Kristine Guzman
Editor’s note: Part of a continuing series of stories in May profiling the award-winners of El Concilio Family Service 2012 Latino Leadership awards — “Excellence in Education.” The awards gala will be held on Friday, June 1, 2012 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Click here or call 805-486-9777 for more information.
Amigos805 staff reports
Kristine Guzman, who teaches at Will Rogers Elementary School in Ventura, has been honored as Ventura County Teacher of the Year.
“She’s all about meeting the needs of every student, inside and outside of her classroom,” said Patricia Short, principal at Will Rogers. “She’s this total teacher package — enthusiastic, relentless, determined and selfless.”
Guzman comes up with innovative ways to constantly engage her young, diverse audience, Short said. She breaks new ground every school year with enrichment classes that range from art to animals to gardening. This ‘out-of-the-box’ thinker will even use personal money to purchase supplies needed for classes and clubs she has pioneered.
“She is a teacher leader and is always enthusiastic,” Short said. “She embraces workshops and gets everyone excited about it. She is dedicated to meeting the needs of students ‚— not just in her class, but the whole school.”
“Children are our most valuable resource and yet they are often disregarded in a society that measures its wealth in dollars,” Guzman was quoted in a nomination statement. “As a young mother I came to this realization and made the choice to become an advocate for them. This led me to teaching, which has become my passion in life.”