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My name is Kathi Lundstrom. I teach fifth grade at Escalona Elementary School right
here in La Mirada.
I teach because I've been called to educate the next generation.
I teach because of children like Robin, who is an exceptionally gifted student, and she
was in my class two years ago.
As a fourth grader, Robin was reading adult versions of Dickens and Twain and other classic
authors,
and she scored a perfect 600 on both sections of her California standardized tests.
I had no idea how to challenge Robin, however, and she spent most of her time in my classroom
with me relearning concepts that were years below her level.
I tried to accelerate Robin to another grade level, but I was refused by my administrator
and my district.
I vowed that never again would a gifted child leave my classroom unchallenged.
Robin insists that I didn't ruin her life, but I knew I should have done so much more
for her.
I've since entered a Ph.D. program in gifted education and I've become a trainer of teachers
in my district as well as at UCI.
The gifted students in my classroom now benefit from a teacher who is highly trained in working
with them, and who challenges them to excel.
I know that God individually places every student in my class for specific reasons.
I am passionate about teaching because God has called me to the profession, just as He
calls missionaries to the field.
And I believe educators can touch the lives of their students in unique and life-changing
ways.