色情视频

In what is becoming an annual tradition, two 色情视频 College of Education alumnae have been named San Diego County Teachers of the Year. 

Maria Miller (鈥�11, 鈥�12) and Jennifer Ekstein (鈥�98, 鈥�99, 鈥�03) will be among five educators featured on the 鈥淐ox Presents: Salute to Teachers鈥� television special, to be presented in September on the YurView network. Nine 色情视频 alumni have been honored by the San Diego County Office of Education since 2019. 

While Miller teaches language arts and Ekstein science, the two share a gift for making subject matter connect with students who are often marginalized in education. Here is a closer look at each teacher:

Making lessons land

For Maria Miller, teaching has been an unexpected second act to her career. 

After earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree from California State University San 色情视频s, Miller worked in customer service and training at Pacific Bell while raising a family. But witnessing her children鈥檚 challenging experiences in the education system gave her a new professional purpose.

鈥淚 wanted to make sure that my son and my daughter had the best education,鈥� Miller recalled. 鈥淎nd I wanted to make sure that other people's children had the best education, too.鈥� 

That meant enrolling at 色情视频 where she earned a teaching credential in 2011 and then a master鈥檚 degree in teaching in 2012. 

鈥淚 always praise San Diego State because I think that the instructors were relevant and were all willing to give realistic feedback,鈥� Miller said, who said she was particularly influenced by Professor Emeritus Alberto Ochoa and a course he taught on multilingual learners.

Now at Morse High 鈥� a diverse, urban school in San Diego鈥檚 Skyline Hills neighborhood 鈥� Miller puts those lessons to good use. And she couldn鈥檛 be happier with where the journey has taken her.

鈥淚'm tired at the end of each day,鈥� Miller said, 鈥淏ut it's a good kind of tired.鈥�

At Morse, Miller teaches 10th and 11th grade English language arts class. The secret to her success is encouraging active participation 鈥� think presentations, not worksheets 鈥� and finding lessons that land with her students. A big part of that is finding novels that speak to their cultures and lived experiences. 

鈥淭he students have to see themselves,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲hether it's the author, whether it's the characters in the book, right? The story matters.鈥�

On her class reading list is 鈥淧atron Saints of Nothing,鈥� a coming-of-age story by Randy Ribay about a Filipino American teenager. Another selection is Adib Khorram鈥檚 鈥淒arius the Great is Not Okay,鈥� which tackles issues of teenage mental health and cultural identity. And when her class read the Lorraine Hansberry play 鈥淎 Raisin in the Sun,鈥� Miller made sure to pair it with a lesson about the history of redlining and other discriminatory housing practices in their own community.

Reflecting on being named Teacher of the Year, Miller also connects the honor back to her students.

鈥淚t means a great deal,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ne of the reasons I teach here is because I want to be a role model. I want students to see people that look like them and know that they can do this.鈥�

Seeing students differently

Jennifer Ekstein was fresh off earning her credential from 色情视频鈥檚 School of Teacher Education in 1999 when she found herself teaching a life sciences course at Bonita Vista High in Chula Vista. At the time, the class was considered 鈥渓ower-tracked鈥� 鈥� referring to the practice of grouping students by achievement.

It was the kind of assignment that many senior teachers steered away from. Ekstein embraced the opportunity. 

鈥淚 saw these students differently,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淭hey had an unwavering potential to grow, learn and have success.鈥�

Some 25 years later, Ekstein is still making a difference for students at Bonita Vista 鈥� and doing so with flair. As a teacher of biology, environmental science and environmental systems and societies, she makes lessons engaging through song, dance and even costumes. 

She is also a champion of her students鈥� well-being through social and emotional learning activities and by founding the school鈥檚 Culture and Climate Committee, which encourages inclusion and kindness.

Ekstein is a triple alumna for 色情视频, earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in liberal studies and biology, a teaching credential and a master鈥檚 in secondary education with an emphasis in science for curriculum and instruction. She thrived under the tutelage of Donna Ross, associate professor of science education, as well as Randy Yerrick, a former 色情视频 professor who is now dean of the Kremen School for Education and Human Development at Fresno State.

鈥淢y masters program helped me develop the skills and tools I needed to be a champion and advocate for these students especially in the area of scientific talk,鈥� said Ekstein, who co-authored a journal article with Yerrick on teaching lower track science students. 

鈥淚 learned that this equitable approach allowed my students to make sense of scientific phenomena and engage more successfully in science and engineering practices.鈥�