Ramona Adult School Educator Spotlight: Bonnie Wagner

Teacher Bonnie Wagner arrived at Ramona Adult School at the end of a long journey. After getting a Master’s degree at University of California, San Diego, she left in 2013 to sail across the Pacific in a small sailboat. Over the next six years she spent many months in Mexico, French Polynesia, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand. Eventually she returned to teaching in the United States, first in Hawaii and then back in California. ​

It seems like you were living the endless summer dream. What drew you back to teaching?
We all need a purpose for our lives. I’ve always known that I needed to help improve the world around me. Sailing and seeing remote places and cultures was amazing, but I kept wishing I could stay longer and really become part of a community of people again. I loved helping at a village school in Tonga, but I couldn’t stay long enough to be more than a guest. I actually worked with other sailors in New Zealand to send new computers to that school, after theirs got ruined by a tsunami, but I never got to go back in person. Helping people achieve their potential is so personally rewarding, and you have to put down roots in a community to see that happen.

What brought you to Ramona Adult School?
I have always enjoyed alternative education, which seeks to serve students who fall between the cracks of the regular public school system. I practically begged for an open position at Montecito High School, which shares space with Ramona Adult School. The Principal of both, Dr. Marovich, shares my passion for finding the best ways to serve students and reduce the frictions that make it difficult for students to succeed in school. I was thrilled when she asked me to join the Adult School staff, as this is the most rewarding kind of one-on-one teaching. Adults come to education with specific goals and motivations to keep trying even when it gets difficult, and I love getting to be part of their successes. 

​What have you noticed that is different about teaching at an adult school?
At Ramona Adult School we make it a priority to make everyone feel really welcome and special. It’s hard for working adults to take a couple hours away from their family in the evening to come to school, and we want them to feel appreciated every time they come. I have really enjoyed building relationships with the adult students, and treating them more like colleagues as we are all working towards the same goals. While I use some of the same teaching strategies that I use for other age groups, the more personal small-group nature of adult school lets me differentiate the scope and speed more. Everyone is working at their own pace, and I can specialize to fit their needs. I am so impressed with students who gave up on high school because of learning disabilities, and have come back as adults with such an amazing work ethic to push themselves to their goal. It is an honor to help them build confidence as we fill the knowledge gaps they need.