Rotary Club of Santa Barbara honors Harding teacher

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara presented a Teacher Recognition Award on Oct. 18 to Kristin Corpuz, a special education teacher at Harding University Partnership School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Since 1986, the club has honored outstanding teachers from South Coast schools. During the year, Rotary of Santa Barbara honors a special education, secondary, and elementary school teacher with a certificate and a $1,000 check to spend on their classroom needs.

“This kind of contribution by the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara and other groups makes a real difference for children, because it helps teachers do the work that is so vital to our community’s future,” said county Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone. “An investment like this pays big dividends for our youth and our community.”

"The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara is honored to support local education and teachers such as Kristin Corpuz,” said Roland S. Christopher, chairman of the Teacher Recognition Committee of the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara. “She is an outstanding example of an educator doing amazing things for our local youth.

“Rotary of Santa Barbara and Rotarians around the globe know that Kristin's work is what makes communities better,” he continued. “We are excited by her passion for a better Santa Barbara, and know that education makes a difference in our great community,” he added.

“To be an educator is an incredible responsibility and honor,” Corpuz said. “Each day and each moment I try to connect with children and impact their lives in significant and meaningful ways.”

“As a special educator, my goal is always to make progress on their individualized goals and broader learning, no matter where we need to start in their learning process, but most importantly, it is my goal for my students to feel confident, act and think independently, and feel joyful as we learn and work together,” she added.

A member of Harding’s leadership team, she is Special Education Department chairwoman, Disabilities Awareness Day coordinator, Collaborative Academic Support Team facilitator, Student Success Team and Reading Intervention Team co-facilitator, and instructional assistants supervisor. She is also a mentor to new teachers through the Teacher Induction Program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara meets at Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara for lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. Recipients of the club’s Teacher Recognition Awards are made with the assistance of the Teacher Programs and Support Department of the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

For more information, visit teacherprograms.sbceo.org or santabarbararotary.com.

Leadership

Radio Commentary

        Leadership and service aren’t limited to public roles, according to author Marian Wright Edleman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund.
In fact, she argued that the strongest leadership and most effective service can come from the way individuals handle themselves, day to day, in their normal interactions with others.
In a book for her children, she wrote: “Be a quiet servant-leader and example. You have a role to exercise ... every minute of the day.”
She explained how in the most common of circumstances we can seize the opportunity to resist what is negative and set an example for what can be positive.
She wrote:  “Have you ever noticed how one example — good or bad — can prompt others to follow?

 “How one illegally parked car can give permission for others to do likewise?

 “How one racial joke can fuel another?

“How one sour person can dampen a meeting?” 
Edelman writes that the opposite is also true. “One positive person can set the tone in an office or school. Just doing the right and decent thing can set the pace for others to follow.”

We could all benefit by being one of those people who models positive behavior.  

Edelman writes: “America is in urgent need of a band of moral guerrillas who simply decide to do what is right, regardless of the immediate consequences.”

This is wonderful advice for young and old alike.

Cyber-bullying

Radio Commentary

A very serious threat to the well-being of children is one that many parents still know too little about: cyber-bullying. Its effects can be devastating.
We have all read news reports of young suicide victims, bullied into believing life was no longer worth living because of relentless attacks over the Internet. 
One can only imagine the ripple effect these tragedies have had on the victims’ families, and their communities, and even on the perpetrators.
Most young people who take part in cyber-bullying do it as a joke, and don’t pause to consider the impacts. Throughout human history, young people have shown they can be mean to each other, but the Internet has provided them with the tools to be truly cruel.
Many parents are simply not up to speed when it comes to social network sites or the online places their own children visit. New sites seem to emerge each day. 
Add in the presence of text messages and video messages, and it all means that parenting in the age of cyber-crimes is more challenging than ever. 
It might seem like a good idea to give a young child a cell phone with Internet access, but parents should consider the trade-offs they are making when they do so. 
Yes, children will be able to stay in touch; but the risk is real, especially with young children whose judgment and decision-making skills are not yet fully developed. 

Our office is working in partnership with District Attorney Joyce Dudley to address and reduce incidents of cyber-bullying. Parents need to be active partners in these efforts as well.

Innovations in Education October 2013

Detail skills

Radio Commentary

People generally talk about reading and writing in the same breath. Certainly, many of the skills that make children successful at one skill make them good at the other. 

For example, one important reading skill that benefits from writing practice is identification of details. 

Parents should encourage children to provide details in their own written stories. This will help them become more aware of the way other authors use detail. 

One writing exercise requiring details is to have children give directions. Ask them to write very specifically how to get from home to school, or how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

When children write thank-you notes to friends or relatives, have them describe in detail the gift they received and how they will use it. 

You can also have children use a clipboard when watching TV. Have them jot down ad slogans that use good details. 

They might write down phrases such as “the brightest, sharpest photos” or “crispy, crunchy crackers.” 

Children can also take the clipboard along on family outings. Ask them to describe the “prettiest” thing they see on the trip, or the “most unusual.” Then challenge them to list as many details as they can.

One way teachers measure improvement in young writers is to look at their use of details. The same is also true for improving reading comprehension: details matter.

Robin Selzler

Talking with Teachers
Dos Pueblos High School
October 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQvmHbizsFU

Charting success

Radio Commentary

It can be fun for children to create a “success chart” by designing a bar graph or a line graph to show progress on various tasks.

Be sure to keep the goals realistic. You might want to coordinate the plan with your child’s teacher, factoring in assignments or improvement in grades.

Ask what makes more sense for your child:  aiming for an 80 on a test or a 90? Start out with smaller goals so your child can gain some momentum that can lead to larger successes.

Giving incentives can be an important part of this activity.

Figure out what types of items would work best in your family. Rewards like a movie or a computer game rental might be effective.

Monetary rewards for reaching a goal might be appropriate if children learn to save it for something they really want, or use it to support an important cause.

Though positive reinforcement is an effective tool in changing behavior, everyone reacts differently. What is right for one child might not work well for another.

Allowing your children to chart their own progress is a great way for them to see results.

And seeing improvement in such a graphic fashion can show them that their efforts do actually pay off. The hope is that they will work harder as a result.

Poisoning

Radio Commentary

We’ve made a lot of progress in reducing the number of children who are accidentally poisoned each year. Much of the credit is due to public education on the topic.

In the 1960s, more than 450 children under the age of 5 were dying from accidental poisoning each year. That total has fallen to about 30. But it’s still too high.

Simple precautions remain critical:

• Keep medicines in their original child-proof containers, stored out of reach.

• Follow doctor’s instructions carefully when giving medicine to children.

• Store household cleaners safely — a high percentage of poisonings involve everyday cleaning products, cosmetics, cough and cold remedies, antibiotics, and vitamins.

• Teach children never to eat anything you haven’t approved. 

A typical household contains products such as bleach, fertilizers, or paint stripper that can be fatal to a child.

If your child swallows a poison, you must act quickly but calmly:

If the child is conscious, determine exactly what was swallowed. The child could lose consciousness at any time.

Call 9-1-1 or the local poison control center. 

Have the container on hand so you can tell the center the exact contents of what was swallowed. If the child must go to the hospital, be sure to take the poison container with you for the doctors there.

Stay calm and give the professionals short, precise answers, because time is often critical.