University of Arizona Athletics

    Anne received her Bachelor's Degree in French and her Master's in Education from Stanford University.

At Catalina Magnet High School, Anne is the bilingual/ESL coordinator and works with over 300 students on their appropriate classroom placement. Students come to Catalina from all over the world - Anne has worked with students from Somalia, Sudan, Russia, Honduras, The Marshall Island, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Mexico.

Their experiences are hard to imagine. Many of them have lived anywhere from several years to most of their lives in refugee camps. Their families have been torn apart by war.

To establish a common base among the students, Anne starts with community-building activities. The students share ideas, listen and learn to help one another.

In reading, Anne wants her students to not only learn English, but to reflect on the ideas presented in stories, predict what will happen next and feel what the characters are feeling. She wants the words to come alive for them. Anne wants the students to use their imaginations to see, hear, smell, taste and touch the story. She does this by relating the stories to her students' own experiences.

Anne feels she sees success when the light in a student's eye gleams with understanding. She sees it in their first essay and the pride in their faces when they get their tests back. Her students feel comfortable calling her "Mom."

She continues to find time to work with them after the school day is over in the tutoring program. Anne's colleagues say she is an advocate for her students, working tirelessly to ensure their culture, ideas, religion and languages are respected and celebrated in the school.

Anne Bedford High School: Catalina Magnet Subject(s): Bilingual/ESL Coordinator