January 1, 2004


Teacher of the Month: Gwen Anderson

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

She is always ready and willing to listen to you when you have questions and you can really tell that she has a love for teaching.

And so begins the winning essay for this edition of Teacher of the Month, which pretty much sums up the prerequisites for being a noble teacher all in one sentence. When a student identifies so strongly with someone who is making a difference in her life as to write in and tell us about it, that person deserves recognition.

This month’s honoree is enjoying her ninth year as an art teacher at Castillero Middle School and wouldn’t have it any other way. Gwen Anderson knew exactly what she wanted to do when she was in high school—teach art. “I’ve never wanted to do anything else,” she claims.

And teach she has. Born and raised in Seattle, Wash., Anderson relocated to San Jose with her husband and went straight into teaching after college. She spent three years at Willow Glen High School before transferring to Simonds Elementary School, where she continued to teach for another eight years.

After taking time off to raise her own children, Anderson returned to teaching part time and continues today. “I’ve been really, really lucky,” she says. “I think middle school is my favorite age group—it’s where you get the most surprises.”

“I think this is wonderful,” says Principal Sandy Engle. “Gwen is really a leader among us and a wonderful asset to our staff.” Although Engle didn’t know Anderson before Castillero, she does remember her son, whom she taught at Bret Harte Middle School, and later worked with at Leland High School. He is currently attending Stanford, thanks in part to Engle’s letter of recommendation.

Anderson admits to being completely surprised with the nod. “I’ve read the other teacher of the month articles and there are so many awesome teachers around here,” she says. “The fact that the kids take the initiative to do this on their own is really neat.”

“I was sitting at my computer and wanted to e-mail something in,” admits student Lauren Horst, who wrote the winning essay. “I thought it would be so cool to get Ms. Anderson in the newspaper. She’s my favorite teacher. She makes everything fun and is not strict or mean. It’s even OK if you turn something in late because she understands.”

Anderson’s success with her kids is due in large part to her focus on their individual skills, treating those with natural abilities quite differently than those who might lack the necessary confidence. “I try to make everyone feel successful,” she exclaims. “For the kids without much confidence, we try to build on basic skills so at least if they don’t come out of here wanting to become an artist, they feel good about themselves and that they have an appreciation for that. Otherwise, they’ll never go back to it.”

Anderson beams when talking about former students who have gone on to pursue careers in comic book illustration and movies. She recently ran into a former student at a district art meeting, who 10 years later is now teaching art. “That was really a nice surprise,” Anderson admits. “She had always been special when I had her in class and now she’s an art teacher too. It’s really fun to run into them.”

In addition to teaching, Anderson remains a pivotal character in The Cornerstone Project, a national network of community leaders and organizations devoted to nurturing and developing competent, caring and responsible children through pier counseling. With key connections to home and school, she helps her kids learn 41 developmental assets they will need to become successful in life. “It’s like a support group for families and teachers,” says Engle.

Although not willing to share her most embarrassing moments as a teacher, Anderson agrees that most have to do with the proverbial “slip of the tongue” or “foot in your mouth” scenarios. “There’s always something that you do and then realize, ‘I can’t believe I did that,’” she sighs.

“She’s funny,” adds classmate Nathan Beaunier. “She always has a good sense of humor.”

Anderson admits that humor is important as learning should be fun and kids need to feel successful. According to Horst’s essay, she does that by making each lesson, “fun, goofy, cool, interesting, and never boring…She really brings everything to life and teaches us in such a way that is mind capturing.”

“Many of our neighborhood students read the ‘Almaden Times,’” adds Engle. “I saw the last article and was wondering how the teacher of the month was chosen. Now I know it’s an essay and I’m real proud of Lauren for doing that on her own.”

Following is the winning essay by Lauren Horst:

I want to tell you about my favorite teacher. Mrs. Anderson is my art teacher. She is always ready and willing to listen to you when you have questions and you can really tell that she has a love for teaching. We always do lots of fun and crazy art projects. Mrs. Anderson also leads the cornerstone group at our school. We help make the school a better place by doing projects. It is a big responsibility because we have about 30 kids in the group. Mrs. Anderson is always really thoughtful and whenever I get done early with a project she always lets me do extra credit things. She even lets me sit at her special "teacher assistant" table. She makes art...fun, goofy, cool, interesting, and never boring. Even when we have to learn about the painters that are boring and old she still makes it all interesting and lets us color while she is talking. She really brings everything to life and teaches us in such a way that is mind capturing. I don’t know any students that don’t like Mrs. Anderson. She has a lot of patience and is always sincere. Everyone looks forward to going to her class… it’s one of the best parts of the day! Mrs. Anderson is my all time favorite teacher, and brings a smile to everyone's face.

COULD YOUR TEACHER BE THE NEXT “TEACHER OF THE MONTH”?
The Almaden Times Weekly is accepting essays from students honoring the special teachers in their lives. We will make every effort to acknowledge every teacher and every essay which is sent in. Send us a short (maximum 300-word essay) on your teacher and how they have affected your life. This can be a past or present teacher. Teachers can be an elementary, middle or high school teacher who teaches at a school within the 95120 or 95118 zip codes. E-mail the essay to julie@times mediainc.com or fax the essay to (408) 494-7078. The editorial staff will choose an essay each month. The student’s essay will appear in the paper and the student will receive a gift certificate to McDonald’s. The teacher will be featured in the paper and receive a gift certificate to Pure Bliss Day Spa, Amato’s Pizzeria and Learning Express. Be sure to include your name, phone number, address and school at the end of your essay.