Virginia Avila
Physical Education and English Teacher
Grant High School
Grant Union High School District
Virginia Avila teaches ninth grade physical education and English at Grant High School in Sacramento. She always has wanted to be a teacher. When she was 10, she would gather together the neighborhood kids to sit on old tires holding boards on their laps for desks. Ms. Avila attributes her love of teaching to her father who valued integrity, character, and fairness, and who taught her to show utmost respect for teachers and the clergy. She has won numerous awards for her teaching and, although she has had opportunities to teach elsewhere, she says she belongs where she is now. Ms. Avila also has taught elementary and junior high school, as well as severely emotionally disturbed children. She volunteers extensively in the community.
Connie Baumgardt Blackburn
Kindergarten Teacher
Central Elementary School
Escondido Union Elementary School District
Connie Baumgardt Blackburn teaches kindergarten at Central School in Escondido. She sees herself as an ambassador for education. "Teaching is not for the light-hearted, but for the courageous," she said, while at the same time proclaiming teaching as the best profession in the world. She can't see herself doing anything else. New teachers should be paired with mentors, according to Ms. Blackburn. Her special pleas to people considering a teaching career, or who recently have entered the profession but are struggling, is that they stay committed to the profession because they are desperately needed. Her advice to all teachers is to never stop reading current research or learning new techniques and, no matter what, to never give up.
Anne Marie Bergen
Science Coordinator
Magnolia Elementary School
Oakdale Joint Unified School District
Anne Marie Bergen who serves as K-6 science coordinator/teacher at Magnolia Elementary School in Oakdale, quotes poet Robert Frost when she explains how the profession fulfills her. From The Road Not Taken , she cites: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Torn between an internship at a genetics lab and a teaching position, Ms. Bergen chose to teach and has never looked back. Now some 17 years later, she espouses for students an active learning environment, meaningful learning experiences, and compassionate teaching that engages students of all ages, abilities, and languages.
Christopher Mullin
History and Latin Teacher
Santa Ynez Valley High School
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District
Christopher Mullin teaches history, Latin, and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) classes in grades 9-12 at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in Santa Ynez. He believes the major issues facing education are recruitment, retention, and meaningful support of teachers throughout their careers. Mr. Mullin draws upon other cultures, countries, and times in history for answers to peer-support problems for teachers. He knows his students are achieving when he sees them debate, present, write journals, and discuss using primary sources as living voices. Mr. Mullin's units have ranged from a post-World War II Berlin summit to a costumed evening in the Gilded Age. He has served as a teacher-facilitator for the History-Social Science Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Other activities include his work as a MetLife Fellow of the Teachers Network Policy Institute and serving on his school's Digital High School Committee.
Tamara Thornell
Second Grade Teacher
Norman R. Brekke Elementary School
Oxnard Elementary School District
Tamara Thornell teaches a bilingual second grade class at Norman R. Brekke School in Oxnard. She is a firm believer in the philosophy that all students can succeed by having self-confidence, mastering grade-level standards, and loving to learn. As a bilingual second grade teacher, Ms. Thornell sees her role as one of ensuring that her students achieve success in every situation, mastering standards, and enhancing social interaction. She believes that learners can best succeed if curriculum content is differentiated to appropriately meet individual needs. Students are encouraged to think in-depth about their projects. Ms. Thornell sees herself as a facilitator and a role model for the learning process. She applies this philosophy not only in class to her students, but also in the technology integration workshops she gives for other educators.
2003 Alternates
James Jordan
English and Journalism Teacher
Del Campo High School
San Juan Unified School District
James Jordan teaches English and journalism at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks. He believes that success in school begins by being organized. He has students develop note taking and notebook keeping skills, and maintains a "fanatical focus" on meeting deadlines. Mr. Jordan provides expectations about what will happen each day and week, so students know what's coming. He loves to push students beyond the limits of what they think they can achieve. His role is similar to that of a coach, training in the skills necessary and running alongside clapping and cheering to inspire every ounce of effort.
Sharon Roxburgh
Fifth Grade Teacher
Dr. Juliet Thorner Elementary
Bakersfield City School District
Sharon Roxburgh teaches fifth grade at Dr. Juliet Thorner School in Bakersfield. She is known for her "can-do" attitude. Supervisors and peers acknowledge her rigorous curriculum, classroom management, command of subject matter, and ability to adapt instruction to different styles and levels. Ms. Roxburgh brought the "Rolling Reader" program to her district. She challenges parents to be involved in their children's education, since parents are their children's first and most important teacher. In class, students learn to study, memorize, research, and problem solve independently and in teams. In 2001-02, Roxburgh's class attendance was 97 percent. School needs to be exciting so kids will attend, she says, and cites, "Bring the body, and the mind will follow."
