Bronwyn Baker is our December Teacher of the Month!

It’s December and during this holiday season, we are reflecting on the accomplishments of this year. We don’t want this year to end without celebrating our Teacher of the Month, Ms. Bronwyn Baker. Ms. Baker is a teacher at Starr King Elementary, an 826 Valencia partner school, and has been a teacher for five years.We are delighted to celebrate her and highlight the work she has been doing at Starr King this month!

Ms. Baker is a very caring teacher who is dedicated to her students. A colleague writes that “[Ms. Baker] knows almost every students’ name in the school. Students love checking in with her because of her warm, inviting attitude!” She also establishes trust among her students and provides them with individualized attention. Ms. Baker is dedicated to building strong relationships at Starr King, and she even uses her lunch hour to bring students together in what she calls “lunch bunches,” where students connect and share. 

Ms. Baker is also an inspirational leader in her school community and works hard to help her coworkers. A colleague shares that [Ms. Baker] “goes out of her way to make her classroom a space where teachers can trade ideas, learn from her, and talk through lessons. She listens carefully to ideas and provides feedback.” This motivates her coworkers to be better teachers and helps them improve their teaching to benefit the students they support. In addition, Ms. Baker leads and organizes the student council which offers students leadership opportunities at school. One of her previous students shares that she “listens to each students’ ideas… She is encouraging, caring, and because of her help in student council, my vocabulary has increased.” Through this work with the student council, Ms. Baker is also a mentor to many students in the school community. One student shares that to them, “Ms. Baker is the best teacher in the world.” 

Ms. Baker is very student-centered in her work as an educator. For instance, one of her colleagues shares that Ms. Baker “is always reading books on pedagogy to try to make her work in the classroom more impactful.” Ms. Baker also makes social emotional learning a priority in her classroom. A colleague writes that “In [Ms. Baker’s] classroom, students learn how to identify their feelings, solve problems, increase their independence, and become more reflective.” In her classroom, Ms. Baker meets [students] where they are and provides them with scaffolds so that they can meet the objectives. She analyzes student work and regularly alters lessons to ensure that her lessons are student-centered.”

We are thrilled to celebrate Ms. Bronwyn Baker as our Teacher of the Month! Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication, Ms. Baker!