A Teacher Action Research Magazine & Network

Edition 4	5/15/08
Claudia Kidmy, Counselor Ms. Kidmy is a relationship builder first and a counselor second. She sees the establishment of trust as the foundation of effective counseling that compels students and those who care for them to follow through and meet their goals. Something as simple as sitting down and eating lunch together can make a world of difference and be the catalyst for positive life changes. Her advise to teachers with challenging students is, "Give it time, don't expect immediate results. But you will see results".
Jose Guerrero, 8th Grade Science Teacher Linking the current events of daily life is key to Mr. Guerrero's success in the science classroom. Knowing that middle school students are fairly consumed by anything having to do directly with them is the only seed he needs to grow a highly effective lesson on what might otherwise be seen as unrelated to 8th graders. His goal is for students to take what they learn in class and go home and educate their families.
Daniel Rios, 8th Grade Science Teacher With a background in forestry and informal education, Mr. Rios sees the connections between the natural world, indigenous peoples and the modern day culture. His science classroom affords his students, mainly of Hispanic origins to see their place in the great scheme of science education and protecting our Earth. His open reflections of his own schooling and post secondary education help his students to see that they too can overcome obstacles and maximize their achievement.
Pedro Garcia, 8th Grade Student Just when you thought they didn't care, think again. Pedro gives thoughtful answers to questions about standardized testing, setting goals, and what middle school students are hopeful about. Pedro didn't know that he was about to be interviewed, nor did he have advanced knowledge of the questions. This is honest and very telling. We, as adults, have every right to be very hopeful about middle school students.
Robert Cook, Assistant Principal A self-admitted "middle school animal", Mr. Cook sees the understanding and acceptance of middle school student behavior as the first step toward developing appropriate and attainable expectations for adolescents. A former middle school choir teacher whose choir received many accolades, Assistant Principal Cook is fully aware of the high level of achievement young learners are capable of with proper direction. The emphasis is on "direction."







Edition 3		4/15/08
Meet Dr. Ed Walton. Ed has been professor of chemistry at Cal Poly Pomona University for over twenty years. He spent a year at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, as a statewide pre-college program coordinator for the MESA (Math Engineering, Science Achievement) Program. He has taught general college chemistry, senior (advanced) inorganic chemistry, consumer chemistry, the chemical science course for pre-service teachers, and courses in “methods for teaching science”. Dr. Walton served on the National Academy of Sciences’ working group that developed the National Science Education Standards, and the Educational Testing Service’s Committee for the SAT II Chemistry Examination. He has also worked with area high school chemistry teachers and middle school science teachers in the Institute for Chemical Education to enhance the teaching of chemistry.
Stefanie talks with Ed Walton from Cal Poly Pomona about the budget.
Edition 2		1/15/08
Jared Stallones, Chairman of the Cal Poly Pomona Teacher Education Program, offers teacher greater power in careers as teachers if they learn to understand their industry from a historical perspective.
Stefanie's conversation with Jared Stallones continues. Maybe, our memory of our educational experience affects our decisions for how education might happen in your classroom today.
Stefanie talks with potential teacher Nancy Mesa. She's hopeful, I'm hopeful, I'll bet you will be hopeful listening to Nancy share her goals for the classroom.
Edition 1		6/28/07
NASA / CSU Symposium: Interviews with teachers and scientists.