O'Farrell Middle School

Family D



The wonderfully talented--and modest--people you will meet in the following pages are the Members of Family D at O'Farrell Community School for Advanced Academicn Studies. The family consists of five core teachers, one cluster (no reference to appearance intended) teacher, and two student teachers. Most of our classes are fifty minutes long. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, in certain subjects, we have block classes of 100 minutes. A trip to one of our classrooms will land you in a quintessential model of ethnic and cultural integration: over sixty languages are represented; English is not uncommonly a second language. Our family (D) is a grand microcosm of our school: we attempt to develop in each student an awareness and acceptance of, and appreciation and respect for cultural and ethnic differences--and just plain diversity--by integrating our students in small groups that are balanced by race, gender, and academic and social ability.

These groups are created by placing four to six students at two or three tables; the groups being reshuffled periodically, thus requiring the students to develop relationships with a broad range of individuals. The students do extensive group work, during which they come to understand and learn about one another: the result being that they develop perspectives (via the need to complete class time projects) that, after a time, become essentially innate, integrated parts of who and what they are; parts that have been irrefutably programed into them by firsthand encounters--encounters that have shown them again and again that everyone has something to contribute, even if that contribution turns out to be a need for sympathy and help--a need which oftentimes gives the youthful givers a glimpse of something more than they have yet known themselves be--compassionate, sympathetic, giving individuals; and this is a worst case scenario. Most of the time things are upbeat and positive; strengths are drawn upon, duties are delegated, projects are completed--oftentimes with phenomenal results--and kudos are deserved; but plenty of kudos will seek out many of these students in later years.

A Little About The Teachers




Sue Gardner is our family leader, and actually if your reading this, you can call her Sue Ormsby--"as of the 8th of April, nineteen hundred and ninety-five, at 6:00 p.m ...," when she began " a life of love " with with Will Ormsby. It all began with an innocent, spontaneous trip to Vegas--as close as innocence ever came to that place. They didn't even like each other before that. Vegas makes people crazy--or was it when Sue fell asleep with her head in Will's lap while heading home. Anyway, Sue teaches science--or she did just before she acquired her wonderful student teacher, me, Lee Grove; more about me later. Sue has been teaching science for longer than she cares to--or did she say "longer than [she] can remember. Either way, it's been longer than her eldest middle-school students have been around. Sue's a no nonsense kinda gal: "When I'm talkin' you're not!" She manages a tough classroom better than most; the kids like her and respect her. For the past five or so years she's been teaching, a.k.a. living, at O'Farrell Middle School. The youngest of Sue's two daughter's, Amanda, 19, was also working at O'Farrell until recently (Dec. '95); she's at Long Beach State U. now, continuing an education she began at the junior college level: criminal law--I think. Well, enough about Sue.


Sherry Wachna is next on the line-up; she teaches Social Studies. She is originally from New York; and in that New York manner, has no problem getting right to the point. In fact, now that I think about it--not that my thinking has any effect on existential being--but now I'm thinking about it and I have realized that quite a few people at O'Farrell come from the east coast; Sue did too. Sherry has a couple of kids, one of which attends O'Farrell and is in our family; his name is Mike--nice kid. Sherry also has been teaching for a while; I have no idea how long, except to say she's been at O'Farrell for about as long as Sue; the two women go back a ways--and sometimes they forward; and sometimes around and around--in a small circle, discrete kind of way... .
Sherry has a wonderfully talented student teacher named Roberta Hobson. Roberta was recently quoted as saying: "We have a lot of laughs working together. I am her student teacher; my name is Roberta Hobson. This semester the kids created wonderful plays about the Civil War. At Christmas we took hand made cards and goody baskets to the elderly at Grossmont Gardens. The kids sang carols as we greeted each person and gave them their gift. This yearly event is so meaningful to the kids that several students that graduated to high school last year joined us again this year. We are now (March '95) studying the Constitution, and using flash cards, have created what we call "Constitutional baseball," a game that the kids can't wait to play. It's unbelievable how much kids learn when they are having fun!"


Well, while we're talking about Roberta, let's let her say a few words about herself: " I was very fortunate to be able to convince the school that they should investigate the possibility of letting student teachers work as substitutes when needed. Since I spend the whole school day with the kids, they respond to me as their "regular" teacher. The Department of Education approved the plan; and on a selected basis, four student teachers are now approved to be hired as substitute teachers. At this writing I am just finishing my first week as the substitute for Sherry Wachna who has the flu. What a terrific opportunity, and how smart of O'Farrell to institute the plan.(picture of me and Grits)This is me with my "Pretty Gritty" His name is really Grits, but his name evolved to pretty Gritty, among other things. He is an Austrailian Shepherd with some Greyhound. A real bundle of trouble. He has his own song. Sing Pretty Gritty to tune of Pretty Woman. He has a warm pink tongue and black rubber lips. Not much of a cuddler though.


Next, we need to consider the creative genius in the family, Clyde Yoshida. Clyde is Mr. Renaissance; he does it all, from art to Zen. Word has it that he'll be enjoying Fenway Park next year when he goes to Harvard for his Master's Degree. His students p articipated in a National Program called New Standards, which is a portfolio project that helps us all to be more aware of how mathematics works in the real world. They looked at misleading advertisements -- because of the way the word "average" was used. It turned out that not all people had an equal chance of winning the big bucks. His students are now (March '95) exploring cultures in San Diego, using research skills. Clyde wants students to be prepared with strong math skills but also to be able to communicate these abilities well. That Clyde is one smart guy. If you ever meet him, get him to show you his drawings--he's a wonderful artist.


Language Arts is taught by Ken Hughes. He is a first year teacher at O'Farrell. He was a student teacher here last year and worked with Sherry Wachna. Roberta went to school with Ken; they were in the Master's Program at San Diego State University toget her. Small world huh! Ken's first interdisciplinary project was a Time Capsule. Capsules included: personal goals for the year, personal health and physical characteristics, interest surveys, reflective writing, poetry and art. The first quarter ('95/ '95) investigated the theme of "Personal Discovery." Students were encouraged to participate in activities and assignments that focused on this theme by centering the project on an understanding and exploration of their personal selves. In studying the W estward Movement students focused on technological advances, the changing role of men and women, pioneers and the Oregon Trail. Students then developed a six framed story board where they illustrated and wrote about a historical event during this period. Ken is a high energy kind of guy.



Another member of the Family D clan is Hank Berthiaume, or Mr. B, as the students refer to him. We have no information on hank to include here, not so much because we don't know anything about him, which we don't, but because Hank, being our computer teach er, is morally opposed to cluttering up cyberspace with useless homepages.


Anthony Johnson is our P.E. teacher. I don't have much information on Anthony to offer you here. What I do know is he has two kids and a wife, and he grew up in this O'Farrell neighborhood of ours; he can relate to the life these kids face on a daily basis . He seems to connect well with the kids. I do know that Anthony is a talent scout for a pro baseball team, and he plays a little himself.



Evelyn Birt is what's called our "cluster substitute." I suppose cluster comes from the spectrum of duties she's expected to perform. Hers is a tough, often thankless job: no class of her own; no space of her own. She's initiated a couple of programs while at O'Farrell. One thing is a "skills" class that is as close as we get to tracking at O'Farrell. Basically, the skills class is substituted in the students' schedules in place of their electives. She's having a measure of success with the program: one bo y in particular who averages in the low to dismally low range on his work, recently scored 100% on his science test. Evelyn's other project was grounded for lack of spiritual support. She was attempting to get parents involved with the school, but didn't seem to get the support she felt would be necessary to get the project off the ground; it was scrapped.

Now you know a little about Family D--maybe a little more than some would find comfortable, but hey, I'm my own editor; and I'm Lee Grove.