Tag Archives: Class Act

A Class Act! 10 Questions for Cristina Rojas

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Cristina Rojas

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name: Cristina Rojas

Family: Sons, Alex (20) and Max (18); daughter, Grace (12)

School: Denair Charter Academy

Subject taught: Independent Study – all

Experience and education: Bachelor’s degree in economics and teaching credential in math. I have been teaching in Denair since 2010.

What most inspires you about teaching? Making a difference in the lives of students is what inspires me.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? Time.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching tool/activity is having in-depth conversations with my students.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? Common Core has jump-started many relevant real-world, cross-curricular conversations between me, my students, other students and teachers in the classroom.

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that they all are valuable, have worth and have something special to offer this world.

How can parents support what you do? I believe parents can support what I do by being present and engaging in their child’s life.

What’s next in your classroom? Continued collaboration and problem-based learning activities and lessons.

What would surprise people about your job? The amount of paperwork that this job entails would surprise people.

What do you do for fun? I love to travel, am passionate about cooking and enjoy reading.

A Class Act! 10 Questions for Valorie Periera

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Valorie Pereira

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name: Valorie Periera

Family:  Daughter, Angela; son, Cole; mom, Helen; sister Sandi

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught:  Currently, physical education (I also am the athletic director). I also have taught math, English, science and health science.

Experience and education:  Modesto Junior College, San Jose State University (bachelor’s degree), CSU Stanislaus (teaching credential), San Diego International University (master’s degree). Following college, I had a few long-term teaching assignments. I have coached swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, softball and track. I began teaching at Denair in 1978.

What most inspires you about teaching? I enjoy the individual relationships I have with each unique student.  Physical education provides an opportunity for each student to develop and perform at his/her own individual level.  Students develop at different rates and when students realize what their body can accomplish through movement and exercise – that is the reward!

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher?  I would say my biggest challenge is for students to understand that exercise and movement should be a daily part of life and to understand that what they feed their body affects them in so many ways.  Also, as educators we have to deal with the impact the media plays in our students’ lives. I’m not saying it is all negative, but it can have a direct effect on the decisions they make.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? Using music in all activities; music is such a motivator.  I emphasize individual activities – it’s OK to be competitive at times, but movement, exercise and activities do not always have to be competitive.

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? Common Core has opened conversations between students having to explain to each other basic concepts of fitness. Continue reading “A Class Act! 10 Questions for Valorie Periera” »

A Class Act! 10 Questions for Coree Fitzgerald

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Coree Fitzgerald

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name: Coree Fitzgerald                                   

School: Denair Academic Avenues

Subject taught: Kindergarten

Experience and education: I have taught at Denair schools for 11 years. I grew up in Denair and attended schools here from kindergarten through 12th grade. I went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. I earned my teaching credential through California State University, Stanislaus, and went on to complete my master’s in education there as well.

Why most inspires you about teaching? I love that as a kindergarten teacher I get to be the students’ first experience with education in the school setting. I love to see when my students are excited about what they are learning and eager to keep trying when things seem difficult. My main inspiration is that the kids will have a love of learning and the confidence they will need during their next years in school.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? My biggest challenges as a teacher are to bring a group of students who are often on vastly diverse paths and reach them all, taking into account that there are 20-30 individuals in a class each year and tailoring our program and curriculum to meet all of their needs.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I enjoy using technology in the classroom to show students a different way to see things other than just through stories or speaking with them. In some ways we can bring in real-life experiences for those students that are not familiar with a topic. Continue reading “A Class Act! 10 Questions for Coree Fitzgerald” »

A Class Act! 10 Questions for Robyn Hilton

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Robyn Hilton

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name: Robyn Hilton

Family: Husband, Tyler Hilton

School: Denair High School

Subject taught: Mathematics, leadership, algebra 2, AP statistics, trigonometry and math 8

Experience and education: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Fresno State; teaching credential from CSU Stanislaus. Last year, taught middle school math at Whitmore Charter School in Ceres.

What most inspires you about teaching? My students inspire me. I enjoy seeing them everyday and I appreciate their questions and our daily discussions. It is so rewarding when my students understand a key concept and then are able to explain that concept to others. I am passionate about education and mathematics, and when I can witness my students making progress in the subject area I get really excited.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? One challenge I face as a high school mathematics teacher is the negative comments that my students make towards mathematics. On the first day of school, I told my students that there would be only positive comments in my classroom and I have to remind them of this every day. Most of them feel that they struggle with math, or that they don’t like it, or that it is too hard. I am constantly working toward improving their opinions on the subject matter. I want them to realize that math can be interesting and fun!

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? I love incorporating games and activities into my lessons. My students are very competitive and enjoy when they have the opportunity to show off their skills. I try to turn the independent practice portion of my lessons into games so that the students are solving problems, but also having fun while doing it. Continue reading “A Class Act! 10 Questions for Robyn Hilton” »

A Class Act! 10 Questions for Brenda Ranes

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Brenda Ranes

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Name: Brenda Ranes

Family: My husband is Mark Ranes (where would we be without Mark when we have tech problems?) We have a 24-year-old daughter, Meagan, who lives in Oakland and recently graduated from Academy of Arts University, San Francisco, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and a 16-year-old son, Dawson, who is a junior in high school.

School: Denair Academic Avenues

Subjects taught: English-language arts and social studies

Experience and education: I graduated from Denair High School and then earned my BA degree and multiple subjects teaching credential from California State University, Stanislaus. I began my career teaching fifth grade at Bonita Elementary School in Crows Landing for 10 years. I then returned to my hometown of Denair to teach seventh-grade English-language arts and social studies for 15 years. Realizing that I needed a new challenge, I made the decision three years ago to return to elementary school and made the move across the street (again!) to teach fifth grade at Denair Academic Avenues.

What most inspires you about teaching? The students inspire me the most! I love teaching children and seeing their faces when they get excited about something that they are learning.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? It’s very challenging juggling everything that I have to deal with throughout the day and have everything work out. Every day is a challenge as I deal with several different students and grade levels, but it is the most rewarding feeling as well. I didn’t go into teaching because I wanted an easy job; I’m constantly challenged and there is never a dull moment.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity?   I love using technology in my daily teaching like the Elmo (what an improvement from overhead projectors!) and being able to show a Keynote or a video clip from my computer at a moment’s notice. I guess I better love technology since I’m married to the “Tech Guy!” Continue reading “A Class Act! 10 Questions for Brenda Ranes” »