Marianne Marsh
Marlton Charter School
Los Angeles, CA

"I believe that the way to motivate students is to challenge them. That is easy to say, but there is a fine line between challenging students and frustrating them. I want students to read quality literature, because they will only get hooked on reading if they are exposed to the best. I don't believe in simplifying text or reading specially designed 'high-interest - low-level' materials, which rob the literature of its richness. The key is making sure that my students can be successful so that success will fuel their desire to learn more."

"We don't love Ms. Marsh because she is lenient or because her class is easy. Actually, it is the opposite: she is strict and her class is challenging - and that's why we all respect her. Most of all, that is why we learn so much from her."

Marianne makes it a point to challenge her students so that they may appreciate quality literature. One of her unique approaches is to retype books, ranging from Of Mice and Men to The Diary of Anne Frank. While retyping, she adds footnotes and pictures for key vocabulary words. This innovative effort has made the classics accessible to her students. Moreover, in an effort to further identify with her students, she learned American Sign Language (ASL), which has a completely different grammatical structure from the English language. "On a daily basis, when I read with my students -whether we're reading Stephen King or William Shakespeare - I translate the printed word into ASL," says Marianne.

Other Highlights:

• Categorical Program Advisor teaching 30 demonstration classes weekly Pre-k through 12+, 1998-2000
• Guest Lecturer at California Universities and California School for the Deaf, 1995-2000
• Recipient, Mattel Family Literacy Grant, 1998
• Member of Council on Education for the Deaf review panel for California State University, Northridge, 1997
• Presenter numerous times at the CAL-ED conference, 1993-99
• Co-recipient, Los Angeles Educational Partnership Innovation Grant, 1995
• Moderator, Communication Abuse Conference, 1992
• Member of CAL-ED, CAID, Council on Education of the Deaf
• Instructional Leadership Team Member at the school
• Part-time faculty, California State University, Northridge, 1996
• Fluent in American Sign Language