ART SETS HER APART TEACHER'S PERFORMANCE APPLAUDED.Byline: CONNIE LLANOS llanos (yä`nōs), Spanish American term for prairies, specifically those of the Orinoco River basin of N South America, in Venezuela and E Colombia. Staff Writer VALENCIA -- When Linda Candib's fourth-graders got caught reading comic books comic book Bound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories. The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway advertising premiums. , they weren't reprimanded and sent to the principal's office. Candib, a teacher at Charles Helmers Elementary School elementary school: see school. for nine years, used comic books as a way to teach Shakespeare to her students -- one of many ways the former thespian incorporates the arts into her classroom every day. ``I could teach without putting the arts into it, but that would be boring,'' Candib said. For her creative way of bringing arts education into every element of her general-education classroom, Candib was named a finalist Tuesday for a coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. Bravo Award
``Linda is an outstanding teacher,'' said Bernadette Torhan, the Helmers Elementary principal who nominated her for the award. ``In my 28-year career in teaching, Linda Candib definitely falls into the top 1 percent.'' As Candib's students strolled in Tuesday from a physical-education class, they couldn't contain their excitement for the accolade to the teacher they described as fun, interesting and ``cool.'' ``She teaches a lot of different things, all fun stuff, but the best thing is she explains it to us in ways we can understand,'' said Emily Tarantini, 9. For fourth-grader Jason Aguirre, Candib's history lesson on jazz topped the list -- one of several ways she is incorporating music into her Black History Month activities. ``I loved Duke Ellington,'' Jason said. With Candib's background in arts history and master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. in theater, it's no mystery where she gets her passion for the performing arts. ``The arts are everything, and I feel that students are not exposed to it enough,'' she said. With shifting educational standards and ever-fewer arts-specialist teachers, general-education teachers are increasingly responsible for keeping valuable arts-related lessons in the classroom, which Candib calls necessary. ``As an educator, I have an obligation to introduce my students to the different art forms so that they are culturally aware, and as they grow up they can learn to appreciate them,'' she said. For the past two years she has been using ``The Prospector,'' a kid- friendly adaptation of a Puccini opera set in the Gold Rush period, to teach her kids about California history. She finds opera a valuable tool for teaching 9-year-old students. ``It introduces them to history and language arts language arts pl.n. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. and to music and theater, which is proven to increase test scores in general.'' More than a teacher, Candib has become an arts advocate at the school. She is involved in writing applications for grants to fund arts-related projects, and she teaches musical theater as an after-school enrichment class. She is one of three finalists in her category. The winner will be announced Feb. 27 at a dinner at the Biltmore Hotel Biltmore Hotel is the name of a hotel chain created by hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman. The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . For more information, visit www.musiccenter.org. connie.llanos(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5254 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (ran in SAC edition only) Linda Candib, who teaches fourth-graders at Helmers Elementary School in Valencia, is a finalist for the Music Center of Los Angeles County's coveted Bravo Award for a general-education teacher. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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