A instructor who performs with deaf and tricky-of-listening to pupils at Ralph Dunlap Elementary School in Orcutt was named Santa Barbara County Education and learning Office’s 2023 teacher of the calendar year Thursday.
Joanna Hendrix was picked from a pool of instructors nominated by just about every faculty district in the county or self-nominated, and her collection was declared at the County Board of Training Meeting.
Employed by the County Training Place of work for 21 decades, Hendrix is a exclusive education teacher serving preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten learners from the Santa Maria and Orcutt areas.
Her classroom is housed on the Ralph Dunlap Elementary University campus inside of the Orcutt Union University District and is a single of 17 exclusive education preschool school rooms operated countywide by the County Education and learning Place of work.
“I’m exceptionally humbled and honored to have been picked for this prestigious recognition,” Hendrix claimed. “I hope that all through the coming calendar year, I have the chance to spotlight all of the techniques that the Santa Barbara County Education Business office group supports students with disabilities and students within specific packages in each district … .”
Joanna Hendrix, who teaches deaf and hard-of-hearing college students from the Santa Maria and Orcutt spots, has been named the Santa Barbara County Office of Education’s 2023 teacher of the calendar year.
She explained these consist of adaptive P.E. experts, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, audiologists, school nurses, interpreters, paraprofessionals, college psychologists, vision professionals, exclusive education lecturers and teachers of the deaf.
Susan Salcido, county superintendent of educational facilities, claimed Hendrix is an exemplary trainer as she introduced her with a commemorative plaque.
“Our selection committee was unanimous in choosing Ms. Hendrix from a really amazing pool of candidates and extraordinary finalists,” Salcido stated. “Ms. Hendrix embodies all of people qualities the most exemplary academics possess. She produces community and connection in the classroom and beyond.
“Her unique expertise in language acquisition and enhancement — and in developing meaningful interactions with her learners and their people — help her learners to thrive, improve and specific by themselves with self-assurance,” she explained.
Hendrix obtained her bachelor of arts degree in communication sciences and ailments, with an emphasis on deaf education and learning, and grasp of arts degree in deaf training from California State College, Fresno.
She teaches college students with a range of listening to capability, language advancement and literacy abilities from culturally and linguistically various homes wherever the languages spoken consist of American Indicator Language, English, Spanish and Mixtec.
Numerous get there in her classroom with insufficient early language publicity, ensuing in absent or weak language foundations, a County Instruction Business spokesperson explained.
Hendrix mentioned her philosophy of educating entails cultivating solid, personalised interactions with pupils and their people.
“My philosophy on teaching is basic and uncomplicated: associations 1st, everything else 2nd,’’ she stated, incorporating that incorporates making dwelling visits and speaking with parents digitally about their child’s every day development at faculty.
She learns each and every family’s strengths and requires, which she then attempts to assistance them solve.
Hendrix identified as her classroom a “place of transformations.”
Joanna Hendrix, left, is presented with the Santa Barbara County Instruction Office 2023 Teacher of the Year Award by Judy Frost, chair of the County Board of Training, as Superintendent of Universities Susan Salcido applauds at Thursday’s board conference.
“My classroom place is an extension of my property,” Hendrix extra. “I intention for our house to be inviting, harmless, inclusive, obtainable and a visually stimulating atmosphere, a place that lets for shared areas to perform and discover equally independently and cooperatively, a place exactly where language is accessible, and where by my pupils can blossom and prosper.”
Marybeth Carty, a member of the County Board of Education and learning who served on the variety committee this calendar year, explained in the committee’s classroom observation, they observed Hendrix “skillfully and playfully produce a lesson program that utilized numerous learning modalities and multiple languages.”
“She concurrently spoke English, Spanish and American Signal Language though actively utilizing system language,” Carty reported.
Most likely the greatest praise came from a former student.
“I can honestly say that I have not met any teacher like Joanna, who is a accurate definition of a trainer that each and every college student really should have,” said Antonia Rodriguez-Nuñez. “I genuinely think that I would not be where by I am nowadays devoid of the encouragement and lifelong lessons that I have been given from Joanna.”