Daniel Buccieri, a UCLA Writing Project Fellow and U.S. and world history teacher at Venice High School, has been recognized as one of 16 Teachers of the Year by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. One of three teachers from the Los Angeles Unified School District, Buccieri was honored at a reception on Sept. 29 by L.A. County Superintendent Debra Duardo, LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King, and members of the LAUSD School Board. The LACOE honorees will compete in the California Teachers of the Year program; five winners of the state title will be announced in February 2018.
“I am honored to be recognized among 15 other wonderful teachers from across all parts of our county,” says Buccieri. “Receiving this recognition is incredibly validating to me. I didn’t become a teacher to win awards; I became a teacher to help my students win awards. But now that I’ve gotten this far, I’m going to try my best to achieve the next step.”
Buccieri, who teaches 10 and 11 grades at the STEM Magnet of Venice High School and previously taught 8 grade U.S. history at Mark Twain Middle School in Los Angeles. He has taken part in the UCLA Writing Project since 2009 as a Fellow, presenter, and on its leadership team. He says that the experience has greatly enhanced his teaching.
“History is an argument about the past,” he says. “How can I get my students to join that argument [and] to feel confident enough with their own perspective? Through discussion and through writing we achieve this.
“To write is to have an idea, to grab hold of that idea, and to develop that idea. When my students are writing, they are giving shape to their own view of a topic. They are entering into an argument as equals together, along with the historians’ work we study. Through allowing students the choice of how to enter an argument, we are practicing democratic dialogue.”
Buccieri earned his bachelor’s degree in History and his teaching credential from UC Riverside, and his M. Ed. from CSU Dominguez Hills. He achieved his National Board Certification in 2009, and worked with the UCLA National Board support group through Center X.
Buccieri was recognized this summer as one of 22 LAUSD Teachers of the Year. He has published his writings on the intersection of topics in art, in history, in music, and his own life in journals such as The Still Points Arts Quarterly. Buccieri looks forward to compiling his writings into a book, as well as writing a book on his philosophy of education.
Above: History teacher Daniel Buccieri (fourth from right) was recognized by the Los Angeles County Office of Education on Sept. 29 as one of 16 LACOE Teachers of the Year.
Courtesy of Daniel Buccieri