Teachers

January KBAY Teacher of the Month

The KBAY Teacher of the Month program is a partnership between 94.5 KBAY FM and the San Jose Education Foundation, the leading education foundation serving students, families and teachers of San Jose.

Like you, we at KBAY believe that teachers have a tremendous impact on our children’s lives, so we created the KBAY Teacher of the Month program with the San Jose Education Foundation to honor South Bay teachers who are making a difference by creating memorable, interactive and enhanced learning experiences for their students.

The KBAY Teacher of the Month for January is Bobbe Maxey, who teaches 6th through 8th grade science at Willow Glen Middle School in San Jose. Bobbe will receive a $500 Innovation Grant for her classroom from the San Jose Education Foundation.

Audio Clip 

“I love turning students on to science, to see their reactions when they look through the microscope at cells, soil, or plants. I love to see how they act when they mix chemicals together to see the results.  I also love to see how they become absorbed in the books they are reading in my class.”

Bobbe Maxey has taught for nineteen years at both the high school and middle school level in San Jose. She has a degree in Biological Science with authorizations in Life Science, Horticulture, Forestry and General Science from San Jose State along with two Masters Degrees in Special Education and Literacy from San Jose State and Santa Clara Universities.

Bobbe will use her SJEF Teacher Innovation Grant to purchase materials for a ”Literacy via Gardening” project that will combine science concepts along with reading and writing activities. Her students will produce a book about the garden project.  “My students have never written a book before.  This opportunity will afford them the chance to write a book of their own choosing.  They will read many science books to get ideas about how to put their book together.  We will do many plant experiments to get more ideas about what to put into their books.”

Willow Glen Middle School is extremely diverse.  55% of Willow Glen Middle School students are free/reduced lunch students and all of her students are learning English as a second language.  “The biggest challenge I face every day in my classroom is preparing students to take the California State Tests.  I find it a challenge to listen to my Beginners read in English in such a choppy way.  I deal with this challenge by allowing my students to read for 10 minutes each day out of a leveled science book.  I know that by practicing to read, they will become better readers of English.”