Assemblyman Jose Solorio’s wife, Roselinn (Linn) Lee, teaches at Santa Ana’s Valley High School. This Friday, Oct. 22, she is going to receive a prestigious “Apple of Gold” Excellence in Education Award at the annual Hispanic Education Endowment Fund dinner, which is always held at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel.
Congratulations to Linn Lee and the entire Solorio family!
A reception begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. Cost is $125 a person. For reservations, call 949-553-4202 ext. 28. Click here to read more about the HEEF dinner.
The Orange County Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) provides community and financial support for students at all levels along the education continuum. An unprecedented initiative for Orange County, HEEF has been established to support scholarships, programs and institutions that respond to the needs of Hispanic youth in order to inspire, enhance and improve educational opportunities.
HEEF’s goal is to enhance educational opportunities and resources at early ages to reduce school dropout rates and to improve students’ educational expectations and opportunities. The Fund is a resource to academically talented Hispanic youth that need to overcome barriers to a college degree.
Since 1996, HEEF has awarded over $1.4 million in scholarships to over 1,150 deserving individuals.
Valley High School
•API: 564.
•Percent of students proficient in English: 20.7.
•Percent proficient in math: 34.3.
•Graduation rate: 81.2.
MQ says:
If any body has half a brain and can understand these number’s; she should not abe getting a reward; she should be fired with the whole bloody facility!
This is an absolute disgrace!
That is silly. She is a very good teacher by all accounts. Who knows how much worse those numbers would be without her?
See this is why I would never vote for you to be on the SAUSD council!
This shocks me; you not so much!
I have never heard this woman speak up regarding these awful, awful number’s only 34.3 percent proficient in Math!!!!!
20.7 percent English proficient???
I would be screaming bloody murder if I worked at that school, not excepting an award!!!
How many kids graduated under her watch with these numbers????
She is not a good teacher, she is complacent and well paid for it!
Michelle,
That is just complete BS. You don’t know her. You don’t know her work. She may well be the best teacher on that campus.
I am running to bring change to the district, but that does NOT include getting rid of good teachers!
I may not know her; what I do know is that she has NEVER spoken up about her schools very poor performance!
So that tells me she either does not care or cares but does not have the guts to say anything!
For too many years too many kids have come out of SAUSD without a hope in hell! We need to be awarding kids for doing well in school; not awarding teachers who are apart of a failing district!
It’s about the kids Art, not the adults!
I would fire her in a second, just based on her record of belonging to an awful institution without saying a word about it!
Like I said, if she has any integrity at all she would refuse the award; but my guess is she will except it with a big false smile!
Linn is so cool! She told me a few years ago that she is “Jose’s progressive alter-ego.” She helped me put together a Santa Ana event for single-payer health care. I had almost forgotten how cool Jose’s wife is. Hi Linn!
A liberal, now I know why she has not said anything!
This is why I want public education scraped; too many dumb liberals running the show and the result is SAUSD!
Thanks for the clarification Vern!
Those numbers come from the education system, the same system that runs the “Success in Failure” system used to extort Additional funds from the state for high salaries are perks for the top management.
A single teacher or even an entire school of teachers can not complete or change such a entrenched system of self entitlements.
You are half right!
The highest paid teachers in Orange County are Santa Ana teachers and then Orange, Anaheim!
Irvine teachers get less than Santa Ana teachers???????
What was said to me by Marsha Brown assistant super for Orange (no longer there!) “non-English students make the district more money than English students”. That is why the close school who are occupied by mostly American citizen children. That is why Ms. Harman Assistant to the Principle at Handy Elementary stated to me “The district encourages white flight”.
Teachers know that QEIA, Title 1 is good for them and that is why Ms.Lee could not care less or has no intention of ever saying anything about the corruption that is taking place in the public schools not only in orange county but throughout this state and country!
The teachers are the one’s teaching and they are responsible for the education of the children not the administrators!
No more passing the buck!
Oh, just to add!
The teachers are quick to get out and protest when it comes to the cutting of their pay, but not a peep when it comes to the disfunction of the educational system in which they teach!
I would fire every single teacher in Santa Ana and rehire teachers who proved their ability to teach by taking “Teaching evaluation test’s” evaluate past student performance! Then I would make it mandatory for parents to show up at Parent/teacher conferences or their WIC.Calworks would be revoked!
Uniforms and no police presence in the schools…Known gang member’s in schools would be shipped to juvenile hall were their disruptive little asses belong!
SAUSD is not a day care center for Mexico’s rejects it’s a learning institution for Americans future!
Michelle,
I know Linn Lee very well. I worked with her at Valley High school for ten years before leaving secondary education to teach at the college level. Normally I would not involve myself in this discussion, but I am concerned about your comments.
My children attend school in a predominantly upper middle class area. My experience so far has been extremely disappointing. The teachers are ill equipped to deal with students who struggle with the curriculum. Their answer is to get outside tutoring.
My children attend one of the “best” schools in this district, and I can honestly say that teachers here are not as well trained as the teachers in Santa Ana. People who choose to work in a more challenging environment have to be dedicated to making a difference.
Linn Lee is one of the hardest working teachers I know. She also teaches at a school that has far more challenging students than any other school in SAUSD. She has not and will not give up on her students. That is why she became a teacher.
Clearly you do not understand the hard work and dedication it takes to be a teacher, otherwise you would not be so quick to judge Linn. Your argument for evaluating teachers on past student performance is the same as evaluating dentists. A dentist can work on your teeth, fix them, give you the information you need, but he/she cannot go home and brush/floss your teeth. Do you blame your dentist for your poor dental hygiene every time you have a cavity?
“I am concerned about your comments.”
MQ says:
No disrespect intended, but since you are an educator are you not more concerned with the fact that Ms. Lee is part of an institution that are failing thousands of children each year????
“The teachers are ill equipped to deal with students who struggle with the curriculum. Their answer is to get outside tutoring.”
MQ says:
Teaching is not brain surgery and for some reason we are lead to believe it is!
Teachers who have all sorts of training can be less effective than teachers with little training. Teaching is a technique; without an ability to connect with the children all the degree’s on this planet will not make a difference!
“Linn Lee is one of the hardest working teachers I know. She also teaches at a school that has far more challenging students than any other school in SAUSD.”
MQ says:
Are her students retarded?
The answer to that question is No!
What is happening is that districts have figured out, it is better to keep children in ESL classes for years! Children in a lot of districts are being taught to speak english and are deprived of a basic education to benefit from federal grants. Ms lee I am sure is well aware of this fact!
Prop 127 was meant to force the public schools to get the children out of ESL as soon as possible. A lot of districts evade this law for a reason!
“A dentist can work on your teeth, fix them, give you the information you need, but he/she cannot go home and brush/floss your teeth. Do you blame your dentist for your poor dental hygiene every time you have a cavity?”
MQ says:
What you are saying here is exactly what I State all the time, except I can actually say it without using a cute analogy; not only are the schools failing the kids, so are the parents!
It is the JOB of a teacher to teach the children, and if there is factors that prevent her to do so it is her/his duty to speak up and resolve the matter!
A nurse would not expect her patient to go home sick, it is her duty to make sure the patient is well enough to do so!
No one is saying it is an easy job, but if the school in which you teach is as dysfunctional as Valley High is, it is the duty of the teachers to do something about it…After all it looks like the parents could not give a shit and that is what you meant by your dentist story!
Thank you Ruth for your time! If you do talk with Mrs Lee pass on my message!
You obviously feel very passionate about education and the plight of Santa Ana schools. I agree with you that teachers have to be able to connect with students to be successful. Ms. Lee has been able to do that successfully. The evidence is based on what I witnessed while working with her and the overwhelming student support she received at the awards ceremony.
My “cute” analogy was meant to respond to your assertion that teachers, are somehow completely responsible for the failures of their students. You are correct in saying that a nurse makes sure that his/her patient is well enough to go home, but can they guarantee that a patient will take care of themselves once the patient gets home? That is unrealistic. To believe that teachers are the problem is unfair. Can educators and school districts do more for their students? Absolutely! Linn Lee is one of those teachers who is constantly trying to improve and provide her students with the resources they need to be successful. That is why she is being acknowledged for her efforts.
I agree that the state of education today is very frustrating, but bashing a teacher who is working hard to make a difference isn’t helping. Linn is part of the solution, not the problem. I challenge you to become part of the solution as well. You are obviously very concerned and passionate about this issue. As you stated before, teaching is not that difficult. Maybe it’s time for you to step it up too.
“You obviously feel very passionate about education and the plight of Santa Ana schools. I agree with you that teachers have to be able to connect with students to be successful. Ms. Lee has been able to do that successfully. The evidence is based on what I witnessed while working with her and the overwhelming student support she received at the awards ceremony.”
MQ says:
I am more than passionate about it Ms Gutierrez, I seem to be the only one who might be willing to do something about it! I am not saying Ms Lee is a bad teacher, I am saying that if she value the integrity of her profession she would be the one as passionate about the plight of children being passed out of a system that is designed to fail!
I know fair well that it is not only the teachers/public schools in Santa Ana that is the problem. It all starts in the home Ms. Gutierrez and obviously in Santa Ana there is a lack of responsible parents!
“I agree that the state of education today is very frustrating, but bashing a teacher who is working hard to make a difference isn’t helping. Linn is part of the solution, not the problem. I challenge you to become part of the solution as well.”
MQ says:
The only way to solve this mess is hold both the teachers and the parents responsible for a school that should be closed and restructured, instead of a school that constantly under achieves and where the teachers win awards!
I have no interest in teaching, but I do have a strong desire to stop the abuse and use of children in the public schools in Santa Ana and else where!
The kids no longer need a friend and their parents no longer need a social worker…The parents need a reality check and the kids need a leader and an advocate!
As far as the teachers are concerned they need to do the job that they were hired to do and if the job is not sufficient then its time to go!
Again thank you for your time!
Michelle,
After reading through all the threads and discussions, I would have to say that I agree with you to a point. As an alumni of SAUSD and a former employee/teacher (classified and certificated), I know and understand where SAUSD has failed and where we can actually be.
There are a plethora of great, competent and caring teachers and staff in Santa Ana. I do agree however, that there is a great disconnect between the teacher/student relationship that leads to students not being motivated with a careless attitude about school and work. I agree that it must start at the home, but the reality is that in most cases, it doesn’t. I strongly feel that teachers need to understand that we are one of the only constants in the lives of the majority of these kids in Santa Ana. Believe it or not, these students WANT to be at school, because it’s better than being at the home. Teachers need to play off that desire and find a way for students to buy into the system and utilize extrinsic motivation in order for them to create and establish that intrinsic motivation.
I taught at Valley High School last year, and that was my first year there. I came in with high expectations and goals for my students, knowing what I was getting into. I appreciated the hard work that Linn did alongside the small handful of us that formed the CST Motivational Committee in order to assist in raising test scores. I know Valley may appear as a disappointment to you and many in our community (I also live in Santa Ana), but they made great gains last year. If you go to my website, you can see the improvement that took place in my class. My classes were made up of many ELL learners, continuation school students, county school students, students on probation, students with long discipline records, students who did not care and students who were not able to achieve in other classes and were then transferred to me. I think this is a true testament that the kids in Santa Ana do care and want a better future. We just need to find a way to train teachers to understand the students on that level.
In my honest opinion, the training and development that is provided by the district is pointless. We are trying to figure out ways to tap into the different learning styles of the students (audio, visual, kinesthetic) and finding ways to differentiate for all students to succeed. We are spending countless dollars on these trainings that teachers are forced to attend. No matter how you differentiate, a student who does not care will not care audibly, visually or kinesthetically.
Unfortunately, it is the administration at the district level that determines the route that is going to be taken in order to reach achievement. Rather than listening to the teachers who work countless hours in the trenches, they hire consultants and people outside in order to give training on how to understand the students of SAUSD. For years, we say that we are a unique district compared to the rest of OC. If we are so different, why do we get people from the outside looking in to train?
Teacher accountability is key to this and I would agree with you in some aspects there Michelle. In all honesty, when students in my class fail, I point the finger at myself first, because I truly feel that it is my sole responsibility for them to achieve in my class. However, the accountability must fall also on the administration. Throughout the discussion so far, it seems that everyone concentrates on the teachers, the students and the parents. Through my M.A.Ed. program and my M.B.A. program, I have learned that a great organization/business has to have strong leaders. A strong army must have dedicated and passionate generals. A strong district must have strong leadership. I think that is what Santa Ana is lacking. Morale is low district-wide with frustration on a rise, which in the end, students suffer.
I am in agreement that SAUSD teachers get paid a lot. When I resigned, I found out that I get paid over $600 for one days work. Let’s be honest with ourselves, we do get paid well. On average, teachers work roughly from 8:00 AM till 3:00 PM (7 hours). We get approximately 30 minutes for lunch and a prep period (this will vary by school). In actuality, we only work about 5.45 hours a day. We work for roughly 180/183 days, which ends up only being about 1,000 hours compared to the total 8,760 hours in a whole year, due to the winter break, spring break, summer break and all the other holidays we have off, plus 10 sick days a year. So as a teacher breaking it down to actual hours worked, I think I got $120/hour. Yes, I put in much more hours than that, coming in by 7:00 AM and staying as late as 10:00 PM, but that’s a personal choice, not one that is required. Many teachers do that as well, putting in more time that is required of them, because they truly care about the success of their students.
Michelle, you are right, we get paid a lot for what we do, which is not brain surgery. However in Santa Ana, there is absolutely no equity. If cuts are being made, there is no rationale for any raises to take place. During a time of declining enrollment and budget reduction, there were some raises being given to district administrators. Titles were changed from director to executive director with $$$ attached. In all honesty, what’s the point of leaders if there is no one to lead? You are laying off so many directly from the school site and yet raises are being given to those not directly at the schools? The directive was given from the SAUSD School Board to the Budget Reduction Committee to keep as much cuts away from the schools as possible. What happened there?
In order to truly fix Santa Ana, we must start from the top and move down. Imagine a tower of Jenga. If I continue to pull the blocks one-by-one starting with the bottom row, I guarantee you by the fourth block the tower will topple (I don’t care how good you are at the game). That is the direction that Santa Ana is heading in. We need to start with the top in order for us to make change. Remember, we are a business and a business is only as good as its leader. If I had the top position as Superintendent, I would lead by example and voluntarily take a 20% pay cut to show that I am a team player.
My heart and soul has been with Santa Ana. In the short 27 years of my life, Santa Ana has been home to me. Born and raised, attending schools and coming back and working here. Many may not agree with me and my philosophy, but kids in Santa Ana can ALL succeed, and it is our job as teachers to find that desire and goal out of them and do what it takes to get them to believe that they can, so that they will. However, we can only do so much when our orders are given from the top. Santa Ana MUST fix the top in order to get to the bottom of this madness. That is why I chose to run for school board.
As a write-in candidate, I know my chances are slim, even though I do have the support of many parents and students in Santa Ana. Win or lose, I want to help this district move towards greatness. As a teacher I did that (with my test scores as evidence).
Michelle, I would like to talk to you though in order to get your ideas and thoughts in order to move forward.
http://rtran4sausdboard.webs.com/