RSJ’s top teacher doesn’t stop with language arts
When students who graduate from Rancho San Justo Middle School
look back at their middle school careers, they will surely have
fond memories friends, extracurricular activities and teachers who
strived to make a difference.
RSJ’s top teacher doesn’t stop with language arts
When students who graduate from Rancho San Justo Middle School look back at their middle school careers, they will surely have fond memories friends, extracurricular activities and teachers who strived to make a difference.
For the past 18 years Kathy Larabell has been teaching students language arts, but more than that she teaches them to take risks and expose themselves to things they might not otherwise try.
“[Kathy Larabell] works hard both during school and after school to enhance the student experience at Rancho,” said Donald Knapp, the Rancho San Justo Principal. “She started the after-school Literary Club, where students are encouraged to write stories and poems that are published annually.”
Larabell was selected as Rancho San Justo Teacher of the Year for 2006. It is her dedication to the students and her passion to see her students try new things that Knapp said really defined her character.
“I want the kids to see the world that is waiting for them out there,” Larabell said. “With the literary club the club members do all the typing and editing and artwork themselves. Plus they get to see their work in print. I really enjoy seeing that. It allows them to interact with their peers throughout the school, not just in my class, as well as the other teachers. Some of the work in the past has been written in Spanish and last year one student submitted a piece in Tagalog and this year a student submitted a piece in her Native American language. It really exposes the kids to diversity.”
Larabell started out helping with the yearbook class and then did the yearbook and student newspaper, but when the paper disbanded she was looking for another activity that could reach the students that aren’t interested in athletics or music.
This is the third year Rancho has offered the Literary Club and during that time the club has grown from a quaint seven students to a whopping 30.
“It’s a labor of love,” Larabell said.
In addition to the Literary Club Larabell has also been involved with the Eisenhower Foundation. She described the program as one where teachers nominate students who display outstanding characteristics that could make them leaders in the future and the students apply themselves to the program. If they are accepted they get to travel to Washington D.C. and experience the sights while bonding with their peers from all over the United States.
Students return from the program with an expanded sense of what is out there and what opportunities can be obtained if one applies oneself.
“I really want the kids to be able to see that there is an entire world out there,” Larabell said.
She has also done much over the past four years to get her students involved with the school spelling bees.
“I encourage each of my students to participate in the spelling bees for extra credit,” Larabell said. “It doesn’t matter whether they win or not as long as they participate. Through this I try to get the kids to take risks. I’m trying to sell the idea that it’s not all about coming in first, it’s all about participation.”
