SJH Teachers: Young and Close-knit

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last in a four-part series on San Juan Hills High School. It is based on the 239-page report school officials produced as part of their successful bid for accreditation. The school's second-ever class graduates Wednesday night.

The newness of the  means not only are students creating a tradition of "firsts," so are the teachers.

Teachers are reaching out to the students — and each other, said Sharon Spiers, the health and  teacher who wrote a lengthy self-study report as part of the .

“It’s just a really friendly staff,” she said.

Because most of the teachers are new to teaching high school classes, they're not cliquish, she said. Instead, the campus is characterized by a collective atmosphere.

“The teachers here are pretty involved,” Spiers said.

Only five years old, the school features 59 student-led clubs, each of which is advised by a different teacher. Other extra-curricular activities include the school newspaper , dance, drama, instrumental music, TV broadcasting, visual arts, vocal music, yearbook, academic decathlon, student government, both varsity and lower level athletics, AVID and cheer/song.

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“The teachers are the key to education," said Principal Tom Ressler, who's been at the helm since the school's second year. "Cutting-edge education will be when the district finds out how to reward and encourage good teachers and gently let others know that teaching is not for everybody.”

Loyalty for San Juan Hills

The education in California in spring of 2010 led to pink slips and a teachers strike for a large number of teachers in .

Because the teachers most likely to receive a so-called reduction-in-force (RIF) notice are the younger teachers with less seniority, , Ressler said. This stress on one-third of the faculty makes it hard to move forward when there is a risk of losing so many teachers.

So it was a major testiment to the loyalty of the school's teachers when those whose jobs were threatened turned down opportunities to work elsewhere, Spiers said. They decided to stay at San Juan Hills and prepare for their classes during the summers of waiting and hoping that they would still be employed in .

What was it that kept these young hopefuls at San Juan Hills?

“We have really committed teachers, and they really want to do a good job,” Spiers said. The teachers knew what an important and successful school they were building and remained loyal to the students.

ADD/SIOP

Kati Bennett, a teacher on special assignment with the district office, visits the campus once a month to hold training sessions for teachers in the ADD/SIOP strategies. ADD/SIOP is an initiative that allows teachers to share best practices, particularly with English language learners.

“Teachers still have their individual personalities, but they are adopting many of the same strategies,” Spiers said. "They are such good techniques that they help all students learn better.”

As part of the process to become accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, each teacher visited two other teachers, one in their own department and one from a different department, in an effort to put the ADD/SIOP initiatives into practice.

“It was really good for us. The program forced teachers to meet people of other departments,” Spiers said.  

Each teacher spent at least 30 minutes in another teacher’s classroom and completed an observation form. Those two teachers then had a conversation about what was observed.

“What I am hoping is that the culture of visiting each other’s classrooms will become normal,” Spiers said.

Fun Friday Lunches

The sharing led to friendships, and colleagues began getting to know each other during fun Friday lunches, according to the report. In 2010, the teachers in the social studies department decided to get together for lunch on Fridays. Soon English, science and math teachers joined the social studies teachers, and the little Friday gathering became a well-known weekly BBQ tradition.

“I feel like people here are really committed to doing the best job that they can do. That comes through in the comradery at our school,” Spiers said.

The close-knit community that the teachers have created for themselves offers a unique example for their students. Because San Juan Hills is a new school, everyone is in the same new boat, and that brings people together, she added.