August 4, 2000

Teachers' Dedication Evident in Summertime Workshops

Those of us who visit Santa Barbara County classrooms on a regular basis can see at a glance the extra dedication of our teachers.  Up and down this county, teachers all seem ready to go that extra mile for the benefit of their students.

There's another easy way to measure that devotion, and it's as simple as looking at the signups for the annual teacher workshops my office sponsors during the summer—those days when teachers on a traditional calendar schedule are supposed to be vacationing.

A typical teacher's day is ruled by clocks and bells.  It is spent without phones, refreshment breaks, or privacy.  Summertime conjures up a hard-earned rest from those intense working conditions.

Yet last year 450 teachers from throughout the county devoted some of those precious vacation days to our workshops, and signups for this year are even higher.   "Time well spent," was a typical reaction to our programs.

The workshops are geared to teachers' actual classroom needs, and the participation has always been impressive.

"Education for the New Millennium" is the theme of this year's workshops, scheduled for August 15 and 16 at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta.

Most important of all, 98 percent of the presenters will be Santa Barbara County teachers, sharing their proven ideas with their colleagues.

Session topics will cover teaching vocabulary, school-to-career portfolios; visual language; geometry and measurement with robots; history-social science standards; peer advocates; garden-based learning; motivating unmotivated readers; celebrating diversity; PowerPoint; health and physical activity; frameworks for moral action; puberty education; helping to cope with death and loss; breaking down barriers to parental involvement; NASA educational resources; reading assessments; folk dances; software; reading and achievement through music; library skills; publishing; youth and law; poetry; comprehension; web page design; research; grant writing; CPR; word study activities, and many, many more.

The ideas and techniques that emerge from these workshops enable teachers to begin the school year with enthusiasm, and with some concrete ideas they can use the first day in their classrooms.

The workshops are an opportunity to support and enhance the fine job teachers are doing throughout our county.  It is an opportunity for all educators to gain insights into the topics that are covered, especially in terms of being supportive of all youngsters.  It's very heartening that so many county educators have typically taken advantage of this opportunity for professional development.