FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1999
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education will honor three Madison teachers for their help mentoring and supervising student teachers during its "Partners in Education" banquet on Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. in the Monona Terrace and Convention Center.
The School of Education's Rockwell Award will be given to: Claudia Blum, a third grade teacher at Orchard Ridge Elementary School; Lona George, a music teacher at Thoreau Elementary School; and Ric Saenz, who teaches Spanish at Jefferson Middle School.
The annual event recognizes "cooperating teachers" who have "demonstrated superb teaching skills" and who have "shown an exceptional commitment to student teachers" and who "play a pivotal role in helping to prepare the next generation of educators."
Each year, more than 500 teachers open their classrooms to UW-Madison students and enable them to gain the real-world experience that is a requirement for teacher certification.
In nominating her for the award, a colleague of Blum's wrote, "there is no finer teacher than Claudia Blum. Her students love her, their parents are in awe, and her colleagues admire and respect her and her teaching."
A former student teacher wrote of Blum: "She treated me as an equal. She gave me the freedom to experiment with new methods, and she supported and redirected me when I made mistakes. When I succeeded, she cheered and spread the good news among her colleagues."
A colleague of Lona George wrote: "Ms. George's curriculum is multicultural and inclusive. Many 'extras' like chorus, choir chimes, recorder club, guitar club and the fifth-grade musical are offered to Thoreau students over lunch hours and after school. Lona is their enthusiastic teacher and director."
A former student teacher who worked with George wrote that she "couldn't imagine a better mentor. (She goes) out of her way and extend(s) her giving outside the classroom, whether it is by taking an underprivileged student to a musical or offering after-school activities."
A colleague wrote of Ric Saenz: "Every time I walk into Ricardo Saenz's classroom, I see children immersed in activities. One day, they are on the computers looking for Spanish-speaking countries; next time, they are discussing a movie, or performing poems, or just talking about whatever the children are interested in at that point. Always the conversation, activities and performances are conducted in Spanish."
A UW-Madison education student who recently served as Saenz's student teacher wrote: "From the moment I stepped into Mr. Saenz's classroom, I felt as if I were stepping into a whole different world of teaching. He has shown me that if the language means so much to you as a person, it is possible to use that as an advantage when teaching the students. Working with Ricardo Saenz has really changed my life."
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