EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING -- Gay Geiser-Sandoval

As this is the week of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful I got to attend the

Teachers of the Year banquet at the Disneyland Hotel. The teachers

recognized at the banquet were the epitome of the outstanding teachers we

have in our county who are responsible for teaching half a million

children each day. They literally hold the future of our country in their

hands each day.

William and Sue Gross have given $100,000 each year to more than 500

teachers since 1992 in honor of Sue’s teacher, James Hines. The 51

nominees for Teacher of the Year averaged many years of teaching

experience. It was not unusual to hear that they had been teaching 30

years or longer. However, finalist Katie Robinson of Tijeras Creek

Elementary School didn’t need those years of extra seasoning to be an

extraordinary teacher. Her colleagues said she was just a natural. Her

young students named the favorite part of their day as “baseball,” where

they make up questions for their classmates, then try to make a run with

enough correct answers. Her motto is, “With every deed, you are sowing a

seed, though the harvest you may not see.”

Francisco Marmolejo teaches history at Irvine Valley College, but his

main focus is on motivating his students to strive to further their

education beyond community college. He ensures they learn how to study so

they can succeed at the next level and then helps them fill out the

paperwork to apply. Many students found his personal drive for their

success to be the reason they learned to believe in themselves.

“I teach because of what I want America to be for my students and

because of what I want them to be in America. In short, I am here because

they are,” he said.

Carol Brouhle teaches math at Westminster High School, a subject that

causes many to shudder even after they have completed school. She worries

about how students are doing in their other classes, too, and has the

reputation of being like a mother in her nagging to make sure their

assignments get done.

“If learning math can be as e [the z is supposed to be an exponent

here] as [pi], let’s relish with our students the rest of our meal of

knowledge,” she said.

She equates math to learning a foreign language, which unlocks the

world.

Marvin Inmon teaches special education students at James Guinn

Elementary School. One student’s mother was in awe because Inmon had her

son sitting in his seat within two weeks. Inmon believes that he needs to

strive every day to teach more to special education students. He isn’t

satisfied without daily progress. “If you do what you’ve always done, you

get what you always get.”

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District supplied the fifth finalist

when Costa Mesa High Choir Director Jon Lindfors was honored for his work

with the five choirs he works with on a daily basis. His students range

from seventh to 12th grade. “Teachers must love their subject, love

teaching it and love their students,” he said.

Lindfors loves all three. When he started at Mesa, arts funding in

schools had been cut, and there was no program. From that starting point,

he turns about 200 students each year -- many with no previous training

-- into singers and performers. Some do not speak English, but each choir

sings a few songs in a foreign language anyway, so that is not a

stumbling block. Last year, a former student had been to Bosnia and

wanted to do something to help. From that seed, the Mesa choirs put on a

benefit concert to help a music program in that country bring a divided

nation together through music.

The Mesa choirs will be on the road much of December, singing in the

community to raise money for sheet music and professional musicians to

accompany them at their winter concert on Dec. 10 at Christ Lutheran

Church. Please come to the performance and see why he, as well as all of

the other finalists, were chosen as Orange County’s Teachers of the Year.

Please take this opportunity to thank all of the teachers you know who

make such a difference to our lives, our children and our country’s

future.

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She may be reached by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .