ThrowbackThursday: Junipero Serra Elementary School Hosts its First Career Day

We’re looking back at some of the memorable moments and stories of the 2015-16 school year. Join us on this not-too-distant memory lane and share your favorite stories from the school year in the comments!

Students at Junipero Serra Elementary arrived to school on a sunny day in May to find tech workers, a city supervisor, police officers, a K-9 dog and two National Park Service horses — yes, horses — there to greet them.

It was certainly an unusual start to the school day. But this wasn’t just any day for Junipero Serra students. It was their school’s very first Career Day.

Students learned from more than 30 San Francisco professionals on May 10 about their jobs, what they do in their roles and how they got to where they are today. Kids had lots of questions, including whether presenters enjoyed their jobs and how busy their schedules are.

During Supervisor David Campos’s presentation, he acknowledged that not every day is easy.

“It can be challenging, but what I love about my job is I get to interact with people,” Campos said.

David Campos talks to students about his career.

The children also heard from several staff of Xoom, Junipero Serra Elementary’s Circle the Schools partner.

Adam N., a Mobile UX Designer at Xoom, told students about what he does at his job and started them off with the basics by drawing a typical app login screen on a whiteboard and asking students which buttons might be missing. These savvy students knew immediately what would make the app work better for users, he said.

Adam said he wanted to impart to students that while people at Xoom might have different tasks, it “all goes to one beneficial goal” — to help their customers.

The Career Day was organized with help from volunteer Deborah Reames, who dedicates time at the school through the San Francisco Education Fund’s Literacy Program. Deborah partnered with Shaina Steinberg, Senior Literacy Coordinator at the Education Fund, to recruit the speakers and schedule the day.

“To have real-life people talking about their college experiences and how they got to where they are and having such exciting careers makes it real to kids,” said Principal Eve Cheung. “Students have the opportunity to ask questions, and I think that’s very important, that one-to-one interaction with presenters.”

Principal Cheung said her students appreciated all of the hands-on projects they got to do during the day. One presenter, who works as a sports videographer, brought in his camera to show students how he films big games. Another volunteer, a chef, demonstrated her job by making pancakes and having kids taste-test them. Xoom engineers brought in an interactive coding program. And of course, visiting with the horses was a big hit.

“The students were so engaged in all of the activities,” Principal Cheung said.

Sarah Berger, who works as a nurse and also volunteers at Junipero Serra through the Education Fund’s Literacy Program, gave students a short anatomy quiz and then helped students listen to their heartbeats through her stethoscope.

“It was really fun,” Sarah said. “The kids all loved hearing their heartbeats.  It was really cute to watch their faces light up when they heard it.”

Adam of Xoom said he was particularly impressed with the range of professions the community presented and already cannot wait until the next career day.

“[The students] got a really good, well-rounded idea of what they can do, what they can shoot for and what they might want to do,” Adam said.

The school’s Career Day is part of a larger effort to promote college readiness and encourage students to think early on about their hopes and dreams for when they grow up.

“We want kids to know that there are so many opportunities,” Principal Cheung said.

 

We’re looking back at the 2015-16 school year for Throwback Thursdays! Do you have a favorite memory to share from the school year? Let us know in the comments!

Thank a Teacher: How This Special Education Teacher Fosters Inclusion at Mission High

We’re telling stories about San Francisco public school teachers throughout the month of May as part of Teacher Appreciation Month. Visit thankateachertoday.org to show your gratitude for a local teacher!

Special education teacher Rami Aweti has a knack for finding fun and creative ways to ensure students feel welcome at Mission High School.

He once worked with a parent of one of his students to bring Axis Dance, a dance company comprised of performers with and without disabilities, to Mission High School for Ability Awareness Month. It left a big impression on one of his 11th grade students, who nominated Mr. Aweti in 2015 for a Mayor’s Teacher of the Year award.

“That showed all the students how many ways disabled people can participate in the performance arts,” the student wrote in his nomination.

“He is a very unique teacher who really cares about our well-being and works hard to ensure that the inclusion students are truly included in all aspects of school life,” the student wrote.

Mr. Aweti said landing his job at Mission High School “felt like fate.” He first worked there as a paraprofessional substitute teacher about nine years ago, and he said he could tell on his first day that this would be a job he could love. “It was the first time I approached a job that didn’t feel like work,” he said.

After studying to become a teacher and earning his credentials, he ended up back at Mission High as an educator in 2010. Along with teaching students, he also started an after-school club for students with and without special needs.

“Rami had the idea to begin a Best Buddies Club here at Mission and has driven its success ever since,” said Mission High School Principal Eric Guthertz. “It is a great group that builds bridges between students and forges lasting friendships.”

Mr. Aweti helps organize ongoing activities like games and field trips as part of the Best Buddies Club, making the club a household name at the school.

“He is always building real and strong relationships with students, families, and staff,” Principal Guthertz said.

Mr. Aweti sees himself as a champion for his students, especially when obstacles stand in the way of their learning.

“You have to be comfortable navigating numerous bureaucracies and advocating to bring the right supports for your students,” Mr. Aweti said. “Luckily, I landed at Mission High School, where teachers and administrators share the belief that each child can learn and achieve.”

Though his colleagues and students sing his praises, Mr. Aweti is not one to take up the spotlight. He’s quick to give credit to others and emphasizes how important it is to team up with other teachers, school staff and families to support students. On a day we visited his class, Mr. Aweti touted the dedication of  paraprofessionals Aryeh “RJ” Raskin and Laura Natahusada. “Special education teachers really can’t do the work we do without paraprofessionals,” Mr. Aweti said.

“Special education teachers must have two critical skill sets to meet the need of their students, and that is collaboration and a comfort with modifying and adapting lesson plans,” he continued. “Collaboration ensures our students are better supported by tapping the perspective and skill sets of staff that work with our students.”

Toward the end of the school year, Mr. Aweti taught his students a unit on the Special Olympics. He wants them to know about their strengths, and he wants to educate the community-at-large about those strengths, too.

Inclusion is truly what “drives Rami every day,” Principal Guthertz said.

“Our students need someone to see their inherent strengths and then help them use those inherent strengths to navigate the world around them,” Mr. Aweti said. “It is a creative journey that taps every bit of me, but is extremely rewarding. It is the best decision I ever made.”

If you love this story, share with your friends on social media and spread the word about the amazing work teachers like Mr. Aweti do in our schools. Want to learn more about how you can thank a teacher in San Francisco? Visit thankateachertoday.org.  

Thank a Teacher: Why This Kindergarten Teacher is So Beloved by Her School Community

We’re telling stories about San Francisco public school teachers throughout the month of May as part of Teacher Appreciation Month. Visit thankateachertoday.org to show your gratitude for a local teacher!

If you ask anyone what makes Lisa Tsukamoto a great teacher, the words that constantly come up are “patient,” “positive” and “kind.”

Take a peek inside her kindergarten class at Rosa Parks Elementary School, and it’s easy to see why. When visitors enter the room, Ms. Tsukamoto and her students excitedly and respectfully greet them in both English and Japanese (Ms. Tsukamoto teaches through the school’s Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program). She frequently encourages children during daily activities by complimenting their work, even if a student might be hesitant about the task assigned that day.

On one of those days, Ms. Tsukamoto asked her students to handle and identify various types of worms, including nightcrawlers and red worms. Throughout the activity she called her students scientists (“Scientist Matthew,” “Scientist Kelly” and so forth).

One boy said he wasn’t a fan of the experience.

“Bad,” he succinctly put it.

“Why was it bad?” Ms. Tsukamoto asked.

“Because I don’t like worms,” he said.

“Thank you for participating anyway,” Ms. Tsukamoto said graciously.

“They move around, and I don’t know what they want,” another student chimed in. Another commented that he loved seeing the worms because “they looked like they were dancing.”

“Thank you, scientists, for sharing your observations,” Ms. Tsukamoto said. “I heard all kinds of wonderful observations. Thank you for listening so attentively.”

Volunteer Katherine Coleman, who has dedicated time in Ms. Tsukamoto’s class through the San Francisco Education Fund for the past seven years, has seen first-hand the way students respond to Ms. Tsukamoto.

“She comes up with wonderful ideas for the kids, and they love her,” Coleman said.

In one example, Ms. Tsukamoto asked her students to compare English, Japanese and Mexican versions of the classic story “Cinderella” and look for common story elements. “Even as kindergartners they are really big picture thinkers,” Ms. Tsukamoto said.

Perhaps it is the way that she treats each student with kindness and respect that helped earn her a Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award last year after being nominated by the school community. Principal Paul Jacobsen echoes the sentiment.

“Her students genuinely love her,” Principal Jacobsen said. “They look forward to spending time with her because they know they will feel happy and have fun.”

Students who aren’t even in her classroom love to say “hello” to her each day. “She extends a warm welcome to everyone she sees on campus,” Principal Jacobsen said.

Ms. Tsukamoto said she was inspired to teach after witnessing her mother’s positive impact as a teacher and District administrator. She’s also in a unique position to teach the Japanese program at Rosa Parks, having graduated from the program herself back when she was in school. “It had a huge impact on me growing up, so I thought if I could share the incredible experiences I had in JBBP with the present generation, that would be a dream come true for me,” she said.

Principal Jacobsen emphasizes Ms. Tsukamoto’s talent for modeling equity and inclusion at the school. “She stands up for what is right,” he said.

“I love to teach about social justice, civil rights, Japanese-American internment so that even at the kindergarten level they understand that sometimes people make bad decisions,” Ms. Tsukamoto said.

Ms. Tsukamoto said it can be tough to not always have the resources and the time to teach children everything that she’d like to, but she added that she feels “really lucky” to be at Rosa Parks, where families and staff put so much of themselves into ensuring children receive a great education. “I work with incredible teachers and staff at Rosa Parks,” she said.

“The kids are amazing, and I love coming to school every day to be with them and to teach them,” Ms. Tsukamoto said. “They are really wonderful, sweet, passionate and fun.”

 

If you love this story, share with your friends on social media and spread the word about the amazing work teachers like Ms. Tsukamoto do in our schools. Want to learn more about how you can thank a teacher in San Francisco? Visit thankateachertoday.org.  

Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award Winners Take the Field at AT&T Park

The Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award winners, along with Mayor Edwin Lee and SFUSD’s Deputy Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero wave to fans. 

Stepping onto the field of the Giants’ stadium at AT&T Park would be a memorable experience for any San Franciscan, but it was perhaps extra special for five San Francisco public school teachers who were introduced to the stadium as winners of the Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award. 

The teachers were honored by Mayor Edwin Lee and SFUSD Deputy Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero in a special ceremony on the field before the start of the Giants v. Blue Jays game. The teachers donned Giants hats and waved to a crowd that included their friends, family and students. Winners of the Mayor’s Principal of the Year Award were also honored and in attendance for the game.

“It’s very humbling, because there are so many teachers I know who are incredible teachers,” said Mark Rosenberg, a third-grade teacher who has worked at Monroe Elementary School since 2001.

For Rhonda Jefferson, a Pre-K teacher at Presidio Early Education School, last night marked another milestone: Her first visit to AT&T Park.

“I’m really excited,” she said before stepping through the gates.

Some of the Mayor’s Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year award winners before the big game. 

Ms. Jefferson said the award helps recognize the many roles teachers play in public schools.

“We put in a lot of work to support families,” Ms. Jefferson said. “I feel like I’m more than a teacher. I’m a social worker; I’m a janitor; I’m a part-time doctor.”

Tomokazu Morikawa, who teaches Japanese language classes at George Washington High School, didn’t even tell his students about the award at first. They learned of his big win after a photographer came by the school to shoot photos.

“I’m so honored,” said Mr. Morikawa, who added that he doesn’t do this work for special recognition. “I just enjoy it. I do what I do,” he said.

Helana Corda, a sixth grade teacher at James Lick Middle School, received this achievement after working in the San Francisco Unified School District for more than seven years. The award capped off what had started as a tough year. 

Educators said it felt extra special that their nominations came from the students, parents or colleagues they work with.

“I think that it really speaks to the community that’s at James Lick and the support that I have,” Ms. Corda said.

Ms. Corda waves to the fans at AT&T Park.

 

The Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award is part of Thank a Teacher Today, an effort led by the San Francisco Education Fund, Mayor Edwin Lee and Superintendent Richard Carranza during Teacher Appreciation Month to recognize teachers for the incredible work they do in our public schools.

“It’s very exciting to have your work recognized, and I feel like there’s many, many teachers out there who deserve to be recognized,” said Kathy Angus, a fifth-grade teacher at Argonne Elementary School.

The full list of winners:

2015-2016 Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award Recipients

1.       Rhonda Jefferson, Pre-K, Presidio Early Education School

2.       Mark Rosenberg, 3rd Grade, Monroe Elementary School

3.       Kathy Angus, 5th Grade, Argonne Elementary School

4.       Helana Corda, 6th Grade Language Arts/Social Studies, James Lick Middle School

5.       Tomokazu Morikawa, 9th-12th Grade World Language/Japanese, George Washington High School

2015-2016 Mayor’s Principal of the Year Award Recipients

1.       Lindsey Keener, Principal, San Francisco Public Montessori Elementary School

2.       Jean Robertson, Principal, Glen Park Elementary School

3.       Carline Sinkler, Principal, Herbert Hoover Middle School

4.       Julie Kessler, Principal, San Francisco International School

 

We’re telling stories about San Francisco teachers throughout the month of May as part of Teacher Appreciation Month. Please share this story with your friends on social media and spread the word about the amazing work teachers do in our schools. Want to learn more about how you can thank a teacher in San Francisco schools? Visit thankateachertoday.org.

6 Ways to Thank a Teacher During Teacher Appreciation Week (and Year-Round)

Looking for creative ways to say thank you to teachers this Teacher Appreciation Week? We’ve got you covered.

Many of our school volunteers and Circle the Schools company partners showed the teachers in their schools some major gratitude this year, and we’ve drawn from some of their ideas and added a few of our own so parents, volunteers and others in the community can say thanks for the incredible work educators do in our schools.

1.       Create a care package.

For busy teachers, having a few much-needed items at their side can help make the day go by smoother. For the ideal teacher care package, include some school supplies (paper, markers, tissues, pencils, glue etc.), band aids, unscented hand lotion, hand sanitizer, mints, a gift card to their favorite coffee shop and perhaps some ibuprofen.

2.       Provide breakfast for school staff.

Who doesn’t love to find free food when they walk into work for the day? Pool together some cash from your community to purchase a simple but delicious meal that all the teachers at your local school can enjoy. For a low-cost breakfast, buy plenty of pastries or bagels, cream cheese, orange juice, coffee and fresh fruit, and you’re set. Because not all teachers will have the time to sit down and enjoy a meal, be sure to include plenty of grab-and-go items for busy staff to enjoy.

This year, Circle the Schools partner Williams-Sonoma took this idea up a notch by hosting in its test kitchen a series of cooking demos for teachers at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, and they were a hit with school staff.

“When you have this kind of experience with your colleagues, it’s a really great way to build community,” Galileo teacher Richard McDowell said of the demo. “It’s food and wine and a relaxed setting when you’re not running around to meet the next deadline.”

 

Teachers at Martin Luther King Middle School were treated to breakfast by Comcast Ventures, their Circle the Schools partner.

3.       Spruce up the teacher’s lounge.

At many schools, the teachers’ lounge could use a little TLC. This year our Circle the Schools partner companies Credit Karma, Salesforce and Williams-Sonoma decided to give the teachers’ lounges at their partner schools a complete makeover: Fresh coats of paint, new furniture and revamped layout. But you don’t have to break out the cans of paint and a guide to feng shui to make the teachers’ lounge at your school feel more welcoming.

Add a bouquet of fresh flowers, a bowl of fresh fruit, student-created artwork and other low-cost pieces to spiff up the place. Even simply cleaning any dishes left in the sink after lunch time can be greatly appreciated and goes a long way in making the lounge more inviting.

After the folks at Salesforce surprised educators at Paul Revere with a made-over teachers’ lounge, first grade teacher Caleb Cummings was a big fan.

“It’s swanky,” Mr. Cummings said. “It’s just more comfortable now, and I would actually like to meet in here.”

Mr. Cummings checks out the revamped teachers’ lounge at Paul Revere school.

 

4.       Volunteer in a classroom.

Teaching is a major juggling act. Educating an entire class of students who are all achieving at various levels is not an easy task, but it can be made a bit easier with a volunteer to lend a hand. Volunteers can tutor students in a variety of subjects or provide classroom-wide support so teachers can focus their attention where they’re most needed. Along with supporting a teacher, you can make a difference in the life of a student. The San Francisco Education Fund trains and places volunteers in schools as tutors, classroom assistants and mentors. Learn more and sign up to volunteer here.

5.       Contribute funding to an educator-driven project.

Teachers have innovative ideas that can transform their students’ learning, but they often lack the funding to make these projects a reality. That’s where teacher grants and crowdfunding comes in. The San Francisco Education Fund awards grants to teachers with novel ideas about how to improve student achievement, and you can donate to these grants here. Many educators also raise money from the community for specific projects using websites like DonorsChoose.

6.       Send a note of thanks.

While finding creative and unique ways to show your appreciation is a nice touch, simply saying “thank you” to teachers in our public schools is often all it takes to make their day. Visit ThankaTeacherToday.org, where you can leave a thank-you note for a teacher in San Francisco public schools.

 

 

 

Thank a Teacher: How This First-Grade Teacher Makes it Look Easy

It’s a Wednesday morning at Junipero Serra Elementary School, and a group of first graders in Ms. Jennifer Moless’s English language development class are listening with rapt attention as she reads aloud a book about arctic mammals. She comes across a random fact about the musk ox: Its hair can extend about two feet long. She asks her students if they’d like to see just how long that hair would look. The children nod their heads, and she calls upon one student to take out two rulers and lay them from end to end.

Ms. Moless has a talent for bringing books to life, even the ones without fictional stories, according to school volunteer Helen Recinos.

“She was reading this book about animals that live deep under the sea, so it was a fact book, but she was reading it with so much enthusiasm and emotion,” said Helen, who tutors two of Ms. Moless’s students through the San Francisco Education Fund’s Literacy Program. “I mean the kids were riveted listening to her read.”

Ms. Moless, who has been a teacher for more than 15 years, simply encourages students to love what they’re learning.

“She gets them engaged in cool topics like the rain forest,” Helen said, adding that the students she tutors constantly love to tell her about what they’re learning in class. “She works very hard to ensure that her students, many of whom are from families with limited means, have access to opportunities that are fun as well as good educational experiences.”

Others in the community seem to think so too. In 2013 Ms. Moless took home a Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award, back when she was teaching kindergarten at El Dorado Elementary School.

 

Ms. Moless wasn’t always sure she wanted to be a teacher. She was in graduate school studying linguistics and African studies when she started teaching college-level courses as part of a fellowship, and she found she enjoyed the job even more than what she was studying. After catching the teaching bug, she decided to take after her sister, who at the time had been teaching kindergarten for more than 10 years.

“Working with young kids, I could hopefully give them a foundation that could help pay off in college,” she said.

But like many other teachers, Ms. Moless cites the lack of resources for schools and their students as a big challenge. At Junipero Serra, 84 percent of students qualify for free lunch. Nearly 60 percent are English language learners. So Ms. Moless raises money from the community and applies for grants to develop projects for her students that blend math, science, language and art. Her DonorsChoose page, which she uses to crowdfund her ideas, boasts 119 completed projects. Examples include a “Physics of Art” project in which children studied how force and motion affects the art of painting, a dramatic workshop that taught language skills through theater and an engineering project that helped students learn science and language through interactive play with toy cars.

“She has lots of fun art activities, and [the students] are always showing off their art activities to me,” said Junipero Serra Elementary School Principal Eve Cheung. “There’s so much joy in the classroom.”

Ms. Moless also collaborates deeply with other educators and serves as a mentor for new kindergarten teachers, Principal Cheung said. She received a grant from the San Francisco Education Fund last year to provide professional development to her colleagues, which sent her and another teacher to Columbia University to study a particular curriculum called “reading and writing workshop” and bring back the knowledge to other teachers at the school.

Principal Cheung also praises Ms. Moless’s ability to work with families to create parent-teacher partnerships that help students succeed both at school and at home, as well as her knack for differentiated learning.

“If the child has a weakness in a particular area she will target that area, and if students are excelling, she knows how to push them to the next level,” Ms. Cheung said. “This year several of the students have zoomed beyond first-grade reading levels. They’re just doing extremely well.”

Ms. Moless said she loves learning from her students their creative ideas and stories. Though it’s a huge undertaking to teach students the concepts that will set them on a path for life, Ms. Moless makes it look easy.

“It is just a fun thing to do, and every day is different,” Ms. Moless said. “It’s very intellectually challenging.”

We’re telling stories about San Francisco teachers throughout the month of May as part of Teacher Appreciation Month. If you love this story, share with your friends on social media and spread the word about the amazing work teachers like Ms. Moless do in our schools. Want to learn more about how you can thank a teacher in San Francisco schools? Visit thankateachertoday.org

Congratulations to the 2016 Distinguished Service Award Recipients!

Last night, the San Francisco Education Fund held its annual Volunteer Recognition Event at the fabulous headquarters of Williams-Sonoma, where we celebrated all of our amazing volunteers and announced the recipients of this year’s Distinguished Service Awards.

It was a packed house of volunteers and other supporters who came out to celebrate the incredible work members of our community are doing in public schools.  Add appetizers, drinks and a cloudless view of the San Francisco Bay, and the evening was a hit. See photos of the event on our Facebook page.

We also announced the recipients of this year’s Distinguished Service Awards from this year’s selection of volunteers who were nominated by the educators with whom they work. After considerable time and thought, we selected a volunteer from our signature programs (Literacy, Math and College & Career Readiness), a volunteer who serves as whole-classroom support and a corporate partner from our Circle the Schools program.

This year’s winners are:

Linda Fawkes, a Literacy Program volunteer who dedicates her time at Dr. Charles Drew College Preparatory Academy each week. Read her story here.

Paul Ma, who is wrapping up his second year of volunteering in Amber Zertuche’s engineering class at Philip & Sala Burton High School. Read his story here.

 

Dropbox, the winner of our corporate Distinguished Service Award, has dedicated employee time to ongoing service activities and programs at Mission High School. Read Dropbox’s story here. 

How Dropbox Became ‘an Incredible Partner’ to Mission High School

Dropbox, a Circle the Schools corporate partner, is a recipient of the San Francisco Education Fund’s 2015-16 Distinguished Service Award.

When Dropbox first signed on as a Circle the Schools partner in 2014, we asked that employees do about three to five activities throughout the year.

Dropbox quickly soared right through that requirement, and now the company is deeply involved with programs, clubs and classes throughout Mission High School.

“Dropbox has been an incredible partner to Mission High,” said Principal Eric Guthertz, who nominated the company for a Distinguished Service Award. “They have supported our students with tutoring, assistance in our computer courses, sponsoring our Student of the Month lunches, helping with coding classes, assisting with our Technovation club, leading tours of their facilities with our students, and supporting us in writing grants.”  Dropbox even partnered with the school to create a “hacker’s lab.” Dropbox contributed the expertise of its engineering and design department to help the school figure out what the space should look and feel like. The company contributed to the lab’s curriculum and donated funds to help build it.

And the list keeps growing. “So many people at Dropbox are really hungry to get involved,” explained Joe Wheeler, Corporate Social Responsibility Associate at Dropbox.

So much so that this year, the company started setting aside time for employees to serve as one-on-one college and career coaches for students. Volunteer coaches support students as they research universities and jobs and help them map out pathways to achieve their goals for after high school.

Take Dominic, who works on the financial team at Dropbox, and Jadon, a 10^th grade student at Mission. When Jadon first started meeting with Dominic, he knew he was interested in computers, but not necessarily where those interests might lead him. Jadon has been tinkering with computers since the age of 12, and thought he might want to work in tech. Through in-person meetings and over email, Jadon and Dominic have brainstormed and discussed ideas like should he work for a big tech company or maybe start his own. Perhaps he could go to UC Berkeley. Jadon said with Dominic’s help he’s been able to whittle things down and map out a path.

“At first, I didn’t know what I wanted to do for college and career,” Jadon said. “But thanks to Dominic, I’m like, I’m totally sure.” And the first step toward achieving his dreams? He just applied for an internship for the summer, where, if he gets it, he will work on computer hardware.

Circle the Schools has helped open the door for Dropbox to get even further involved at Mission, Joe said. For example, two Dropbox employees volunteer in Tera Freedman’s 1^st period programming class each week and lend their knowledge and skills to help students learn computer languages like Python.

“Kids adore them,” Ms. Freedman said.

Ms. Freedman’s class even went on a visit to Dropbox’s offices. Students heard from employees what it was like to work at Dropbox, what college is like and how to survive the first day at a new job.

For many of her students, Ms. Freedman said seeing one of their classroom tutors in his actual work environment made a big impression.

“When they saw [him], it was like, ‘I could work here,” Ms. Freedman said. “It gave an immediate connection, like ‘I could see myself sitting there. He works with us; he’s sitting there. I could sit here. I like them to know that they can get jobs at local tech companies.”

Through the tutoring and ongoing conversations with the school, Dropbox has “helped us to address how to break down barriers for students that have historically not been able to access careers in technology,” Mr. Guthertz said.

Read about the other two recipients of the 2015-16 Distinguished Service Awards:

Paul Ma, who volunteers in Philip & Sala Burton High School’s junior year engineering class. 

Linda Fawkes, a Literacy Program volunteer at Dr. Charles R. Drew College Preparatory Academy.

Looking to get involved as a Circle the Schools corporate partner? Sign up here. 

‘We All Love Paul.’ Engineer Paul Ma Helps Students Tinker at Burton High School

Paul Ma is a recipient of the San Francisco Education Fund’s 2015-16 Distinguished Service Award. 

Volunteer Paul Ma seems to constantly be in motion.

“You rarely see him standing still,” observes one student in the class where Paul dedicates his time each week. “He’s a man of words and action; he doesn’t like to stand still.”

While that attribute might make it tough to survive a 9-to-5 desk job, it’s perfect for Paul’s role as a volunteer in Amber Zertuche’s junior year engineering class at Philip & Sala Burton High School. With Paul there every Friday, students have two experienced engineers in the room to help them troubleshoot hands-on projects.

“Sometimes we’ll be in a project and the whole group will be at a standstill,” said Ms. Zertuche, who nominated Paul for our Distinguished Service Award. “I give them options and parts to try — you try this tool and try this part — and I say ‘Well, thank goodness it’s Thursday, Paul is going to be here tomorrow.’”

“It’s really helpful because sometimes the teacher can’t get to everyone,” added student Maureen. “And he really knows what he’s doing.”

Every week, Paul and Ms. Zertuche work together to assist groups of students as they tackle assignments. In March, the class kicked off a robotics unit with an activity that called for programming a mechanical buzzer or timer to go off at specific moments. The two adults are nearly always on their feet. Zertuche points out students for Paul to help, and both walk around the room to check on each group. “It’s kind of seamless now,” she said of their partnership.

Paul, who is finishing his second year of volunteering at Burton, helps students problem solve not by giving them the answers, but by challenging them to think of different solutions and helping them look at a project from another angle, Ms. Zertuche said.

“There was a project where students were really struggling, but he was there to help,” one student said. “We were stuck because one of our components wasn’t working. So he just pitched ideas. All those ideas gave us a foundation to start, and we got the project done.”

Ms. Zertuche, a metrology engineer who once worked on parts for James Webb Space Telescope before becoming a teacher, said she’s grateful to have someone help her ensure the class of more than 30 students can stay on track.

“He is able to take the time that the student needs to learn a skill or to build something, and that’s really rare,” Ms. Zertuche said. “I think it’s what our education system needs more of, because not everybody learns super quick and not everybody learns at the pace that we’re teaching them. They need time. They need someone like Paul in the room who is patient and asks questions.”

For that and more, students look forward to seeing Paul each week. “It’s not just for the tutoring,” Ms. Zertuche said. “It’s for the stories from Paul about engineering.”

And Paul has more than 30 years’ worth of stories to tell. Before retiring in 2014, he climbed the ladder to become a manager at Lockheed Martin, known for its work in aerospace, defense and security. One student who dreams of being an aerospace engineer constantly asks Paul questions, Ms. Zertuche said.

“All of this brings back so much memory of how I learned engineering and how I learned physics,” Paul said. “Like what they’re doing now with the robotics, we’re trying to control something with a computer. I did that in college.”

At the beginning of the class, during warm-up, Paul occasionally interjects to connect the activity to his time in the field, or Ms. Zertuche asks Paul if he has anything to add. Paul has also helped students prepare for college and job interviews by giving them advice from when he interviewed talent for Lockheed Martin.

“There are little learning opportunities where I get back to my own career, and I try to do that as much as possible because I’m trying to help them understand that what they’re doing in the classroom now is what they’ll be doing at work,” Paul said. “It’s real life what they’re doing.”

One reason Paul loves volunteering at this school is because he has something in common with many students there: He and his family are immigrants. After moving to the United States from Hong Kong at the age of five, Paul had to quickly learn a new language and navigate his education as a first-generation college student.

“As an immigrant, I struggled with reading and writing and had poor communication skills,” Paul said. “I eventually became better but still needed to work harder at it than co-workers, and I know that it can severely limit career opportunities. When I see students with poor communication skills, I would tell them about my struggles, how important it is in the workplace, and that it can be overcome with practice.”

He also simply loves being in a classroom, especially for the moments when everything just clicks.

“It’s just seeing them when the light bulb comes on,” Paul said. “You see them with a big smile or you see them say “Aha,” and you know it because you see it in their face, you hear it — [and it’s] just that elation — that feeling that you have that you were responsible for helping that [student] understand a concept or principle.”

As he walks around the hallways and corridors in the school, staff always say hello and students shooting hoops ask him to join their game.

“We all love Paul,” Maureen said.

Read about the other two recipients of the 2015-16 Distinguished Service Awards:

Linda Fawkes, a Literacy Program volunteer at Dr. Charles R. Drew College Preparatory Academy.

Dropbox, a Circle the Schools corporate partner at Mission High School. 

Looking to get involved as  a volunteer in San Francisco public schools? Sign up here. 

 

Linda Fawkes Spreads Empathy and Kindness at Drew Elementary

Linda Fawkes is a recipient of the San Francisco Education Fund’s 2015-16 Distinguished Service Award. 

This is the second year in a row that Linda Fawkes has been nominated for the Distinguished Service Award.

That her name has been thrown into the ring by multiple school staff is a testament to her presence at Dr. Charles Drew College Prep Academy.

“She is helpful, kind, considerate, caring, trustworthy, and is always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty,” said teacher Kemet Bender, who nominated Linda this year.

While officially a volunteer in our Literacy Program, Linda has become enmeshed with Drew in many more ways since she started dedicating her time there in 2013.

“She volunteers her time during assemblies and performances,” Mr. Bender said. “She also goes on field trips; she been on every one I’ve had and has provided help with the students and snacks.”

She takes care of students as if they were her own and does so without any expectations. The school has a set of burgundy blazers that they loan to students. When she realized the frequency with which students were wearing the school’s blazers, she took it upon herself to spiff them up. She takes them home to wash them and ensures each has its own set of sturdy buttons.

Linda also takes on extra projects like a book sorting assignment in which she is sorting and leveling a massive book donation.

In addition to the extensive list of projects, Linda helps model for students how to make good choices and demonstrates that it’s OK to make mistakes, “because grown-ups make mistakes,” Mr. Bender said. “She shows empathy for others,” he added.

If you watch Linda while she works, you’ll often hear her complimenting her students, who are in 2nd grade this year. “You’ve never seen that word before. Nice job breaking it down,” she’ll say, or “You’re very strong at that” when asking a student to read aloud.

“She makes eye contact with them, and she listens to them, and she knows what they’re interested in and what they’re not interested in,” observed Jessica Blundell, a literacy coordinator at the school.

When the San Francisco Education Fund created the Literacy Program, Linda jumped right in to volunteer. “Literacy competence is critical for their future,” Linda said. “[It is critical] to their ability to get an education, to work, to interact in their world.”

Linda’s constant preparedness and positive attitude makes everyone feel more supported in their work, Ms. Blundell said. She also praised Linda’s desire to learn and ask questions, adding that frequently checks in to ask what she can do to improve her practice.

“She wants very much to help. She also cares enough to learn how a visitor to the Bayview/Hunters Point community might help without unintentionally hurting. It is no easy task to reach out – in an authentic way — across barriers created by difference in culture, language and geography. It requires a deep level of self-awareness and reflection, as well as an emotional and intellectual appreciation of difference. It is clear from her commitment to know and understand our students, that Linda is our partner in the larger project of educational equity.”

Her talent for connecting with people stands out.

“She remembers my birthday and knows what the kids had for lunch,” Ms. Blundell said. “She very much comes in as a human being and treats kids as human beings.”

Linda said she seeks to make a connection with each student she interacts with, and it certainly shows.

“The students are calmer and more relaxed and so am I,” Mr. Bender said, “The students take notice of her kindness and gentleness and are more kind to each other.”

 

Read about the other two recipients of the 2015-16 Distinguished Service Awards:

Paul Ma, who volunteers in Philip & Sala Burton High School’s junior year engineering class. 

Dropbox, a Circle the Schools corporate partner at Mission High School. 

Looking to get involved as  a volunteer in San Francisco public schools? Sign up here.