Teachers

Students snickering at their gay classmates. Others picking on students with special needs. Shoving. Racially charged jokes. One by one, teachers at an anti-bullying training session in Burbank this week raised their hands to relay stories of their own experiences with student bullying. Jay Gudzin, a teacher at Monterey High School after spending 21 years at John Burroughs High, said he could recall a time when his colleagues would write off bullying among students as “kids being kids.” No more.

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.

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.

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.

I must have a lifelong misunderstanding. I was under the impression that the goal of education was to educate the individual. Obviously, I was wrong. The goal is to raise money (“ Language class could be a boon ,” May 8). I think someone should talk to Glendale teachers about the success of their language immersion program. The teachers have a lot of negative comments about these programs. Judi Glass Burbank 

A McKinley Elementary teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a third-grade student reported that the teacher helped a class answer questions on state standardized tests this week. Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz, who made the announcement during Thursday's school board meeting, added that state officials are investigating the case. Still uncertain of the alleged infraction's full consequences, Britz said state officials could mark the test scores as invalid, and potentially strip McKinley of its Academic Performance Index, or API, score, later this year.

Jordan Middle School volunteers were up early Saturday morning building tables and benches or setting plants in neat rows for the Betty Steinkolk Literacy Patio and Garden, dedicated to the beloved former principal who died in 2009. The 3 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony was the culmination of a yearlong partnership between the Burbank Business Partners, Burbank Assn. of Realtors Community Service Foundation and the Burbank Noon Rotary Club, said Sue Georgino, board member of the Business Partners.

Julio Barrenzuela tells his story with a kinetic energy coursing through his body. At any moment the sweeping narrative is going to lift him off his chair and swing him into dance. Then he reaches the part about his time in the Navy, stationed in Italy, learning what it truly means to salsa. He stood in a club swinging his hips trying to impress the Italian girl who agreed to a dance. “I thought I knew how to salsa, but when I got there it was all about partners, which is a whole different beast,” he said.

About 150 elementary school students, teachers, elected officials and community members gathered at Jefferson Elementary School in Burbank Friday to honor those who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Attendees joined hands around the front of the school and bowed their heads for a moment of silence. “The Jefferson Community wants to show the world that Burbank is united in doing whatever it takes to protect our children,” said Burbank Council PTA President Barbara Miller and Jefferson PTA President Michele Higginbotham in a statement.

Six months into her post as National Teacher of the Year, Rebecca Mieliwocki has traveled throughout California, to 11 states, and to Russia, China, Singapore and Japan. “It's been a whirlwind,” the Burbank Unified teacher said. “It's been six months of traveling the world and the country meeting people, and speaking to people on an inspirational level.” Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio and Indiana await her next - and possibly Australia - as she makes more than 200 speaking engagements before the end of her term.

Soap star and acting coach Gene Bua - who helped train the likes of Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore and Katey Sagal at his Burbank school - died Saturday after a 13-year battle with Parkinson's disease. The Glendale resident was 72. Bua is survived by his wife and creative partner, Toni Bull Bua, and his son, granddaughter and brother. He and Bull Bua met nearly 50 years ago on the set of CBS's long-running soap opera, “Love of Life,” where they fell in love on and off screen. “He taught me everything - he taught me how to sing, he taught me how to play baseball, he taught me how to marathon run, he taught me Shakespeare, he taught me how to feel,” Bull Bua said Tuesday.

It takes Dorothy Hernandez at least five minutes to walk through Washington Elementary's school yard to reach Room 29 where she teaches third grade. In what would normally be a two-minute walk, the delay is in all the students lining up for hugs before the bell rings from the newly named Burbank Unified's Teacher of the Year. Even after school has let out on a recent Friday afternoon, Hernandez' students in the after school program still have their eyes trained on her as they smile and wave back through the windows of her classroom.

Good morning, readers. Today is Monday, October 15. The space shuttle Endeavour finally completed its final mission on Sunday after a 15-hour delay. The space shuttle Endeavour reached the California Science Center in Exposition Park at around noon Sunday, after a three-day, 2 mph journey through Inglewood and South Los Angeles . The shuttle arrived 15 hours behind schedule due to trees and other obstructions. L.A. Times Police have booked a suspect who allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Canoga Park during a police chase . Ernesto Jacinto Lopez, 20, was booked on suspicion of second-degree murder.

Good morning, readers. Today is Monday, September 17. Teachers in Burbank learned that bullying is more than just “kids being kids.” The California Teachers Assn. hosted the first district-wide, anti-bullying training for Burbank Unified School District teachers . Around 700 teachers from kindergarten to high school participated in the training. Burbank Leader An accident involving a motorcycle snarled traffic along the 101 Ventura Freeway near the Reseda Blvd. exit on Saturday . The accident caused the temporary closure of all lanes.