Jennifer Panicacci is the newest teacher at Sonoma Valley High School’s Independent Study program. Each day she meets with five or six students to lay out a week’s worth of self-paced instruction.
Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
Staff Report
Everyone who works in the education system knows the old chestnut: What are the three best things about teaching? June, July, and August. But Jennifer Panicacci sees it another way. She’s in it for the love. “I have a great passion for encouraging kids to be lifelong learners. I have a spark of curiosity I believe I’m meant to pass along to them,” she said.
As the newest teacher on an established team in charge of the Independent Study program at Sonoma Valley High School, Panicacci’s day looks a little different from the typical teacher’s. Working with individual students one-on-one, she strives to connect the students’ school experience with their life. “What’s really beautiful is we get to know the student, get to know their profile,” she said. Working from curriculum established by state guidelines, among other things, Panicacci and her colleagues craft an individual course of study for each student. As the teacher in charge of English language arts and social studies, she works from established reading lists and course descriptions, but can structure the order of study to meet the needs of each student.
Each day she’ll typically sit down with five or six students and lay out a week’s worth of self-paced instruction. These hour-long sessions present rich opportunities for Panicacci. One student may need help deconstructing a novel’s plot; another might be perplexed by a writer’s characterization of a protagonist.
With more than five years of education experience and deep familiarity with the 9-12 core reading lists, Panicacci is well prepared. She shepherds students through their assignments, with a critical eye on the quality of their work. Reading as many as ten different novels with fifteen different students at any given time, organization and structure are key. “We keep very careful paperwork,” Panicacci acknowledged.
Students who choose to study independently at Sonoma Valley High School include at-risk students from difficult personal backgrounds as well as college-bound students. Jennifer Panicacci embraces them all with the enthusiasm of one who’s found her life’s purpose.
(Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of profiles of new education personnel in Sonoma Valley.)
