Teachers

Molly Shore Teachers are everyday heroes to St. Finbar Parish School student Catherina Ticsay, 13, who honored them with an award-winning art project sponsored by state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Burbank). When Catherina's art teacher, Courtney Hammill, asked students to select an individual or profession for the art competition theme "heroes," Catherina said that she did not want to copy her classmates who chose firefighters, police and doctors. "I chose teachers because they taught all those people when they were little," Catherina said.

Molly Shore Lisa Clement, 46, does not have children enrolled in Burbank schools, but she wants to make the district better for students, teachers and parents. So she is running for one of three open seats on the Burbank Unified School District school board. "I think my chances look pretty good to get elected," she said. If elected, she plans to personally get involved with hiring the best new teachers from UCLA, Cal State Northridge, USC and other top schools.

Gary Moskowitz BURBANK -- You too could be a teacher in just a few months. State Sen. Jack Scott (D-Burbank) announced last week the passage of Senate Bill 57 by the Assembly Education Committee, which could allow individuals to become teachers in a few months as opposed to two years. Scott said the bill is designed to encourage interested people who would make good public school teachers to pursue the profession by giving them a chance to prove their teaching skills at a quicker pace.

In a city threatened by fires, mudslides and earthquakes, it has been five years since returning teachers in the Burbank Unified School District have undergone training in the proper disaster procedures. Growing concern over recent fires and floods has school officials looking in to creating a refresher course for its teachers. "You lose it if you don't use it," said Marlene Burton, the disaster preparedness coordinator for the school district. "Things definitely start to get fuzzy after a few years."

BURBANK — A group of elementary school teachers had fun breaking library rules on Wednesday morning as they banged on drums and hummed kazoos. The 60 teachers gathered in the Joaquin Miller Elementary School library for a workshop on music education. The seminar — part of the Burbank Unified School District’s Arts for All Program — was one of four that took place to immerse kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers. “Music is a great tool because kids don’t get stressed because they see it as something fun,” said Jenny Chung, who teaches kindergarten at Ralph Emerson Elementary School.

Darleene Barrientos In a role reversal, Glenoaks Elementary School teacher Elena Heimerl is spending her summer as an intern at Crescenta Valley High School, where Rosemont Middle School students are taking classes. Heimerl isn't regressing, she is finishing up her master's degree and administrative credentials this year. An administrative internship is one of the program's requirements. "I love teaching," Heimerl said. "But I just wanted to get this under my belt.

CITY HALL — This year, Nicole Perez had to protest. She sat out last year’s demonstrations, even though she said half her teachers were laid off. The John Burroughs sophomore said she’s seen teachers break down and cry in class. She knows kids who can’t get into the classes they need or want, and her school band has seen members quit because they can’t afford fees reaching up to $400, she said. About 85 teachers stand to lose their jobs this year due to reduced state education funding.

There’s no question that the problem with our nation’s public schools is reaching crisis level. Test scores are hitting new lows, and dropout rates — especially in California — are sky high. With lobbyists on all sides pushing for education reform, the real mystery is what to do with the billions of government dollars that are being set up to fix the failing school system. Burbank resident Brian Crosby makes a strong case for his personal proposal in his book “Smart Kids, Bad Schools: 38 Ways to Save America’s Future.

Maya Kukes BURBANK -- They do everything from alleviate first day of school jitters to help students master reading and multiplication tables. And for them, homework never ends. They're teachers, and on Wednesday they were honored locally and throughout the state as part of the "Day of the Teacher." At Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary, principal Linda Acuff waited for her staff in the teacher's lounge just after recess with a surprise. She gave each one a bright pink folder full of dozens of appreciation notes from their students.

Middle School teachers worked diligently Tuesday to prepare for students' return to school Thursday. Teachers from Jordan, Luther Burbank and John Muir middle schools participated in staff development days on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, designed to help better prepare them for the new school year. "It gets me all the more excited for the school year," said Rod Rothacher, an eighth-grade teacher at John Muir. "It helps us get ready." Teachers at John Muir Middle School learned about "thinking maps" on Monday, which are different graphs and charts that help organize material that students learn into visual and easy-to-remember charts.

The class clown from Mr. Gadberry's high school art class has made good - and how. Rebecca Mieliwocki teaches seventh-grade English at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank - but not next year. Instead, she'll be on the road as the National Teacher of the Year. It took her a long time to get to the classroom - she once worked as a floral designer, doing the flowers for Elizabeth Taylor 's private jet - and eventually to the White House , where a fellow teacher, President Obama , crowned her as a national teaching treasure.

The Burbank Arts for All Foundation is following one banner year with another, announcing a new wave of grants totaling $27,250 in support of arts education. The sum is the largest ever issued to Burbank Unified teachers in a single grant cycle, and will impact more than 5,000 students during the next 12 months, said board co-chair Alexandra Helfrich. It also pushes the six-year-old foundation's total contributions to local arts education past the $150,000 mark. “The reason we are able to give more … than ever before is because we are seeing more and more community support,” Helfrich said.

Flanked by her family and colleagues, President Obama today called Burbank Unified teacher Rebecca Mieliwocki - the 2012 national Teacher of the Year - “the definition of 'above and beyond.'” Mieliwocki, a Glendale resident who teaches English at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank, was given the national prize Monday by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Known for an unconventional teaching style that emphasizes critical thinking, Mieliwocki beat out more than 50 other nominees.

Burbank Unified teacher and longtime Glendale resident Rebecca Mieliwocki was named Thursday as one of four finalists for the 2012 National Teacher of the Year award. “I have been led by some remarkable people, teachers and administrators alike, from whom I've never felt anything but the utmost dedication and respect,” Mieliwocki said. “I have been pushed to be the best teacher I can be, and given opportunities to push kids in creative, exciting ways. When a school district does that for its teachers, it's no wonder something like this can happen.” Raised in Napa by two educators, Mieliwocki has spent nine years of her 13-year career with Burbank Unified, where she is currently teaching English at Luther Middle School.

Luther Burbank Middle School teacher Rebecca Mieliwocki on Friday was named a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year, joining an elite group of educators recognized for their compelling classroom practices and dedication to students. “It is humbling,” said Mieliwocki, who has lived in Glendale with her family since 1995. “Just when you think you should feel puffed up, you actually feel really humble. I really feel like I am being recognized for just being who I am. I can't be anybody else but me, so to be noticed and nominated … is very exciting.” Mieliwocki and 15 other winners - dubbed the Sweet 16 - were selected from among the county's 75,000 teachers, and automatically advance to the California Teachers of the Year competition this fall.

Burbank teachers took to city streets Thursday to demand that school district officials return to the bargaining table to finalize the terms of a new contract. Burbank Unified and the Burbank Teachers Assn. have been locked in negotiations for months, trying to work out a successor agreement to the one that expired in June 2010. The parties hit an impasse last month, and state-supervised mediation is scheduled for Friday. Among the points of contention are unpaid furlough days - union representatives said they will accept conditional furlough days that would be implemented only if forthcoming state revenue figures trigger mid-year cuts to education.

With college applications and final exams behind them — for now — the 96 members of Providence High School’s Class of 2011 said their goodbyes at commencement Saturday. “I’m excited to go to college because it seems like more freedom,” said Natalie Ohrt, who will enroll in the fall at Cal State Channel Islands. “But I am sad because I will miss my friends every day.” The ceremony drew a packed crowd to Liberty Hall at Forest Lawn, Hollywood, where guests created their own audio track of applause after a faulty sound system rendered the entrance song inaudible.

Two dozen Burbank Unified teachers — many toting laptops and stacks of papers — crowded the food court at the Burbank Town Center on Wednesday for a “grade-in,” meant to draw attention to ongoing budget cuts to public education. “Even though we are a wealthier district than some other areas, we are still up against really deep cuts,” said Lori Adams, president of the Burbank Teachers Assn. “This year is going to be bad, and if it continues down this road, nobody is going to be solvent anymore.” The event coincided with the Day of the Teacher, an annual recognition of educators.

For the first time in three years, Burbank Unified will not issue pink slips to teachers, administrators said. The district will use $2.5 million from a one-time federal education jobs bill to maintain its teaching staff through the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1, Assistant Supt. of Human Resources Gabe Soumakian said. “We are applying some of those funds that have to be expended this year,” he said. State law requires districts to issue pink slips — preliminary notices indicating possible layoffs — by March 15 to teachers for the following school year.