SPECIAL KIND OF INSTRUCTOR WAUGH HELPS KIDS, TEACHERS ENGAGE.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

NEWHALL -- Brenda Waugh has spent her life helping people overcome obstacles.

In the classroom at McGrath Elementary School, it's children who have learning disabilities. She teaches them how to read, how to add and how to believe in themselves.

And when the final bell has rung for the school day, Waugh steps back into classrooms to help new teachers learn the ropes of their jobs, from time management to planning curriculum.

She says teaching means life-long learning and that every day brings something new to the job. That's why she has stayed with it for 30 years.

``You have to be your best for the kids, because we're it,'' she said. ``We can make a huge impact on them.''

Waugh first stepped into a classroom in Oregon in 1976, where she taught special and regular education for six years before moving to Santa Clarita. In 1982, she began teaching with the Newhall School District.

She started working with new teachers about nine years ago, coaching them through their first years on the job. She recognizes the difficulties they face: managing the day, the behaviors and the school work. And at the same time, teachers have to balance the work with enthusiasm for learning.

``It's not an easy job. People think you work from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m.,'' she said. ``But teachers are here for 15 hours a day. It's not a job you can go home and forget about.''

Waugh has made her way though schools in the Newhall district, working at Meadows, Stevenson Ranch and finally McGrath Elementary.

Nancy Copley, principal at Pico Canyon Elementary School, was the assistant principal at Meadows when Waugh worked there. She recalled visiting her classroom and that her activities involved children getting out of their seats and moving around for their lessons.

``Kids were really engaged in her room. She was just so fun. You can't have passive learners. You want them to be active, and she really had active learners in her classroom,'' she said.

McGrath Elementary School Principal Larry Heath said Waugh has made a similar impression on the teachers she assists.

She can take complicated instructional strategies and break them down so teachers can understand and implement them, he said.

``Teachers consistently respond back to us that Brenda is amazing,'' he said.

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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(color) McGrath Elementary teacher Brenda Waugh works with one of her students on reading.

David Crane/Staff Photographer