This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: My family consists of six people, including myself. My mother is Ernestina Arellano who was born in Michoacán, Mexico. My father is Armando Arellano who was born in Guanajuato, Mexico. I have two brothers and one sister. My twin brother is named after my father, Armando. My sister is Crystal and my youngest sibling is Jonathan.

School:  Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Subject taught: Third-grade Dual Language Immersion 

Experience and education: My education consisted of a total of five years at CSU Stanislaus. I have a BA in liberal studies and also completed the multiple subject credential program. I have worked in a variety of environments that have given me knowledge and great experiences. I first started working with children in a day care setting. I then worked as a substitute for paraprofessionals which taught me the importance of providing help and assistance. I have also been an after school recreational leader, a student support assistant (yard duty), substitute teacher, tutor and in different classrooms and as a camp counselor.

What attracted you to Denair? What attracted me to Denair was the warm welcome I received as soon as I stepped foot in the district office. I absolutely loved the warm and friendly welcome I received because it made me feel comfortable and happy to be there.

What most inspires you about teaching? It would definitely have to be the learning that takes place on both ends as well as the relationships you build. I absolutely love to see how happy a child gets from learning something that was once difficult for him/her, and I truly believe that I learn throughout the year along with them. I’m inspired because I love how one can build relationships that carry great memories.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? Teaching. Being a first-year teacher can be quite intimidating, but I am looking forward to this journey of learning and growth. I want to learn as much as I can from this amazing opportunity at DECA.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity?  My favorite teaching activity is think pair share. I believe it is extremely important for students to be given the time to think about what they just learned and share what they learned with a partner. I believe this allows the student to be involved in his/her learning by having communication with a fellow peer.

What do you want your students to remember? One thing would be the importance of having courage and confidence. I truly want students to believe that it’s okay to make mistakes. It is okay to not know and ask for help and guidance when it’s needed because that is what having courage looks like. I truly believe that learning happens when mistakes are made. I want students to remember that they have confidence because they are capable of great things.

How can parents support what you do? Parents can support what I do by creating a quiet environment for their child to do their homework. I encourage parents to allow their child to make mistakes because this allows I, the teacher, to see if the student is understanding the material.

What would surprise people about your job? People would be surprised that teaching is a job that is full of learning. Learning not only takes place with students, but with the teacher as well. As a teacher, you are constantly learning.  What do you do for fun?  Creating DIY projects. I love to go on Pinterest and get inspiration on projects that I’d like to do for my class or my home.

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

There already was a line of parents and students waiting when Ryan Dudley and his medical team from Castle Family Health Centers arrived at the Denair Middle School campus Wednesday morning.

By midday, the clinicians already had seen 40 students, with another 30 in line. By the time the clinic was scheduled to end at 3 p.m., it’s possible nearly 100 students had received athletic physicals for fall sports or been given various vaccinations or booster shots.

All the treatment was free, courtesy of a partnership between the Denair Unified School District, Castle and Turlock-based Legacy Health Endowment, which picked up the cost.

It is the second free mobile medical clinic offered in the district since late May. About 70 students were seen at the first one and it appeared even more were treated Wednesday.

The fact that Wednesday’s event overlapped with Coyote Call no doubt increased activity at the clinic. With exactly a week before classes resume Aug. 7, middle and high school students were on campus Wednesday to get their schedules and sign up for clubs.

Continue reading “Second Free Mobile Medical Clinic Draws Big Crowd” »

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: Husband, Lee and children, Lucas, Logan and Rachel

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Subject taught: Transitional kindergarten

Experience and education: BA from CSU Stanislaus, 13 years teaching preschool at Denair State Preschool. Currently completing preservice and then IMPACT program at TCSJ (Teachers College of San Joaquin).

What attracted you to Denair? DECA incorporates many wonderful programs such as PBIS, Academic Adventures and the Character Bound program along with college awareness as part of the learning culture.  I love the small-town feel, my amazing co-workers and the families that make up our school community. I am also an alumni (DHS class of 1992), member of the community and our three children all graduated from Denair.  

Why most inspires you about teaching? I absolutely love my students; they inspire me every day. Observing children utilize their critical thinking skills, collaborating, communicating and being creative while engaging in hands-on activities is inspiring. Seeing how they grow and learn through the year always amazes me.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? Going from a part-day program to a full-day will be something new for me this year as well as new curriculum.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity?  Integrating STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities during free choice is a great way for students to use their critical thinking skills and creativity. When used in small groups, students then practice collaborating with others and building communication skills.

What do you want your students to remember? I want students to remember that their TK class was a safe, welcoming and engaging space to come to school and their teacher was caring and fun.

How can parents support what you do?   Fill your child with a love of learning by showing interest, asking them questions and encouraging them. Read to your child and foster a love of reading.

What would surprise people about your job? I think people would be surprised how much time educators spend outside of class time attending professional development and planning engaging classroom activities. What do you do for fun? I love to spend time reading, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: I am married. I have two boys. Seth is 9 and Blake is 7. Both of them attend DECA.

School: Denair High School

Subject taught: Special education moderate/severe 9-12 grade as well as adult transition.

Experience and education: Graduated from Denair High School. Went to Modesto Junior College before transferring to University of Phoenix. I was a para-educator for Turlock School District for 15 years, working with moderate/severe students at the junior high level. 

What attracted you to Denair? I attended Denair in elementary, middle school and high school. Denair is my hometown and a place that will always be dear to me. When I noticed they had a job opening to teach special education, I quickly applied. I am back to where it all started for me. It is a great place to raise a family and I am blessed to now be a part of the staff here in Denair.

Why most inspires you about teaching? Teaching is such a rewarding career. My students inspire me daily. My students inspire me to do my best and demonstrate the best version of myself each day I walk into my class.  When I see my students’ growth — even if it’s something small — it makes a difference in them and that’s why I am here for my students’ success!

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? This is my first year teaching and I know I will be faced with many challenges. In special education, you work with many different individuals who service our students. I think that scheduling meetings and service times within my classroom will be the most challenging for me, but I am going to do my best to communicate with and accommodate everyone on my team and meet the needs of my students.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I love teaching my students life skills. I like them to be productive and show independence.  My life skills lessons are my favorite because the students are able to take these activities and use them to help at home or even find a job placement in the future.

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember to work hard and never give up. Success is not measured in size, but how hard you worked to get there!

How can parents support what you do? I believe that parents can support what I do by reinforcement of what is being done at school and implement that at home as well. Parents need to be a part of the child’s education and being involved is important.  I believe having parents on board with your classroom program is helpful in building relationships.

What would surprise people about your job? Every day is a new adventure =)What do you do for fun? I love to be with my family and friends. I enjoy exercising and going to the gym. My boys are in sports and I love going to their games and being the team mom. I also enjoy shopping and being in the sun.

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with teachers new to Denair Unified in 2019-20

Family: Daughter: Brie, Sons: Isaac and Logan, Dog: Butters, Cat: Peanut

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught: Seventh- and eighth-grade math

Experience and education: Two years teaching sixth grade. BA from Western Governors University in 2017. Currently pursuing a master’s in mathematics education.

What attracted you to Denair? I was raised in a small town, Midland, Texas. I love that Denair is a small town and tight-knit community. It’s the kind of place I want to be a part of and raise my children in.

Why most inspires you about teaching? Being allowed to the privilege to shape the minds, ethics and morality of children. Educating a child in math is my first priority. Setting an example for them as an adult is a close second. It’s important for children to hear that everyone is valued and equal, but they need to see it in practice, too. The only people who spend more time with children are their parents. Teachers have a priceless influence on children and I want my influence to be of compassion, justice and kindness.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I will be teaching my own child for the first time this year. I expect that to be challenging, but ultimately rewarding.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I LOVE real-world application activities. I think that students gain a deeper understanding, especially in math, when they can see how it applies to real life and how they’ll use what we’re learning about as time goes on.

What do you want your students to remember? I want them to remember to be kind to others. Take the high road every time. It’s not always about winning or being right; being kind is just as important.

How can parents support what you do? I think that parents can do the most by being open and honest with their children, in an age-appropriate way, of course. It’s easy to tell our kids little white lies about why they should do what we say or why the world is what it is. I challenge parents to take the path least traveled and level with your kids. Explain to them why, how or what for whenever possible. We can’t treat them like children for 17 years and 364 days and expect them to be ready for adulthood on their 18th birthday. We need to put in the difficult work now.

What would surprise people about your job? Teachers spend a lot of time teaching children how to resolve problems. Conflicts are inevitable in a setting where people are put together in one room, or school, and come from many backgrounds with many different personalities. Throw puberty in the mix and you get a unique opportunity to shape lives.What do you do for fun? I spend most of my time with my kids. I love and collect video games and video game consoles as well as Nintendo memorabilia. I love to learn so I spend quite a bit of time reading to learn new things.