Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/2864
Five CTA members awarded top honors as California’s 2009 Teachers of the Year California Teachers of the Year for 2009. The five Teachers of the Year — C Alastair Inman of Anaheim Sec- ondary Teachers Association; Alex Kajitani of Escondido Elementary Education Association; Jose L. Na- varro IV of United Teachers Los Angeles; Mark Teeters of Napa Val- ley Education Association; and Loredana Wicketts of Corona-Nor- co Teachers Association — will be honored Feb. 9 in Sacramento. Ka- jitani has been selected to repre- sent California in the National Teacher of the Year competition (see story on facing page). TA congratulates the five remarkable CTA members who have been named He believes that engaging kids in the practical application of sci- ence is important. “To raise the level of science lit- eracy, we need to infuse a more ac- tive curriculum into our schools as early as possible,” says Inman. “I believe that the key to getting and keeping students interested is en- suring that they are doing science, not just learning about science, from a very young age.” practice to hone a skill and make it an art,” he says. “I have dedicated myself to becoming the best teach- er I can for no other reason than my students deserve it.” Loredana Wicketts teaches at Mark Teeters is a choral mu- sic teacher at Vintage High School in the Napa Valley Uni- fied School District. He believes that music has charms to reach students on multiple levels. “There is overwhelming evi- Jose L. Navarro IV teaches so- cial studies and U.S. history at Syl- mar Senior High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Navarro approaches the teach- ing process as an art form. “I bring beauty to this world Alastair Inman is a science teacher at Lexington Junior High School in the Anaheim Union High School District in Orange County. Inman believes that teach- ing science has allowed him to reap the best of two rewarding worlds: as both scientist and in- structor. “I am still a scientist engaged on a daily basis,” says Inman, “but I also feel the added rewards that can only come from teaching young people and playing a role in their development,” through my teaching as much as my brother does through his paintings,” says Navarro. “Teach- ing is how I share my heart with the world. I am able to exercise a vision and see things others sim- ply do not, through my lessons. And as all artists do, I use my envi- ronment for inspiration and my heart as a guide.” Navarro admits that being an instructor requires hard work and dedication. “Teaching is my vocation, and as with any vocation it takes disci- pline, self-reflection, studying and 22 California Educator | february 2009 dence that music improves aca- demic performance and provides a creative outlet for teenagers,” says Teeters. “Music has always had the power to make languag- es, culture and history come alive in ways unrivaled by any text- book.” Teeters talks about how he in- fuses cultural lessons into his music classes. “Our kids have sung in at least 20 different languages from Hungarian to Hebrew. Classroom discussion on the texts of songs has opened students’ hearts and minds to the beauty of poetry. Music oper- ates in not just the factual realm, but also in an emotional one. In a time when many teenagers are dis- affected at home, alienated or sepa- rated from adults and sometimes even from their peers, music con- nects them in real ways.” Eisenhower Elementary in the Corona-Norco Unified School District and believes that as hu- mans, we have an obligation to the global stability and future of our planet. “Teachers and all community members must have a greater vi- sion than test scores, economic suc- cess, and national development,” says Wicketts. “I believe that teach- ers can no longer be mere dispens- ers of information. We must aid in the development of human beings that have respect for this precious and delicate world.” She feels that teachers have an obligation to help nurture students into conscientious adults. “Educators, communities and governments need to form a broad- er coalition to implement reforms that will develop strong, well- rounded youth that are equipped to face the challenges of the future.” Created in 1972 to pay tribute to the state’s teachers, the California Teach- er of the Year competition is open to educators who teach pre-K through grade 12. To learn more about the selection process, visit the California Department of Education website at www.cde.ca.gov.