SAN JOSE, CA – The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) has released the next installment of the Public Service Announcement (PSA) series, "Why I Teach."
This episode is the sixth of a ten-part series which feature three District Teachers of the Year who were honored during the 2017 Teacher Recognition Celebration in Campbell last fall. Each teacher shares their love of their chosen profession. These PSAs celebrate outstanding teachers and are part of an ongoing initiative to increase qualified teaching candidates in the Santa Clara school districts.
This episode features Catherine Silva of Gilroy Unified School District, Casey Lelake of Loma Prieta Joint Union School District, and Marie Mabanag of Oak Grove School District.
"I teach because I want to make a difference, and I believe teaching is one of the most powerful professions that anybody can have," says Marie Mabanag an English, math, and science teacher who has taught for the past 19 years.
Lelake who has taught music for the past 20 years, joined the Loma Prieta Joint Union School District faculty four years ago and "her colleagues have been extremely impressed with her natural classroom management style. Students enthusiastically participate in classroom music, and parents are grateful for her bringing her professionalism and expertize to our small mountain schools," according to her district.
Silva, who has taught mathematics for the past 18 years, says, "I had wanted to be a teacher when I was in high school, and one of my high school teachers talked me out of it because we had a glutton of teachers at that moment."
There is currently a teacher shortage in Santa Clara County, to remedy this shortfall, the SCCOE offers support and training and will host the upcoming Teacher Recruitment Fair, a day designed for credentialed teachers, psychologists, counselors, school nurses, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists to meet with local districts.
A new episode of "Why I Teach" will be released weekly to the end of March. In addition to being posted to the SCCOE YouTube channel, the videos will also be provided to local cable access channels in the various municipalities throughout the county.
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The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a regional service agency that provides instructional and business services to the 31 school districts of Santa Clara County. The SCCOE serves students through special education programs, alternative schools, Head Start and State Preschool programs, migrant education, and Opportunity Youth Academy. The Office also provides curriculum support, staff development, and technology support and training directly to teachers and staff in schools countywide.
