of students while tending to one girl's gunshot wounds ("Calm During Crisis," page 48). In "Phoenix Rising " (page 30), educators set aside their own needs to help children and youth recover from calamitous wild- fires and other natural disasters that continue to trigger difficult memories and emotions. While putting on a positive face for their young charges, they turn to one another for support. " We're all trying to take care of our basic needs and each other," says Shelly Kiefer, a teacher in fire-ravaged Paradise. Fremont educator Erin Castillo developed a simple chart that allows students to express their mood on a given day ("Teacher Trending," page 14). Choices range from "I'm great" to "I'm in a really dark place." e chart demonstrates to students that she cares and helps her gauge if an individual needs help. So are educators angels? Pretty darn close, I'd say. But first and foremost they're professionals, and they rightly take pride in what they do. Despite the pain of loss and displacement, for example, Paradise students' core subject test scores have substantially increased. " We didn't shy away," says teacher Annie Finney. " We kept teaching them." Happy 2020. Katharine Fong E D I T O R I N C H I E F editor@cta.org 5 D E C E M B E R 2 019 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 E D I T O R ' S N O T E