Manjot Singh
Alumna Megan Heffernan and Manjot Singh will receive Distinguished New Educator Awards, chosen by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO), and be honored as part of the Salute to Teachers Gala, hosted by Cox Communications, on November 5. Both Heffernan and Singh are 2015 graduates of UC Santa Barbara’s Teacher Education Program that is part of the Gevirtz School. Heffernan graduated with a multiple subject credential and M.Ed., while Singh graduated with a single subject teaching credential in math and M.Ed. Heffernan works as a first grade teacher at Peabody School; Singh works as an eighth grade mathematics teacher at La Colina Junior High.
The Distinguished New Educator Awards are among the highest honors a teacher can receive in Santa Barbara County. The awards are designed to highlight and recognize exceptional instruction, leadership, and potential. Administrators, colleagues, or others who are acutely familiar with the nominee’s work are invited to nominate teachers for these awards. Distinguished New Educators must exhibit the following: exemplary instructional practice; ability to inspire and effectively interact with students; demonstration of innovative teaching methods and/or ability to overcome obstacles and inspire others; and, ability to engage in a continuous cycle of reflection and instructional improvement.
A Salute to Teachers, the premier teacher recognition event held in honor of teachers countywide, is presented by Cox Communications and the Santa Barbara County Education Office and will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 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.