Alumnus Kevin Baldizon receives the Distinguished Mentor Award, chosen by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO), and is honored as part of the Salute to Teachers Gala, hosted by Cox Communications, on November 5. Baldizon received his master’s degree and single subject teaching credential at UC Santa Barbara’s Teacher Education Program that is part of the Gevirtz School in 2002. Baldizon has taught science for 13 years at Kermit McKenzie Junior High School in Guadalupe in Santa Barbara County and now serves as the dean of students.
The Distinguished Mentor Award is among the highest honor a teacher can receive in Santa Barbara County. The awards are designed to highlight and recognize exceptional instruction, leadership, and potential. Eric Van de Roovaart, who received the prestigious Distinguished New Educator award last year, nominated Baldizon for the Distinguished Mentor Award based.
A Salute to Teachers, the premier teacher recognition event held in honor of teachers countywide, was presented by Cox Communications and the Santa Barbara County Education Office on Nov. 5 at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara.
The Teacher Education Program at UC Santa Barbara offers the Multiple- Subject, the Single-Subject, and the Education Specialist Moderate/Severe Teaching Credentials with a Master’s Degree in Education. These programs provide future teachers with a solid theoretical foundation integrated with extensive fieldwork that leads to both a California State Teaching Credential and a Master’s Degree in Education. The programs are run as a cohort, with the elementary and secondary cohorts no larger than 50 students each. This allows for the individualized attention necessary for high-level preparation of reflective, skilled practitioners who can meet the needs of a diversity of learners in California schools. The Teaching Credential Programs are full-time, post-graduate programs that begin in June and conclude the following June. Teacher candidates have the option to work on the Master’s Degree concurrent with credential coursework. It is one of the highest quality programs in the nation, with state-of-the art practice grounded in partner schools, a focus on teaching to reach all learners, and teacher educators with established records of success.