Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009
Alview-Dairyland school district welcomes 3 new teachers
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ReprintStudents at the Alview-Dairyland Union School District greeted three new teachers Monday morning.
The new staff members, Jennifer Machado, Jesica Weatherman and Ron Martin, were welcomed to the Dairyland campus.
Jennifer Machado is teaching fifth/sixth grade at Dairyland School. This is her first year teaching and she is excited to have the opportunity to teacher a fifth/sixth grade combination class.
Machado was born in Merced and grew up on the family dairy. She says despite her agricultural background, her parents, Tony and Lorraine Machado, always saw her desire for education. They encouraged her to become a teacher.
Machado attended Golden Valley High School and became extremely active in the FFA Organization. She became an Agricultural Ambassador once she began Merced College. After she graduated from Merced, she transferred to California State University, Fresno and continued to earn her bachelors degree in Liberal Studies. She graduated in may 2007. She then earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education in December of 2008.
In January she taught fourth grade English Language Arts in the Merced City School District.
Now, I'm excited to be at Dairyland with their wonderful staff and students," Machado stated. "The entire school has been so helpful in this new process."
On top of teaching for her first year, Machado will be getting married in December. She notes then she will be moving to the community of Chowchilla. "I look forward to an exciting and fun filled school year," she stated.
Jesica Weatherman is a new fourth grade teacher at Dairyland School. This will be her first year teaching and she is looking forward to a wonderful year.
Weatherman was born in Dos Palos and raised in Merced. She attended John Muir Elementary, Tenaya Jr. High and graduated from Merced High School in 1994.
"As a young girl my mom always told me that I would make an excellent teacher, so it was ingrained in me to be just that," she stated. "Little did I know how much I would love working with young people."
After graduating from high school, Weatherman began attending Merced Jr. College and graduated in 1997 with her AA in Liberal Studies. She then attended California State University, Stanislaus where she earned her BA in Early Childhood Education. I graduated from Stanislaus in 2000 and decided to put her teaching career on hold to raise her children. She and her husband have been married for 14 years and she has been a stay at home mom for the past eight and a half years. "I have truly enjoyed spending this time with my two children, Joshua, 8, and Emily, 6. She enjoys spending time with her family, being involved in her church, scrapbooking and reading.
Weatherman has been a substitute teacher for the past two years and now she excited to be part of the Alview-Dairyland staff.
"I have already received so much help and support from the Alview-Dairyland staff and I look forward to this new experience at Dairyland School," she stated.
Ron Martin has joined the team at the Alview-Dairyland School District as an eighth grade teacher on the Dairyland campus.
Martin was born in Nuremburg, Germany. His dad was stationed in Europe after the war. His dad met his mom, who is Belgium, during the war. Martin said he lived in various places throughout Europe and the United States. He grew up mostly in San Diego after his dad retired from the Army.
Martin received his BA degree in Psychology from San Diego State. He then pursued his Masters in Counseling from U.S. International University and National University. He was Director of the Boy's Division of Youth for Christ in San Diego and Director of a group home for boys as well.
Martin moved to Santa Rosa and became Director of Christian Family Services, a non-profit counselling center in 1984. He acquired his Marriage and Family Counselling license and started a private practice for 10 years. He also sat on the Board of Behavioral Sciences, which is the licensing board for Marriage and Family Therapist for four years.
In 1994, Martin and his family moved to Chowchilla and bought a turkey ranch which they have had for 15 years now.
Martin was a substitute teacher for six years while operating the ranch. He recently went back to school to get his teaching credential. He did his student teaching and some long-term substitute teaching at Alview-Dairyland. This year he is teaching eighth grade as a credentialed teacher.
"I enjoy kids and would like to give back to our society by teaching the next generation to be successful.
Martin and his wife, Sandra, have been married for 28 years. They have two daughters, Andrea and Ashley. Martin enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing, reading and exploring the desert.
