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San Francisco Educator Surprised with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award
October 17, 2003
Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School
San Francisco, California
Every day, as Kathleen Vasquez crosses the Bay Bridge from her home in Oakland to the school in San Francisco where she teaches, she drives past a billboard for the California Lotto.
And that's precisely what she felt like she had won Thursday afternoon when she was surprised by the Milken Family Foundation with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award.
But unlike the Lotto, this was no random reward for picking the right numbers. It was a reward for all the excellent work she does each day as a teacher.
Mrs. Vasquez was the latest of 100 outstanding educators nationwide who are being surprised with the Milken Educator Award during National Notifications.
Lowell Milken prepares to hand the mike over to a still very emotional Kathleen Vasquez.
| Visibly moved by the announcement of her name, she blew kisses to her students as she walked up to Foundation Chairman Lowell Milken to accept her Award.
"It started for me when I was five," she said. "I decided I wanted to be a teacher and even created my own roll book. All through high school and college I studied teaching. I do love this profession."
She spoke of when she first came to Burton as a student teacher, saying "I fell in love with the students and the population."
She then thanked her principal, Fredna Howell, who "allowed me to stretch as head of the English department." She also thanked her students, her colleagues and her parents.
"I learned classroom management from my mom and dad," she said. "They taught me respect and classroom manners."
The world-renowned Burton choir kicks off their assembly with a song by the Jackson Five.
| A Glorious Day
Kathleen Vasquez's Award notification at Burton began with a performance by the school's world-renowned "Touch of Class" choir, which has performed across Europe and even at the White House.
Football hero Rosey Grier then addressed the assembled students, inspiring them with a positive message.
"Decisions — what an awesome word that is," he said, referring to decisions he had to make as a member of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome." "All your life, you're going to be facing decisions. If you make a mistake, don't just lie there. Get up and get back in the game!"
California State Superintendent Jack O'Connell
| California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell also had motivating words for the students at the assembly.
"There would be no energy crisis in the state of California if we could harness the energy of all you students!" he said.
The title of the assembly was "A Glorious Day." It was certainly an apt title for Kathleen Vasquez.
As head of the English Department, Mrs. Vasquez adjusts her teaching strategies to meet the individual needs of a wide range of students. She has held this position for four of the ten years she has been at Burton.
Kathleen Vasquez leads Lowell Milken and her students back to her classroom.
| Teaching at a school comprised primarily of minorities (one-third African-American, one-third Asian and one-third Latino), Ms. Vasquez combines her in-depth knowledge of the subject matter with instructional strategies that include reciprocal teaching, group projects, direct instruction and having students act as teachers.
Students' group discussion of their reading focuses on character, theme and related literature. They then break into small groups to work together on specified assignments.
She implemented double (back-to-back) English classes for all students in grades 9-10 and an academic literacy class for students in grades 9-11.
In her element: new Milken Educator Kathleen Vasquez in her classroom.
| To improve literacy among her 9th graders, she models a "think-aloud" reading strategy in which she selects part of a text, reads it out loud, stops and then thinks out loud about what went on in her head. She has the students practice the technique themselves, individually at first, then in pairs, after which they share questions with the entire class.
She is resourceful in finding solutions to instructional problems. When a teacher needed help finding and using literature on American Indians, Mrs. Vasquez invited an American Indian teacher as a keynote speaker. On another occasion, she invited an Arab-American teacher to speak about the war in Iraq.
As a result of her teaching methods, students’ performance on standardized tests has improved.
She is a mentor teacher and has guided student teachers from San Francisco State University. She is also a consultant for the university's Bay Area Writing Teacher Project and a cooperating teacher at UC Berkeley.
Veteran California Milken Educator Louise Jones (CA '90) congratulates Kathleen Vasquez as Lowell Milken looks on.
| Veteran California Milken Educators attending Mrs. Vasquez's Award notification—Kate Byrnes (CA '95), David Dierking (CA '91), Louise Jones (CA '90), Diane Whalen (CA '01) and Wilton Wong (CA '90)—took turns congratulating their new fellow recipient.
"It changed my life, as it will yours," said Ms. Byrnes, who used part of her Award to send her daughter to college. Her daughter is now a teacher. "If you thought you were a great teacher before, just wait till you see what happens now."
"This is an opportunity for you to continue your professional growth and to network with colleagues," said Mrs. Jones.
Congratulations to Milken Educator Kathleen Vasquez, one of the best teachers in the nation!
| "It is amazing how your life will change, and I don't just mean the money," said Ms. Whelan.
"You'll be on every committee now and three times busier," said Mr. Wong.
And as if to confirm that what was happening to Kathleen Vasquez was not a dream, David Dierking told her, "This is real."
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