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Myths and Realities About Why So Many Students Fail to Finish College

Debbie Orange has a lot of confidence in the abilities of her students.  She expects great things from them, so that they can in turn expect great things from themselves.  It is this dedication and belief that all students can learn and thrive that earned her the honor of being feature teacher for the month of January 2012.  “As a teacher, you must accept that at any given moment, you will have a student who does not like you, one that accepts your challenges and others who appreciate your efforts…” These are the words of wisdom that Debbie Orange offers fellow teachers.  School Superintendent, Mancill Tiss, recommended her for the award, saying, “Debbie is an excellent teacher who has taught at Lassen View for 17 years.”

Orange’s students’ test scores have gone up every year in both science and algebra, which is a significant factor in determining who will receive the feature teacher award each month.  “While we are pleased with the scores and know that Debbie is always improving, we know that Debbie is also very concerned about the well-being of each of her students and wants them to succeed in high school and beyond. We feel fortunate to have Debbie and feel that she is very deserving of this award,” added Tiss.

The feature teacher award is presented monthly by Tehama County Superintendent of Schools Larry Champion and Edward Jones Financial Advisor Tyler Smail, with the purpose of recognizing highly successful and talented teachers in Tehama County.

–Rumi

Connie Holland, Teacher at Bidwell School lives by those words each and every day; it’s that dedication that helps her students thrive and also what has earned her the honor of the Feature Teacher award.

Holland has been teaching for 15 years now and says that she does it because she wants to have a direct impact on shaping future generations.  She runs the Learning Center at Bidwell School, which serves about 300 students daily in what she calls “targeted, small groups.”

“Mrs. Connie Holland is one of the most impassioned teachers I have experienced in the eighteen years I have been in education,” said school Principal Isaac Scharaga.  “She works tirelessly to better the lives of all of the children who attend Bidwell Elementary School, and volunteers for many different functions and projects that are student centered in our community.  She understands that through support to children and families, very high levels of expectations can be met, and the results of the children she works with speak for themselves.”

Holland credits her successes to the dedication of the entire Bidwell team, saying “Everyone here contributes to the great work of the Learning Center in some way.”

“Connie Holland is a resourceful, intelligent, creative, and caring individual who believes and lives her life in benefit to others.  The example she sets is one that all of us should live by,” added Scharaga.

The feature teacher award is presented monthly by County Superintendent of Schools Larry Champion and Edward Jones Financial Advisor Tyler Smail, with the purpose of recognizing highly successful and talented teachers in Tehama County.

Scott Chandler has an eye for design. As a marketing manager at Rolling Hills Casino, he’s always thinking of the best way to attract people to his employer.

Through his work at Rolling Hills, Scott has been part of Expect More Tehama since the beginning. “Being involved with Expect More, I started looking for ways to interact with students,” he says.

The perfect situation presented itself when he noticed a framed print of last year’s winning poster for the Corning Wine, Food and Art Festival while walking the hall at his office. It was a remarkable student effort and was indeed a winner. He wondered if a few lessons in the elements of effective design would help the high school students who enter the poster design contest develop even better work.

He called Corning High School and found teacher Christine Lee, who was delighted to weave Scott into the lesson plans of her design class. “With a simple phone call we started this process that ended up a huge wave of satisfaction for all of us,” he says.

Scott and Christine developed a schedule that allowed Scott to visit the classroom and teach from his experiences in the world of design and marketing.

He started with the basics. “They got a good look at what good and bad design really look like,” he said. “The goal of good design is to sell something– a service or a product or an idea. The goal is not art.”

With this in mind, he worked with Christine to guide the students through development of  2012 Corning Wine, Food and Art show posters. Making multiple return visits to the classroom, he offered critiques and small presentations to help the students relate to this real-world opportunity. When the projects were finalized, he taught students how to present them professionally for judging.

The Corning Rotarians who sponsor the show and judged the entries were impressed by the quality of the student work. There was a tie for first place. The team effort of students Oscar Avila and Jorge Bobadilla was chosen as the ultimate winner. Their design will be reproduced and used on all marketing materials for the event.

“This whole thing started because of Expect More Tehama. I saw all these people doing things and I wanted to get involved. This particular project makes it personal for me,” says Scott.

While the 2012 poster project has come to an end, the collaboration with the classroom has not. Rolling Hills has purchased a year’s subscription to Communication Arts magazine, an industry standard, to keep the students updated on the field. Cooperation between Corning High and Rolling Hills is also helping the classroom upgrade their design software to Illustrator. Christine Lee plans to take design courses over the summer to refresh her own skills.

“I hope to expand my involvement,” says Scott. “I am so grateful to find something that applies my experience to the next generation.  It feels good.”

Expect More Tehama encourages more people to take Scott’s lead by finding meaningful ways to extend their personal experiences and passions to the educational experience of young people.

uPLANit is a video-based web site that allows students to learn about hundreds of careers. The web site offers help in applying for college financial aid. It also hosts many colleges. Make time to check out uPLANit with your children at www.uplanit.org.

Perry was given the Feature Teacher award for her accomplishments in the classroom, which are impressive.  “Becky Perry is a nurturing teacher who has high expectations for her students.  She creates individual learning plans which are designed to engage each student and have them producing and learning at the highest possible level; their personal bests.  Students develop a true love for learning in her classroom,” said Rich Gifford, Superintendent at Richfield School.

She noted that real success in the classroom is a combination of things; with parent involvement and support from administration being high on her list.  “I believe that parents are our best asset and can benefit children in countless ways.  Our small school is welcoming and warm with parents and community that are actively involved,” said Perry.

Additionally, she said, “I have gained so much of what I know and do as a teacher from colleagues; and our administrators are instrumental in our success as teachers.  They set the tone in a school and encourage teachers and students to succeed.  I feel extremely lucky to have worked for some great administrators and I’m thrilled to have received this award.”

The Feature Teacher award is presented monthly, through a community partnership between The Tehama County Department of Education and Tyler Smail of Edward Jones to honor highly successful teachers.

Bonnie Baxter Awarded Feature Teacher for November

“I became a teacher because of my teachers,” said Bonnie Baxter, Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Los Molinos High School.  “Teaching isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle.”

Baxter was recently recognized as the “Feature Teacher”, an award given monthly to Tehama County teachers through a community partnership between the Tehama County Department of Education and local Edward Jones Financial Advisor, Tyler Smail.

“Ms. Baxter has shown true dedication to her students and to the teaching profession,” said Larry Champion, County Superintendent of Schools.  “Her ability to inspire a love of learning and set the bar high for her students is the reason she is being recognized with this award.”

Baxter attributes her academic successes to her students’ enthusiasm for learning, saying, “The students are the reason I was honored.  It was their achievements and commitment to excellence that allowed me this recognition.”

She also points to the close knit community, and the fact that parents, teachers, administrators and the Los Molinos community as a whole all work together for the same goal: preparing kids to be successful in their future endeavors.

Baxter works tirelessly to educate her students in ways that prepare them for whatever career path they choose, saying “I am committed to engaging, inspiring, and challenging my students to achieve.”

“Ms. Baxter is an extraordinary teacher.  She has helped to greatly expand the FFA program at the school and the students consistently win awards and honors in their FFA endeavors.  At the same time, she teaches the Biology class which consistently produces extremely high test scores on the California Standards Test.  She pushes students to strive and then gives them to support they need to succeed,” said Charles Ward, Superintendent at Los Molinos Unified School District.