DRAGONS, CASTLES PROPEL TEACHER TO EXCELLENCE AWARD.Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer The young intellectuals in Peter Joel's classroom consider themselves brave knights, who each day come to school to battle the math and writing dragons of second grade. ``I have developed this theme in our classroom where all the boy and girl knights work through Dragon Valley toward Intelligence Castle. It's an analogy I've used to spark the kids' imagination and encourage them,'' said Joel, who sat in his classroom at Weathersfield Elementary School Weathersfield Elementary is a school in Ventura County, California, that serves the city of Thousand Oaks. The Eagle is the mascot. It has a relatively small class size. surrounded by toy dragons and plaster castles his students have given him over the years. ``Kids know that I'm serious about their learning. But this allows us to have some fun and to use our creativity to study math and language,'' he said. In his 26 years of teaching for the Conejo Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. , Joel's magical world of learning has touched hundreds of students. And this year it won the attention of judges who selected him as one of five recipients of the 1998 Amgen Award for Teacher Excellence. Joel joined fellow teachers Alan Rose of Westlake High School Westlake High School may refer to:
Early career After leaving school, Jim was a trainee mechanical engineer with the National Coal Board. of Adolfo Camarillo High School Adolfo Camarillo High School is a high school located in Camarillo, California. It was recognized as a California Distinguished School in 1996 and a National Blue Ribbon School in 1998. It is part of the Oxnard Union High School District. at a Thursday night reception in their honor. Selected from more than 540 nominees from around Ventura County, the five winners each received a $10,000 check to spend however they choose. ``The program's intent has been to recognize outstanding teachers in the community and to support education and the men and women who dedicate their lives to it,'' said Lynne Henderson, spokesperson for Amgen, a global biotechnology company founded in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. 28 years ago. Over the past seven years, Amgen has recognized 35 local teachers. A panel of three judges - community volunteers not affiliated with either Amgen or with the school districts - review letters of nomination submitted from parents, students and administrators and score the teachers on a scale of 1 to 20. The top five are then selected for the award. Among Joel's nominations were letters from former students who described how he put his lively kingdom of learning to work in his Thousand Oaks classroom. On Thursday, fellow teachers and the parents of former students dropped in to offer Joel their congratulations. ``My son is now an eighth-grader and he still remembers the songs and stories about dragons and the lessons Mr. Joel taught him,'' said Laura Armstrong, a parent volunteer at Weathersfield. The award helps to highlight the important role of teachers in the community and bring good news to a school, said Carol Philips, a first-year principal at Weathersfield Elementary School and a former teacher recipient of the Amgen Award. ``It was an honor to live up to for me. And it's really an award that you share with your colleagues - teaching is really a collaborative effort where the teachers work together to reach the students,'' Philips said. And the $10,000 reward was also a great help, Philips said. ``My oldest daughter was in college at the time. So I helped pay for her college and I bought patio furniture pa´ti`o fur´ni`ture 1. Furniture such as chairs, tables, settees or loungers, suited for use on a patio , i.e. such that will not be damaged by exposure to rain, sun or other outdoor elements. ,'' she said. For Rose, choir and math teacher at Westlake High School, this year's Amgen Award is the culmination of 13 years of teaching. ``I have wanted to be a teacher all of my life. I think the magic of teaching is the love for it and the kids. I don't consider them just my students - they are my kids,'' said Rose, who has managed to combine his passion for music with his love of teaching as a choir teacher. Rose learned that he had received the award earlier this month while he was in Chicago at a choral cho·ral adj. 1. Of or relating to a chorus or choir. 2. Performed or written for performance by a chorus. [Medieval Latin chor competition with a group of about 80 students. ``This is really a wonderful blessing to have been honored by my students and by parents,'' he said. As for the $10,000 award, he said it will be put to good use for his family. ``We just recently bought a new home in Newbury Park. So it will go for a few house payments. And a little will go for a family vacation,'' he said. |
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