Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

9/20/06

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn School District's Board of Directors
Honors Staff Member Colleen Rayburn

The Auburn School District Board of Directors will recognize Colleen Rayburn, West Auburn’s Career Choices instructor and Work-Based learning coordinator, for her outstanding service to the Auburn School District on Monday, September 25, at 7 p.m. in the board room at the James P. Fugate Administration Building.

Colleen Rayburn might as well adopt the motto: “There is no such thing as can’t, only won’t.” In Colleen’s classroom, “can’t” is not an option. “All students have the ability to succeed, especially once their interests are uncovered and they have a plan—a vision for their future,” states Colleen.

Colleen uses the Career Choices program, which prepares students for life after high school, whether it is working a trade, pursuing higher education or both. “When a student walks into my class for the first time, my job is to help them discover their occupational interests,” remarks Colleen. “I do this by using various tools, such as skills and aptitude tests.” Since most students don’t walk into Colleen’s classroom with a vision—let alone a plan—of their futures, Colleen has her work cut out for her. “While I always communicate to my students that they need to find occupations that interest them and provide meaning to their lives, I am realistic. It is a tough working world out there, and kids need to realize that they must have the skills and education necessary to survive.”

Essentially, students are asked where they want to be, and then they are required to research what it will take to get there. Students also learn workplace ethics and transferable job skills that employers seek in the hiring process. “What I teach in regards to ethics and skills is not originating from a textbook. It actually comes straight from the workplace,” says Colleen. Colleen has an Advisory Board that tells her what is valued in the workplace. Because of the Advisory Board, Colleen can better prepare students to meet their future employers’ job expectations. Once students have uncovered their interests and researched, then it is time to create a plan. “This is the fun part,” remarks Colleen, “because the directionless student now has a flight plan.”

Colleen is no stranger to the working world. Before she began teaching, Colleen worked in management. She also started three different businesses. Perhaps an entrepreneur at heart, Colleen is now quite smitten with her teaching job. “Nothing I do can make me feel better than this; it is difficult, but teaching is what I’m here for.” Colleen vividly recalls the exact moment she made the shift from businesswoman to educator. She had been invited to teach a summer school course on Marketing Management and one of her students wasn’t catching on. Despite the student’s anger and frustration, Colleen persevered and committed to be sure this student did not leave the class until she finally grasped the concept. One day it finally happened; she got it. “I’ll never forget the look on her face. The ‘aha’ moment completely changed this student’s attitude toward school; it even changed her demeanor,” recalls Colleen. That single look convinced Colleen to become a teacher, and to this day she teaches to see that look again.

Colleen’s 17 years in education, seven of them being at West Auburn, have meant more to her than she would have ever imagined. She has received Teacher of the Year in the Auburn School District, as well as during her tenure in the Clover Park School District. Yet she feels most rewarded when former students return to campus to pay her a visit. Recently one of her former students who, at one point in time didn’t want to attend school, returned to visit Colleen with a large bouquet of flowers in tow. “He actually flew out here from Chicago to visit family and planned to stop by and see me. When he asked if he could speak to my class about the importance of staying in school, I was ecstatic,” says Colleen. The student made quite an impression on the class as he described that what he learned in Colleen’s classroom helped him exceed his employer’s expectations, which had led to numerous promotions. It is these success stories Colleen lives for.

On any given day, Colleen may feel she is just doing the ordinary, yet she is truly performing the extraordinary. To help kids realize their potential and then create a plan to get there is more than teaching a class, it’s creating life. Colleen sums up her work quite fittingly: “Giving kids knowledge really means giving them more options in life.”

For more information contact Amy Spence, public information officer, at (253) 931-4713.