Two Santa Maria Joint Union High School District teachers are educating future teachers at Cal Poly this year, and they plan to take what they learn about the latest teaching methods back to the district.
Pioneer Valley High School science teacher Kristina Duran and Santa Maria High School agriculture teacher Clemente Ayon are participating in the state university’s Teacher in Residence program for the 2014-2015 school year. While they’re soaking up the education scene at Poly, the university has paid the district to hire temporary replacements for Pioneer Valley and Santa Maria High.
Insight into what the district can do to better support new teachers and sharing a deeper understanding of the next generation of science standards are two of the things Duran hopes to glean from the program.
“I wanted to make sure the students of my community are getting a quality education,” Duran said in a press release, adding that it’s vital for students to receive an in-depth science experience. “I hope I am bettering the community by helping to educate the doctors and scientists of tomorrow.”
Duran has taught biology, earth science, and study skills at Pioneer for the past eight years. At Poly, she is teaching physical science classes to future elementary school teachers, co-teaching a class to help students learn to teach science at the secondary level, and helping out with the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which is designed to get more science teachers into high-need districts. Next quarter, she will help supervise student teachers and have the opportunity to see the methods used to deliver instruction in various classroom settings.
Ayon has taught ag sciences, leadership, mechanics, and horticulture at Santa Maria High for the past 14 years. He is instructing several ag education classes at Poly this school year, including program development, early field experience, state FFA leadership conference, animal science, supervised ag experiences, and observation field experience of student teachers. In the press release, he said he can’t wait to share what he’s learned with the district’s staff and students.
“My former teachers in high school were great mentors and they provided me a spot in life with encouragement and guidance to be successful,” Ayon said in the press release. “I want to pay it forward and provide the [same] opportunities to students that I received.”
This article appears in Oct 9-16, 2014.