Kevin Beiser has received many awards for his work with children, including San Diego Math Teacher of the Year and the “Outstanding Math Teacher 2008-2009” by the Greater San Diego Math Council and the Distinguished Service Award for commitment and support to the program for Gifted and Talented Education. Kevin was chosen by Granger students as the Most Inspirational and Most Caring Teacher. Kevin has been a leader in many different roles and has a proven track record of building coalitions to solve problems. Kevin earned a BA degree in political science with a minor in speech communications at Williamette University in Oregon. Kevin worked for several years in business management gaining valuable experience balancing budgets, making payroll and identifying opportunities to reduce expenses. Kevin returned to graduate school to fulfill his dream of helping children. Kevin earned his Master’s Degree in Education at the University of Phoenix in San Diego and has teaching credentials for both social sciences and mathematics. The Gay & Lesbian Times had a chance to ask Kevin about education and what matters most in his life.

GLT: What inspires you most about teaching?

KB: My children inspire me. Helping kids to learn and grow is incredibly rewarding. There is an amazing sense of joy and pride when you hear a student that has been struggling say, “Oh, I get it.” That ‘light bulb’ moment is priceless. It is also wonderful when students return years later to show their appreciation. I could go on and on here about the joys of teaching.

GLT: What is your philosophy as a teacher and what methods are most favorable to you?

KB: My philosophy is every child can learn. I know this to be true. The art of teaching is to figure out how to help them all learn. Recognizing that everyone learns differently, I strive to employ a variety of strategies. I utilize a wide variety of visuals, auditory, written and collaborative techniques to reach all my students.

GLT: What do you believe are the key components to becoming a great student?

KB: All my students are great! All my students want to learn and do a good job. They all want to graduate from high school and most of them aspire to attend college. The challenge then is for me to help them achieve their goals. They are all engaged in the classroom, working collaboratively with their math partners to learn, asking questions and helping one another. My students realize that it is ok to make mistakes and learn from them to improve. My students love test corrections, because then they can retake the quiz or test and raise their grade to reflect their improved level of understanding. Their ‘never give up’ attitude shows they understand that through dedication and perseverance they will overcome any obstacles and succeed in class and in life.

GLT: How about becoming a great teacher?

KB: Many of the same characteristics help educators. I always focus on ways to become a more effective professional educator. I enjoy reading books, analyzing data, working collaboratively, sharing ideas and trying to be better tomorrow than I am today.

GLT: What is your favorite book and math concept?

KB: I have so many favorite books, but some of them are 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey), Classroom Instruction that Works (Marzano), The Collaborative Teacher (DuFour, et al), Chicken Soup for the Soul (Canfield, Hansen). Many of my students really love The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (Covey).

My favorite math concept…I think my favorite pattern is the Fibonacci Series. Patterns of this can be found everywhere in nature! Leonardo Fibonacci in 1202 identified this pattern and examples of it can be found everywhere!! I also love the Golden Ratio too!

GLT: Why do you believe having an education is so important?

KB: This is a great question. I believe that education is the great equalizer in our society. It opens doors of opportunity and a better life. I grew up in poverty and knew that education would be the hammer to break the cycle of poverty. We have a moral obligation to ensure that our children have a quality education so that they too can achieve their full potential.

GLT: What are the educational needs of GLBT youth and how do they differ from heterosexual youth?

KB: Children all need the same things to succeed. Every child needs and deserves a safe place to learn. All of our children have a right to a positive learning environment. Many schools have created “safe zones” or “hate free zones” on their campuses to establish the expectation and set the tone that discrimination and hate will not be tolerated.

GLT: What are your favorite words of wisdom of all time?

KB: “Never doubt that a small group of committed individuals can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that has ever changed it” -Margaret Mead. This speaks to my sense of hope that we can improve and do better; I have always been an optimistic and hopeful person.

GLT: Kevin, thank you for your time. The Gay & Lesbian Times wishes you all the best and thanks you for all your efforts in teaching San Diego kids.

Dear Friends,

As a math teacher, I know we need to keep class sizes small. Our children shouldn’t pay for our budget mistakes with their education. As the only person in my family to graduate from high school and go on to college, I know firsthand that reducing our dropout rate is critical to our children’s future.

I grew up in a large family and learned at an early age the value of education as the hammer to break the cycle of poverty. With many of our children in San Diego schools living in poverty, we must ensure they receive a quality education so that they too can succeed and become contributing members of our community.

I will work hard to reduce class sizes, protect art, music and career vocational education, and improve graduation rates. On the School Board, I will work with parents, teachers, principals and support staff to improve education for all our children.

Before becoming a math teacher, I gained valuable experience in business management. For twelve years, I balanced budgets, worked to reduce expenses on profit and loss statements and met payroll obligations. The private sector is a very different experience which requires fiscal discipline and effective resource allocation. We must leave no stone unturned in our efforts to allocate more resources to the classroom and put our children first. For years, I have experienced the joy of helping students learn and grow. After teaching at Camp Barrett, a juvenile hall facility, and O’Farrell Community Charter School, I joined the team at Granger Junior High School in National City.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” and I strongly believe that we must help our children realize their dreams and achieve their goals.

Gratefully,

Kevin Beiser

Please visit www.KevinBeiser.com for more information.