Tracy Corbally, an English teacher at Castlemont High School in Oakland, is the 826 Valencia Teacher of the Month for September. Mrs. Corbally consistently challenges her students in the classroom. As one of her students writes, “She never gave up on me and she always pushed me to do better.” Students who nominated her describe how she explained difficult concepts in creative ways so that they could easily understand them, and how she also organized a broad range of fun activities that met student’s individual interests. Students describe how much fun they had watching movies focused on music, such as “Spinal Tap.”

Mrs. Corbally reaches students not only on an academic level but a personal level as well. Her class has written eloquently about how she consistently offered her support and kindness about concerns in their personal life. One student writes, “I found a teacher that would at least care. In my word it’s an honor to have a great teacher who would actually care.” Another student writes, “She cared about my attitude, self esteem, and the direction I wanted to go. She made frequent calls home to update my grandmother on what I had fallen behind on, and even how much I had improved.”

It’s wonderful to have a teacher in our community that challenges her students academically and supports them emotionally. Congratulations again to Tracy Corbally a truly exceptional teacher making connections with her students and helping through an important time in their lives.