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WCCUSD Principals Tell Us About Their Favorite Teachers
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, we asked West Contra Costa Unified School District Principals to tell us about their favorite teacher growing up and a memorable moment they had teaching in the classroom.
Here is what they said:
Kim Moses, Principal Ohlone Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Moses: Ms. Lavern Dyes, Grade 6, King School 1982. She instilled pride and excellence in all students. She encouraged us all to reach our potential and to believe in ourselves and our success.
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Moses: Connecting personally with students and families to support optimal growth and future success. I really miss sharing in the day-to-day accomplishment of my students through instruction.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Moses: One particular third-grade student was discouraged and struggling. I met with him and his dad to set weekly goals and celebrated successes with him frequently. At the end of the year, he asked me if I would still help him in fourth grade. He said that he was better but still needed my help. It was a powerful moment demonstrating the importance of relationships between teachers and students.
Chris Read, Principal EM Downer Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Read: My favorite teacher was my art teacher. She pushed us to have no creative boundaries or limits. She guided us to be artists for life and encouraged us always to create art no matter what career we ended up doing or at any point in our lives. I still paint and create art (music, digital art, and visual arts).
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Read: I loved building relationships and making connections with families. Hearing stories, curiosities, wonderings, ideas, or witnessing confidence grow has always been the most impactful and memorable moments in my teaching career.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Read: The 4th Grade California History Play. The kids wrote a script based on the social studies book with help from teaching artists from the EBCPA. It was a year-long project with so many arts integration lessons throughout the year until our end-of-year performance. The performance was amazing! Live theatre at its finest: dance, music, acting, storytelling, visual arts. That group of kids knew more about California history than any group I had ever taught!
Edith Jordan-McCormick, Principal Vista
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Jordan-McCormick: My favorite teacher was my middle school PE teacher Mr. Bigbee. I was one of four girls who took boys PE, your parents had to sign off, and he always pushed me to compete with the boys and be better.
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Jordan-McCormick: I loved everything about being a teacher! The Great, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Jordan-McCormick: I think my favorite moments were laughing with my students. I have had so many great laughs with kids over the past 20 plus years! Just thinking about it makes me smile.
Eric Peterson, Principal West County Mandarin School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Peterson: My favorite teacher was my 2nd Grade Teacher, Mrs. Turkman. Mrs. Turkman was a teacher that saw my potential and helped me find a passion for learning when I had previously been disengaged.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Peterson: As a grade K-10 teacher in a small rural Alaska village, I taught a multi-grade classroom that pushed me to be creative and resourceful in my teaching skills. It was a wonderful classroom community environment that was a lot of work but immensely rewarding.
Robert Mendoza, Principal Tara Hills Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Mendoza: My first-grade teacher. I don't remember her name. But she made me feel smart!
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Mendoza: I loved when kids got excited about learning new things and showing what they know. I loved reading emergent writing.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Mendoza: When my fourth graders choreographed and put on their own dance and made sure everyone had a part.
Linda Takimoto, Principal Harding Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Takimoto: Sister Carolyn, 4th grade. She read to us every day after lunch and wore black Keds with her habit. She was my favorite because she was different and real.
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Takimoto: I love engaging kids that don't think school is for them. It is amazing to see their whole physical, social, and emotional demeanor change.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Takimoto: I looped with a group of kids for three years from 4th-6th grades. The first day of the third year, I told them I wasn't sure how to start the year - do the back-to-school routines, procedures, etc. One of them said, "Summer was just like a very long weekend. Let's just get to it." Students nodded and proceeded to set up the jobs chart, daily agenda, distribute books and materials, and move the desks into groups. I love this moment because I knew they didn't need me.
Stephanie Sanchez, Principal Sheldon Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Sanchez: My favorite teacher was my second-grade teacher Mrs. Young. Her class was never dull. We always had music playing; we always got to get up and move our bodies, and she was extremely kind and nurturing.
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Sanchez: I loved the relationships I formed with the students. Seeing students who don't believe in themselves and who do not trust adults suddenly flourishing socially and academically under the safe, trusting classroom we had is what us all joy each day.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Sanchez: My first year teaching 6th grade was one of my most memorable years. My students had soaked up having a growth mindset and took ownership of their own data. They were self-highly motivated. I remember explaining to them that with our pacing, we would not have enough time to go as slow as we needed for some of the remaining math standards before state testing. I pitched a plan to extend our school day 30 minutes after the normal school bell to do extra math. They all agreed and quickly received permission from their families. The growth in my students socially and academically was tremendous, and our excitement and enthusiasm are what I had desired when I entered the field. That dream finally became realized.
Ann Marie Marinakis, Principal Valley View Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Marie Marinakis: Mrs. Gibbs; 3rd Grade; I don't remember details; I remember I felt loved and cared for. Mr. Christensen; High School Journalism: He let me laugh hysterically. He taught us how to find the difference in fact/opinion in news reporting.
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Marie Marinakis: Seeing the light bulb go on; seeing a student realize that they could do 'it'.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Marie Marinakis: I was a fairly new teacher arguing - loudly - with a 5th-grade student. Suddenly, I stopped. "Why are you arguing with a 5th grader?" I thought to myself. I began learning how to give direction and walk away. Give the student a chance to follow through.
Eric Mapes, Principal Pinole Middle School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Mapes: Mr. Ken Fujita, 4th Grade teacher at Marin School in Albany, California He believed in me. Never gave up. I fell in love with math because of him. And, we were both big sports fans.
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Mapes: I loved working with students on a concept or activity, and the class was engaged, there was an excitement for learning in the air, and I could see the students start to all understand what they were learning over time.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Mapes: My first year teaching, I broke my femur skiing during Mid-Winter Break, and when I returned, I taught 7th grade science in a wheelchair. The students were so kind and helpful, and we had a great year! I had always planned on being an elementary school teacher. But that year and those moments during that year led me to be a middle school teacher for 13 years.
Teresa Williams, Principal Bayview Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Williams: Ms. Viscovi, my 6th Grade teacher. She was a fair but firm teacher that set high expectations. She also inspired me to continue my love for the arts!
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Williams: One of the things I loved about being a teacher was tapping into students learning modalities and watching them grow from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Williams: One particular moment was when one of my 6th-grade students wrote a poem that dealt with life and change. The poem took me by complete surprise and brought tears to my eyes. After reading the poem, my heart was filled with joy and admiration to read such eloquent words from this future writer!
Melynda Piezas, Principal Dover Elementary School
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Principal Piezas: My favorite teacher was my sophomore English teacher, Mrs. Clark. She brought the stories to life. She dressed as a witch for Macbeth and a dragon for Beowolf. I went on to major in English Literature in college because she instilled such a love of it in me.
Q: What did you love about being a teacher and why?
Principal Piezas: I loved the look of triumph students have when they finally figure out something they thought was difficult.
Q: Tell us a memorable moment about your teaching career and why that moment/memory means so much to you?
Principal Piezas: It was the last day of school, and we always had a circle to talk about our year. One of my students had struggled with fractions all year long. She said to the whole class, "Mrs. Piezas never gave up on me. She kept saying I could do it. And you know what I did. I think I can do anything now." That girl is why I teach. I still have a bracelet she gave me hanging from my rearview mirror, reminding me every day about why I teach.