Meet the Studio Instructors

Click on any of our Studio Instructors to find out more...

Gail Munnecke Language Arts	Angie Sims Social Science	Patti Stewart K-3 Reading	Amy Erickson 3-8 Math


Linda Catanzaro 1-2 Math	Gary Widdison Science	Judi Sydner-Gordon Science	Rhoda Coleman Language Arts

Gail Munnecke

Hi!... I'm Gail, the TEAMS language arts studio teachers for "Letters From Rifka" and "Shiloh" in the Windows On My World series. I am currently a sixth grade teacher in the Alhambra School District and a consultant of the California Literature Project, one of the California Subject Matter Projects. During my 26 years of teaching, I have taught second through sixth grades. I have received professional development grants in both science and language arts. I received both my Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Oregon. I have presented at a variety of conferences and conducted numerous inservice sessions for administrators and teachers throughout the State of California. I have served on the California Learning Assessment System Language Arts Development Team and the New Standards Assessment Team. I have also been site director of the California Literature Project at Cal Poly Pomona, member of the Macintosh Multimedia Institute, and active member of the California Reading Association.

I am a member of the California Learning Record Core Development Team and the Performance Standards Committee for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. In 1995, I became a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence English/Language Arts, one of 22 in California. Occasionally I have time to read a book!

Be sure to visit my Electronic Classroom.
I'd love to hear from you... I can be reached via email at: munnecke_gail@lacoe.edu
Or call... (562) 922-8852

Up to top of page... On to Rhoda Coleman

Rhoda Coleman

Hello... I'm Rhoda, the TEAMS language arts studio teachers for "Patti Reed's Doll... The Story of the Donner Party" in the Windows On My World series. I was a classroom teacher for 29 years in the Lennox School District, before coming to Los Angeles County Office of Education four years ago as a K-12 Reading Specialist. In Lennox, I was a Literacy Mentor and Master teacher. At LACOE I am a state approved 1086 (California Reading Initiative) provider in grades K-12. I provide trainings throughout Los Angeles County, and am currently a Consultant-in-Charge for MERET and STELLAR projects, multimedia online reading and ELL projects. I was a 1995 California Teacher of the Year, 1996 recipient of the Milken National Educator Award, 1996 California Social Studies Teacher of the Year and in 2000 received the ROSE Award from University of Southern California Rossier School of Education for outstanding service to education. I have served on several committees for California Department of Education and United States Department of Education.

I have the Reading Specialist Credential and a Masters Degree in Reading as well as the CLAD certificate. As a result of being a participant and trainer at the UC Berkeley Shelter Instruction Institute, working with teachers of English Language Learners has become an area of concentration. I have presented a great many workshops on literacy for English learners.

I was a member of the California Reading and Literature Project Policy Board and a co-director of the California History -Social Science Project and Sheltered Instruction Project for teachers of English Language Learners. I taught Reading and Writing in the Content Areas and Reading Methods at California State University Dominguez Hills. In addition to publishing several journal articles on Reading strategies and English Language Development, I have written curriculum for an Encyclopedia Britannica interactive technology project, for Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and have published a handbook of reading strategies for struggling readers for West Education called Strengthening Basic Reading Skills.

Be sure to visit my Electronic Classroom.
I'd love to hear from you... I can be reached via email at: coleman_rhoda@lacoe.edu
Or call... (562) 401-5657

Up to top of page... On to Angie Sims

Angie Sims

Hello out there... I am Angie, the TEAMS history/social science studio teacher for the Student as a Media Evaluator, Student as a Citizen, and Student as an Historian. I am the former studio teacher for the Power To Make A Difference, TEAMS World 2000, Surprise! and Spotlight on TEAMS programs. I am a language development specialist in bilingual education and earned both my Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from California State University at Los Angeles. During my 17 years of teaching, I have taught most grade levels, been a bilingual coordinator, presented at various conferences and conducted numerous inservice sessions for administrators and teachers. I am an assistant professor for the Claremont Graduate School Teacher Education Program, where I teach a history/social science course during summers. I was a co-leader for the primary teacher group participating in the History, Geography, and Social Science Institute in conjunction with the University of California at Los Angeles' departments of history and geography.

Be sure to visit my Elecronic Classroom.
Your comments are welcome. You may reach me via email at: sims_angie@lacoe.edu
Or call... (562) 922-8852

Up to top of page... On to Patti Stewart

Patti Stewart

Hi... I am Patti, the studio teacher for the TEAMS early literacy programs, Windows to Reading. I am on leave from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District where I have taught kindergarten through second grade for the past six years. Previously, I taught for two years as a resource teacher in Sydney, Australia, and for eleven years in Portland, Oregon. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and teaching credential from UCLA and a Master of Science degree in Special Education from Portland State University. For the past four years, I have been involved in designing and presenting staff development institutes in early literacy for the California Reading and Literature Project and for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. In addition, I am an instructor in K-8 Reading Methods at California State University, Dominguez Hills. I actively support the South Bay Area Reading Council, my local chapter of the International Reading Association. I find the process in which young children develop literacy to be fascinating. I believe it is vital that we put our efforts into helping young children learn to read and write as we enter the 21st century.

Be sure to visit my Electronic Classroom.
Your comments are welcome. You may reach me via email at: stewartp@mail.pvpusd.k12.ca.us
Or call... (562) 922-8852

Up to top of page... On to Amy Erickson

Amy Erickson

Hi!...I'm Amy, the TEAMS mathematics studio teacher for Mathematics in My World, Turn On to Mathematics and Mathematical Concepts for Middle School series. I am on loan from Walnut Valley Unified School District where I have taught grades six through twelve for the past ten years. Prior to teaching in Walnut, I taught in West Covina for five years. I have experience teaching mathematics in elementary multi-subject, middle school and high school single subject classrooms. I am enthusiastic about teaching mathematics to children and strive to make mathematics education an exciting, challenging and successful experience for all students.

I am currently presenting at California Mathematics Council Southern Section(CMC) Annual Conferences; Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology at Cal Poly, Pomona; Region G Partnership of Middle Schools Symposium; and local workshops. I enjoy participating in the California Project for Equity in Mathematics, Science and Technology (CEEMaST) at Cal Poly, Pomona. I have participated in Math Renaissance at the Orange County Office of Education and the Institute for Science and Mathematics Integration (ISMI) at Cal Poly, Pomona.

Although I grew up in a rural area outside of Detroit, Michigan, I came to California to earn my Bachelor of Arts Degree and several teaching credentials at Cal Poly, Pomona and my Master of Arts Degree with emphasis in Educational Technology at Azusa Pacific University. I am a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), California Mathematics Council Southern Section (CMC), Orange County Mathematics Council (OCMC), and Computer Using Educators (CUE).

When I'm not teaching math, you might find me playing softball or tennis, but you'll have even better odds of finding me at the mall, shopping.

Be sure to visit my Electronic Classroom.
You can also reach me via email at: erickson_amy@lacoe.edu
Or call...(562) 922-6594

Up to top of page ... On to Gary Widdison

Gary Widdison

Welcome... I'm Gary, the studio teacher for TEAMS Science and have been with TEAMS Distance Learning since the first programming began. I am a classroom teacher on leave from the Palmdale School District in California and bring to TEAMS my training, experience, and expertise in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. After teaching in the classroom, I developed and implemented a science lab in the elementary school where I taught. This lab provided hands-on science for students and staff development for classroom teachers and allowed me to explore the effectiveness of various hands-on science strategies. I enjoy teaching both kids and adults and have presented at numerous workshops around the country where my enthusiasm is infectious. I earned both my Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from the California State University at Northridge. I have served on many panels and committees and always enjoy working toward the goal of more and better science for more kids!

Be sure to visit my Electronic Classroom
Your comments are welcome. You may reach me via email at: widdison_gary@lacoe.edu
Or call... (562) 922-8852

Up to top of page... On to Judi Gordon

Judi Gordon

Welcome... I'm Judi, a part time TEAMS Science studio teacher for Ecosystems, Forces & Motion, and Life Cycles. I am currently a third grade teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District where for 25 years I have held a variety of positions including elementary classroom teacher, school program coordinator, and elementary science resource teacher.

I have participated on California State Department of Education committees for the development of the current science framework, for the design of the elementary science assessment, and for the development of the It's Elementary document. I also have been involved with the curriculum working group of the National Science Education Standards Project and have been a Science Staff Developer for the California Science Implementation Network. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma University and my Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. I maintain active membership in the National Science Teachers Association and am also an instructor for the Elementary Science Methods course at Loyola Marymount University.

Be sure to visit my Electronic Classroom
Your comments are welcome. You may reach me via email at: jsydner@netscape.net
Or call... (562) 922-8852

Up to top of page... On to Linda Catanzaro

Linda Catanzaro

Hi! I'm Linda, the TEAMS studio teacher for the primary math series. I am currently a second grade teacher in the Rowland Unified School District, where I also serve as a teacher specialist in the area of math. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies and teaching credential from California State University, Fullerton. Over twenty years of experience working with students in grades 1-6 has given me the opportunity to see mathematics education on a broad scale.

I have served as a master teacher for student teachers from Cal Poly Pomona and California State University, Los Angeles. My current emphasis is working with primary teachers and students to implement a balanced math program that addresses the needs of all learners. I have done extensive staff development both inside and outside my district, including being a trainer for the UCI Summer Math Institute. This program, in cooperation with the California Mathematics Project and University of California, Irvine, provided a three week in depth training for teachers and students each summer. I have also served as a mentor, both at my school site and across the district for many years.

Parent education, through Family Math Nights, workshops, and presentations to parent groups, has added an exciting dimension to my classroom work. Additionally, I have served as a textbook reviewer, working with calendar activities for third and fourth grades. I maintain active membership in the National Council of Teachers on Mathematics (NCTM) and the California Mathematics Council- Southern Section (CMC-SS).

In my free time, I am an artist and avid reader.

Be sure to visit my Electronic Classroom.
You can also reach me via email at: familycat@juno.com
Or call... (562) 922-8852

Up to top of page

TEAMS Electronic Hallway
TEAMS Home Page
Los Angeles County Office of Education