Tamara: Working with At-Risk Students in Davis, California

I started this program two months after I graduated CSUCI and have
been working non-stop since! This program is accelerated so there is a
great deal of work, classes, and of course, student teaching. I am
currently student teaching at Hiram Johnson High School in
Sacramento, California. I teach an Intermediate ELD course and a
sophomore English course.

Many of my students come from poverty and struggle with gang issues,
drugs, and family problems on a day-to-day basis. Working with at-risk
students has been an amazing learning experience for me. I have gained
new perspectives and learned to adapt my teaching to cater to a diverse
range of student needs. The program has been phenomenal and I have
really grown in my abilities to manage a classroom and challenge
students with engaging, educational lessons.

I just signed a contract with the Woodland Joint Unified School District
to teach at Douglass Middle School in Woodland, California for next year,
which I am really excited about! I am graduating on June 11, 2008 with
my single-subject credentials and will (hopefully) receive my master's
degree in March 2009.

-Tamara Gershater
CSUCI Class of 2003