Teachers

KBAY Teacher of the Month

Nominate teacher for KBAY’s Teacher of the Month

Click here to see who was named KBAY’s Teacher of the Month in prior months

The KBAY Teacher of the Month for November is Andrea Neff, who teaches a first and second grade combination class at Santa Teresa Elementary School in the Oak Grove School District. Andrea has been teaching for three years following a career in marketing communications in the biotechnology field. Andrea will receive her second Teacher Innovation Grant for her class from the San José Education Foundation.

“I love the opportunity to work with children and make a difference in their lives and the lives of their families. I enjoy seeing children have what I call the “ah-ha” moments, where they final understand a new concept and show me their excitement on their cute little faces.

love when they walk out of the door at the end of the day and tell moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas that they learned something new and they are so excited because Mrs. Neff taught them about kaleidoscopes and bending light or something that they will hopefully remember for a long time.”

Andrea will use her SJEF grant to allow her students to take part in an outdoor interactive learning experience at the Youth Science Institute. “The San José Education Foundation Innovation Grant will provide a wonderful opportunity for students to learn science in a visual, auditory, and tactile manner. Therefore, this opportunity will reach all types of learners in a fun and engaging hands-on presentation and tour. Typically, students are taught these standards through textbooks, photographs, and minimal models in the classroom setting This experience could very well be the first and only time some students have had such an opportunity.”

Santa Teresa Elementary School in located in South San José and houses twenty-seven classes in Kindergarten through Grade Six. It is also the home to three Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) special education classrooms.

“As an elementary school teacher in the Oak Grove School District, my responsibility is to teach general education. This includes core curriculum such as Reading and Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Additionally, our school teaches writing through Writer’s Workshop, P.E., Art, and music.”

“I feel the most challenging part of being a teacher is the limited time we have the children in our classroom and the growing demands of education. As a teacher, I find ways to teach the curriculum in a manner that allows my class to get the most “bang for our buck” so to speak. For example, I sometimes incorporate social studies themed stories within my reading block to ensure I have the opportunity to cover the standards. I put forth a lot of time and energy to ensure that each activity, lesson, or story I read has a direct value to my students.” This SJEF grant will help Andrea meet this challenge.

Congratulations to Andrea Neff, KBAY’s Teacher of the Month for November.