Marlo Warburton, Fourth and Fifth Grades, Room 8

Marlo Warburton’s academic passion is mathematics, and her greatest life regret is abandoning its study for a seemingly more practical degree in sociology. “By high school, I knew I wanted to be a math teacher. I still want that math degree.” At John Muir, she is known as a teacher who brings a fiery enthusiasm for math and writing to 4th and 5th graders. She has discovered that students develop academically when taught “lifelong thinking skills, like how to prove or disprove a conjecture. Sometimes I read their work and think, ‘Am I teaching college students? This is brilliant!’”

Ms. Warburton worked 40 hours a week to put herself through UC Berkeley, then attended Mills College for her masters in education and a teaching credential. She took her first teaching job at John Muir in 1996. “The school has been several schools since then,’’ she says, “but it’s always getting better, and that’s key for me.”

Ms. Warburton’s drive to improve her teaching practice led her to open up her classroom to the scrutiny of a team of national teaching experts. She was rewarded in 2004 with the National Board Certification, the highest teaching certification in the U.S. She is one of only a handful of Berkeley teachers to hold the distinction.

When she’s not teaching, Ms. Warburton plays competitive soccer and likes to make compact disc mixes of her favorite music: smooth electronica and 80’s pop. She also loves to cook and to eat well, and John Muir’s focus on fresh wholesome food and the edible garden appeals to her gourmand side. “I love the cooking program. Students harvest and prepare real food, like sautéed greens with fresh garlic, lemon zest, and couscous. Then we sit and enjoy the meal together like a family.”