Back to School with Liza Young

Teacher Liza (Elizabeth) Young, 30, was raised by parents with big hearts.

Growing up in Oakland, Young saw her parents go above and beyond to help children in need. They started an orphanage in Chennai, India. They adopted her three younger siblings from Latin America. “Growing up with that, I’ve always been rooting for the underdog,” said Young.

Not surprisingly, Young was drawn to teaching in a Title I school, which serves students who are economically disadvantaged. Once she received her teaching credential from CSU Hayward, Young began teaching in . With the exception of a short stint at Paden, Young has spent the past seven years at .

 “Liza is such an asset,” said Washington principal Judy Goodwin. “She’s such a great representative for AUSD.” Last spring, Young was chosen as AUSD's 2011 Teacher of the Year.

Tell me about your students. Washington has a great mix of kids. They are diverse in many ways — ethnicity, socio-economic background, life experience. Last year, my fifth grade students’ families came from nine different countries. About half of the kids were English language learners.

Washington is a Title I school. It’s definitely high need, but that’s why I’m here. I could have left and gone to a non-Title I school but they need someone working that much harder for them. I did my student teaching at . It was a wonderful experience and I loved it. I had the most amazing master teacher, Kelly Schroeder. But I can’t imagine being anywhere other than Washington. My heart is definitely in a Title I school.

Last year, I had the same group of 32 students for fifth grade. I looped up from fourth grade. I knew the students and their families so well! Especially at a Title I school, kids need a little bit more. When you know them that well, it’s a whole lot easier. My first few years in the upper grades were challenging. The kids are savvy. They can hide what they are not good at. When you know them, it saves you so much time at the beginning of the year. You already know where the issues might be.

Some people think teaching is easy. How do you respond to that? Come and try it! If you don’t put in the effort, teaching may not be a lot of work. You can skate by, it’s true. To make it so your kids are progressing as quickly as possible and getting the most out of it, it takes a lot more.

What does it take to be an effective teacher at this school? I had a student last year whose mom had cancer. I’m amazed he was able to learn anything. His mind and heart were definitely somewhere else. If that had been me, I would have been a shriveled-up little ball of mush. School was a place where he could leave that behind for a little while. When she passed away, he said “I don’t have a reason to dream any more.” That just broke my heart.

So I wrote a letter to the Warriors — he’s a huge fan — and asked if they would send an autographed picture from one of his favorite players. The Warriors sent a picture of his two favorite players, high-fiving one another. That made such a difference. He was crying when he got it. He kept that picture on his desk. That’s the kind of stuff that tells him school is a good place, that he’s going to want to keep coming and making that effort. Yes, there are crummy things that happen that you can’t control. But there are a lot of people who care about you and support you and want you to be successful.

How do you find the time to do things like that? I admit I often stay too late. Most days, I don’t leave until 6 p.m. Even then, I take work home. There are plenty of nights I’m here until 7:30 or 8. If there’s something I want to do with my kids, I stay and do it. It’s silly to say teachers work from 8 to 3. At a Title I school, if you’re not willing to do the extra hours, you should go somewhere else. They need the extra.

What important principles do you follow in teaching? Just do your personal best. My class, the students are all at different levels. Adults will say you have to have As in everything. But if you look at adults, most of them aren’t superior in everything. You don’t have to be outstanding in everything. And if you’re doing your personal best, you’re going to improve and it’s going to get easier. And when the kids realize,"Oh, I used to be stinky at math and now I can do it," that’s where they really start to grow.

Modeling makes the difference. I tell them I’m giving my personal best. They will ask me if I can do something and I say yes. It means I’ll be here until 7 p.m. I’m modeling the lifelong guidelines and hopefully they see that. If I want them to put in the effort to progress, then I have to also. When I won the Teacher of the Year award, they realized all that hard work pays off. I said, I work hard for you. I care about all of you and your success and that you have fun learning. It pays off.

I’m always trying new things. You have to. People who pull out the same box and do the same thing every year — you’re going to get bored. And if you’re bored, your kids are going to be bored. You have to keep it new.

Sounds like you have to be very adaptable. You have to be. Some things you can’t plan until you meet your kids. You need to figure out, how am I going to hook this one? How to get her to take a bite?

One of my students, who has Asperger’s, struggled with social skills. She was also very hands-on and tactile. I notice her making a lanyard and asked her to teach others how to make them. (I’d gotten some lanyard materials through Donors Choose). That was the best thing ever for her. She made 1,001 friends. And because she was successful with her peers, she was more ready to learn. If you feel on edge, you’re not going to be as curious about what you’re learning.

How did you feel about receiving the Teacher of the Year award? When I won, it was a wonderful surprise. I’ve only taught for seven years. I didn’t think it was going to happen at all.

When I was nominated, I said thanks, but no thanks! I don’t like the spotlight on me. But the teacher who nominated me convinced me to go through the process. She said Washington needs some recognition. Our school has a reputation that is not really warranted. We tell people we have great teachers and great kids and a great community. But it says more when one of us is nominated for Teacher of the Year.

What do you hope for your students? I have teachers I remember. And I hope they remember me. I want them to grow up and think public schools are good schools. They’re places where you can get a good education. Especially heading into middle school, I want them to like school, to send them off with some confidence, a desire to learn, the confidence to raise their hands and ask a question, and to have that spark.

Liza Young and Teachers of the Year from 17 other Alameda County school districts and Regional Occupational Programs will be honored for their excellence in classroom instruction Oct. 6 in a ceremony sponsored by the county's Office of Education. For more information about the celebration, or to register to attend the ceremony, click here.

Read an interview with last year's AUSD winner, John Nolan of Island High School, who went on to be named one of two Alameda County Teachers of the Year for 2010.