Congratulations to Calleen Taylor, the 826 Valencia teacher of the month for May. Ms. Taylor is a social studies teacher at Mission High School, where she has gone above and beyond the call of teaching-duty for the past four years. Through her dynamic and creative lessons – all of which incorporate elements from language arts, history and technology standards – Ms. Taylor inspires her students, boosts their scholastic confidence and allows them to learn in an engaging, hands-on manner.

According to a supervisor at the school, Ms. Taylor’s “dedication, resourcefulness, intelligence and superior teaching skill” launched her into the role of head of the high school’s social studies department. “Ms. Taylor demonstrates instructional leadership, excellent knowledge of her content area, strong organizational skills as well as the ability to get colleagues to work together …”

Ms. Taylor has also facilitated field trips for her students to Yosemite National Park and the Big Sur coastline, which she calls “Writer’s Retreats.” She brings these fortunate aspiring writers to places of extreme beauty in order to inspire, firsthand. These trips make a difference. In the words of one of her students, “This has been an amazing experience because I have learned so much – things that I know that will help me in college. [Ms. Taylor] will organize a club to get us out of the city and see new sites and we know she will defend us but not enable us.”

Ms. Taylor sticks around beyond her class time, as well. She helps students apply to summer programs and camp. She guides students in writing essays and applications. She encourages her students to go for the scholarships that seem like a long shot. Indeed, it appears that having Ms. Taylor on your side serves as a definite advantage to completing a successful run in high school and in preparation for the years to come.

“Ms. Taylor has been a tremendous asset to Mission High School,” writes her supervisor. “She is both a quality teacher and a leader among her peers.”

How fortunate we are to have a teacher like this in our community!