Rebecca Valbuena, M.Ed.
BIO
Rebecca Valbuena, M.Ed., began teaching in South America and currently works in the Glendora Unified School District. For the past three summers, she co-directs a teacher institute at the Autry National Center. A California History-Social Science Project fellow of UC Berkeley and CSU Dominguez Hills, Rebecca continues work as a teacher leader at the Dominguez Hills site. Rebecca co-directed a Multilingual Institute and taught for UCLA Extension assisting teachers with effective instructional strategies for English Learners. She currently teaches a History Methods class at CSU Dominguez Hills. Valbuena has served as a model teacher for Levstik & Barton’s book Doing History and as a model Common Core teacher in videos for the California Department of Education and LACOE. As the past President of SCSSA, she continues to lead the activities of Region 11. She is a past recipient of the California Council for the Social Studies Outstanding Elementary Teacher Award, a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year, and a YWCA Woman of Achievement.
STATEMENT
From the vantage point of teaching elementary school for the past 30 years, I know the importance of quality History-Social Science instruction for our youngest students. The opportunity to improve tomorrow is present with each teaching day. Our children deserve a teaching force that values academics, ethics, and citizenship. As Southern Area V.P., I will work with others to ensure ALL teachers of History-Social Science have the resources, support, and a collective voice needed to steer the course of education and serve our children so they can reveal their multi-faceted gifts, demonstrate purposeful knowledge of the Social Sciences, and remain active, engaged, civic-minded citizens.