Photograph by Douglas Rider
Excellent Educator: Wendy Carlson
Booksin School principal receives award in education
By Amy Jenkins
Booksin Elementary School Principal Wendy Carlson has received her first award just in time--she will retire this June after 35 years in the education field.
On April 12, Carlson was among 10 recipients of the Excellence in Education Award, presented to teachers, school staff, administrators and community members for their efforts to improve the quality of public education in San Jose. The ceremony, held at the Tech Museum of Innovation, was an opportunity to honor educators, socialize and tour museum exhibits. The 10 winners were chosen from 35 finalists by a community panel of educators.
Carlson has lived in Willow Glen for 25 years. Growing up, she attended Booksin Elementary School, Markham Junior High School and Willow Glen High School. She earned a degree in special education from San Jose State University and a master's degree and administrative credential from the University of California, San Francisco.
Before she became a principal at Booksin Elementary School four years ago, Carlson was a principal for six years at Los Alamitos Elementary School, an assistant principal for three years at Bret Harte Middle School, an assistant principal for one year at Willow Glen Middle School and an assistant principal for two years divided between Graystone Elementary School, Allen Elementary School and Selma Olinder Elementary School.
She was a third-, fourth- and fifth-grade teacher and an elementary research teacher for 16 years. She also took 2 1/2 months off for maternity leave to give birth to her son Matt, who is now 30 years old.
Carlson was nominated for the award by school faculty and parents. Her main goals as a principal are to focus on academic achievement as the highest priority and to ensure high-quality teaching, she says.
One of the programs she has implemented at the school is called "Step Up to Writing," which instructs students about topic sentences and thesis statements and teaches how to write a conclusion. Once a week she meets with students to honor them for their writing skills, she says. She has also allotted school budget money to train teachers in the four-day writing training program.
For the past two years, Booksin has scored a 10 out of 10 in the Academic Performance Index, compared to schools statewide and similar schools in the county. Based on test score results, she will focus on students that need special attention, she says. The school pays teachers to stay after school and tutor students in need. In the application for the award, the staff wrote, "Mrs. Carlson is equally concerned for the struggling student as she is for the grade-level or high-achieving student."
Kindergarten teacher Peggy Cherry credits Carlson with the rating success the school has received. "We felt very strongly we needed to recognize the wonderful leadership [Carlson] has had at our school," says Cherry, who helped fill out the application for the award. "She supports the staff and provides staff development so teachers can continue learning."
Third-grade teacher Janice King says of Carlson, "She's a teacher's principal. She knows the children, is a great problem solver, works well with the community, is willing to listen and has a sense of humor, which is highly important in this job. The entire staff feels this way. We will miss her."
When Carlson enters a classroom, students are on their best behavior. And Carlson knows the students. She says hello to many students by name as she passes them outside the classroom or on the playground and asks them how they are doing.
Along with the trophy, winners received $2,000 from Intel Corporation. Carlson plans to spend the money upgrading her computer.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
