Tag Archives: Class Act

Class Act! 10 Questions for Stephanie De Muro

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Submitted by Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Class Act – 10 questions for a Denair teacher

Name: Stephanie De Muro

Family: Husband Jason and son Casper

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Subject taught: Special education for transitional kindergarten through fifth grade

Experience and education:  For my undergraduate degree, I attended Johnson & Wales University in Denver. I received my Master’s degree at CSU Stanislaus and my Multiple Subject and Special Education Credentials at Brandman University.

Why most inspires you about teaching? My students. I love it when they finally grasp a concept and I see the light come on.  They keep me searching and learning about new ways to teach them.  I want them all to succeed.  My students inspire me to do the best I can for them.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? The biggest challenge for me as a special education teacher is planning for all of the different levels of students I work with.  I also have to be a scheduling genius to be able to juggle an SDC class and RS caseload.  I have to be very organized and on top of all my deadlines, which can be challenging at times.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I love teaching math and bring in a lot of manipulatives and hands-on activities to bring real meaning to math.  Math can be very difficult for my students and showing them how it pertains to the real world is important for their learning.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? My students are unique and because of the way they learn I was already using some of the concepts that Common Core is teaching.  I use a lot of hands-on activities and tools to help teach concepts.  I think the biggest challenge with Common Core has been the curriculum. It assumes my students have more foundational knowledge than they do and there is not a lot of review.  A concept is taught and mastery is expected; that is not the case with my students.  I do a lot of re-teaching and spiraling. Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Stephanie De Muro” »

Class Act! 10 Questions for Rhonda Bird

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Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

Name: Rhonda Bird

 Family: I have two boys, Jackson, who will be leaving to attend Kansas State in the fall, and Colton, who is a student at Hughson High.

School: Denair Charter Academy

Subject taught: Special Education

Experience and education:  I have been teaching for 23 years and 17 of those years have been at the Denair Unified School District.  I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree from CSU Stanislaus and my Master’s Degree from Grand Canyon University.

Why most inspires you about teaching?  The students. I enjoy the interactions with them.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? I think the biggest challenge as a special education teacher is working with the varied abilities of students.  I find it challenging to modify curriculum for every student to make sure he or she is working at his or her ability without frustrating the student.  Another challenge is working with general education teachers and modifying the curriculum to make sure every student is working at his or her ability level and learning the material.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching tool is technology now.  You can find any activity and lesson on the Internet.  It allows me to modify curriculum easily and still get the same standard taught to the student at his or her reading ability level.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? Common Core has given me the opportunity to give more projects and have more work moving away from the pencil and paper assignments.

What do you want your students to remember? Every student is smart and everyone learns in his or her own way.

How can parents support what you do? Be involved in their child’s education and ask what was learned at school. Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Rhonda Bird” »

Class Act! 10 Questions for Melissa Oei

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Melissa Oei

Submitted by Denair Middle School

Name:  Melissa Oei

Family: Husband, Bob; sons, Paul and Jonathan

School: Denair Middle School

Position: Campus Supervisor

Experience/education: This will be my 11th year with Denair Unified School District.  I was raised in England and went to Windsor and Maidenhead College of further education followed by Reading University.  Although my background is in banking and accounting, I love my job here as the campus supervisor.  I am able to be out and about around our campus. Although my primary duties are safety and discipline, I am lucky enough to be able to see some of the great things going on in the classrooms.

What most inspires you about working at Denair Middle School? These are the transition grades/years for students. The students are no longer the “little kids” in elementary school and they are not yet the “big kids” at high school.  These are the introductory years to more intense studies, new school sports and sometimes changes within their social groups. I love being a part of this transition period where I can be a part of a staff /team who are helping students to grow, become more confident and be ready for their next adventure!

What are your biggest challenges as a classified staff member? I think that sometimes the classified staff is somewhat overlooked. Although they are often behind the scenes, they are an integral part of our school’s success.

What is your favorite activity/event at DMS ? I love all of the sporting events we have here, where our students and parents come together and have a fun time!

What do you want your students to remember? That there are always two sides to a story, never listen to gossip, and always have compassion and respect for others.

How can parents support what you do? Everyday ask your child “how was your day?” Communicate with the office any worries or concerns that they may have about their child’s day.  Be especially aware of the ever-changing social media sites and check what their child is doing on those social media sites.  Remind their child/children to please follow the outside safety rules by using the crosswalks and only using the drop off/pick up zones for getting in and out of vehicles.  Safety first! Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Melissa Oei” »

Class Act! 10 Questions for Esmeralda Villa

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Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

Name: Esmeralda Villa, principal’s secretary at Denair Charter Academy

Family: Jose (husband), Mariah (daughter), Nicholas (son), Christopher (son), Roxlin (granddaughter), Alexander (grandson) and Christopher (grandson)

School: Denair Charter Academy

Experience and education:  17 years’ experience as an administrative assistant

What most inspires you about working in Denair Charter Academy?  I am most inspired by our staff member, Mr. Barry Cole.  He inspires me to believe we are blessed with a DCA teacher who loves what he does, for the love of children. Teaching students to believe in themselves with his classes of science, culinary, woodshop and landscaping.

What are your biggest challenges as a classified staff member? My biggest challenge to being a classified member is the pay. I do believe and pray one day the district would invest more in maintaining staff with a higher pay wage and continued training.

What is your favorite support tool or activity? My favorite tool would be my social skills that work wonders with parents and students. Through my experience as a secretary, I have received training and actual public exposure to a wide spectrum of situations where I have been complimented and regarded for my skills in working well with the public and staff in difficult situations.

What do you want your students to remember? I want them to remember DCA as the school that made a difference in their high school experience.

How can parents support what you do? I feel that our DCA parents do support our office. We have built relationships with our parents where they respond to us with respect and understanding.

What will it take to improve academic success in DUSD schools? Continued training in the area of our school needs and programs. Success comes with understanding program procedures and policies with accurate and structured instruction.

What’s next in the office? We are promoting our Senior Events: 2017 Grad Night at Magic Mountain, Central Valley Prom, Cap and Gown. And we are excited about our first yearbook to be issued this year.

What would surprise people about your job? How much fun it can be. My job is very demanding, but definitely rewarding.

What do you do for fun? I enjoy traveling to San Francisco for great sightseeing and delicious food with fun company.

Class Act! 10 Questions for Diana Hulbert

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Submitted by Denair Elementary Charter Academy

Name: Diana Hulbert

Family: Husband, Clark; and three children, Trent, Danica and Vanessa

School: Denair Elementary Charter Academy (DECA)

Subject taught: Transitional kindergarten

Experience and education: Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, 12 years of teaching experience.

What most inspires you about teaching? I am privileged to teach the youngest kindergartners.  TK serves students turning 5 years of age between September 2 and December 2.  I’m inspired by watching my students interact with one another and by the pure joy they find in learning.  By being one of the first teachers the students meet, I hope to set a positive tone that sets students up for success throughout their education.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher?  Sometimes students have difficult and unstable home lives.  In these cases, learning takes a back seat because basic needs are not being met at home.  It’s truly heartbreaking.  Students who are frequently absent have difficult time keeping up with the class.  There are not enough hours in the day for me to re-teach what was missed.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I love using music and movement to teach!  We sing throughout the day, and I give my students ample opportunities to move.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? Students are encouraged to talk to each other to solve problems.  It’s interesting to hear a five-year old explain how he or she got to a certain answer.

What do you want your students to remember? I’m sure some young students easily forget their earliest school experiences.  I hope my students will remember feeling safe and loved in our classroom. I hope they will remember the joy they brought to me and the fun we had together! Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Diana Hulbert” »