Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/654069
SPRING 2016 | ADVOCATE 25 SPRING 2016 | ADVOCATE 25 Two AEA Members Named Rodel Exemplary Teachers The Rodel Exemplary Teacher Initiative honors extraordinary teachers and asks that they each mentor high-potential student teachers. Two AEA members, Tisha Cake and Donna Varma, were honored with this prestigious award, this past November. What sets the program apart from typical student teaching pro- grams is that mentor teachers are selected based on their outstanding student achievement in high-need schools, their ability to mentor new teachers, and the recommendation of their principals and Rodel's observation team. This ensures that student teachers are learning from the best. In addition, Rodel provides further training and support to both mentors and student teachers to assure Promising Student Teacher Graduates start their careers as outstanding educators. Tisha Cake teaches sixth-grade math at Sinagua Middle School in the Flagstaff Unified District. She has Nineteen years in education, including five years as a sixth-grade teacher, two years as a second-grade teacher, two years as a third-grade teacher, eight years as a fifth-grade teacher, one year as an Instructional Coach, and one year as an SEI multi-age teacher. She is currently serving as a member of the A+ School committee and the Common Summative Assessments Committee On making data-driven decisions, Cake says, "It is imperative that teachers use student achievement data to drive instruction and plan- ning. I use data from benchmark tests which are aligned with the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards. I also use formative and summative assessments, daily observations, and feedback from students to monitor and adjust my instruction. This data allows me to determine whether or not students are ready to move forward, or if I need to re-teach certain standards and provide necessary intervention. Donna Varma teaches third grade at Rio Vista El- ementary School in Amphitheater Public Schools. She has eleven years in education, including four years as a third-grade teacher, two years as fifth-grade teacher, and five years as a fourth-grade teacher. She is currently serving as a member of the Student Study Leadership Team, the No Excuses University Leadership Team, and grade-level facilitator for the Response to Intervention Team. She also formerly spent over thirteen years working in the health finance industry. Varma provides this tip for new teachers entering the profession, "One tip I would give a new teacher is to really think about a class- room management system. Good systems allow the classroom to run smoothly, so that the teacher can successfully teach. There should be a procedure for everything from how a student comes and goes from the classroom, to how and when the student speaks, sits and moves about the classroom. There should be a set area and procedure for all sup- plies and resources. Finally, procedures should be followed consistently and reviewed often." Since 2004, 167 Rodel Exemplary Teachers have been named and more than 650 Rodel Promising Student Teachers have been mentored. On Friday November 6, 2015, Karen Hurley, fifth- grade teacher at Bret R. Tarver Elementary in Cartwright Elementary School District, received the surprise of her life when she learned she had been chosen as the 2015 Arizona English Language Learners (ELL) Teacher of the Year. The honor was delivered in a school assembly. The entire school was able to celebrate as Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas presented Hurley with the coveted award. District officials including Superintendent Dr. Jacob A. Chávez also attended the celebration. Hurley had no clue she was going to win. "When I saw my family enter along with a long line of important people, I figured something was going on," Hurley said. The Cartwright Education Association member grew up in Maryvale and attended the Cartwright School District in her youth. She was excited at the opportunity to give back to her community and has taught for the past twenty years in the Cartwright School District. In a district with over 90% Latino students, Hurley continuously works to build relationships with her students and improve her craft. She is one of a few select teachers in the district who has a 21st century classroom, using technology as a way to teach her students and meet the Structured English Immersion (SEI) requirements. When asked why she thinks she stood out among the other nominees Hurley said, "It's my students. They make me stand out. My kids are wonderful. They are why I do what I do." Cartwright Teacher Named ELL Teacher of the Year From left to right: Tarver Assistant Principal Beth Bishop, Cartwright Superintendent Dr. Jacob A. Chávez, ELL Teacher of the Year Karen Hurley, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas, and Tarver Principal Jaimie Soto honor Hurley on being named Arizona's 2015 ELL Teacher of the Year. Photo courtesy Cartwright Elementary School District. n