History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Bringing diversity into teaching
- 12-21-2011
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By Kathryn Baron/Thoughts on Public Education
Tom Ribota, a teacher at a court and community school in San Joaquin County, has many of the same types of kids in his classes that he used to interact with when he was cop. So it’s amusing to imagine the day when he had his students do a crime scene investigation as a way to learn some math concepts. Ribota says hands-on lessons like that make learning relevant. As a Mexican American who grew up in this largely Hispanic community, Ribota himself brings relevance to his students. “The kids look at me and they see themselves in some respect,” said Ribota, who left the police force due to a back injury. “I understand where they’ve been, and they understand where I’ve been, because I share that with them.” Ribota is enrolled in an intern program run by the county where he teaches during day and is a student at night. Programs like his are becoming the “pathway of choice for under-represented minorities,” said Catherine Kearney, dean of Teachers College of San Joaquin, and founding president of the California Teacher Corps, which represents alternative certification programs. (more...)
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