Granite Hills teacher takes Valley honor, heads to state

If you’re not careful, her quick, bright smile will disarm you. If you don’t listen with speed and care, you will miss the sageness couched in her rapid fire cadence.

What you cannot miss, what is unmistakable about 27-year-old Natasha Efseaff, colleagues and students say, is her endless knowledge about her subject, her unbridled enthusiasm and love for her students — and her endless quest for new and better ways to reach them.

These are just a few of the reasons the Granite Hills High School teacher was voted the San Joaquin Valley Council for the Social Studies Teacher of the Year.

It was an honor she did not expect.

“I just finished my fourth year. I’m a newby. That’s why I’m so surprised [by the recognition],” Efseaff said, her eyes animated with excitement. “You don’t really turn into a veteran teacher until about seven years. I have so much more to learn.”

Tulare County Office of Education Instructional Consultant Marsha Ingrao nominated Efseaff for the award because “she’s awesome,” she said. Ingrao video taped the honoree while she was teaching one of her classes.

“Look at the [connection] she has with the kids,” Ingrao said, her voice rising with enthusiasm as she spoke about the busy high school teacher. “Number one, the fact that [her students] are so attuned to what she’s teaching them, they’re knowledgeable and respectful to historic things, including people. They want to be in her class. The level of dialogue the kids were having was rigourous, and that’s what you’re looking for in a classroom, especially with English language.

“Her kids could be historians because they are learning to think critically, ask questions, do research, and wonder why. They’re thinking — it’s because of her excellent teaching and passion for people and her subject matter. When I was in class with her I thought, ‘This woman deserves recognition.’ I’m just thrilled to have recognition go to Natasha because she deserves it. She’s so vivacious and fun, the kids just adore her. She’s remarkable.”

The recognition, Ingrao said, is a regional award. Other winners were from Kingsburg and Fresno counties. Efseaff will move on to the state competition for California Counsel for the Social Studies. The application process closes in December, and her application will automatically be sent.

When it comes to teaching, Efseaff is a manifestation of the saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Her mother, Michelle Efseaff, is a teacher of the Gifted And Talented Education programs (GATE) at Sequoia Middle School. Her grandfather taught the Bible and choir in church, and her father, Esi Efseaff, “does the same thing.”

She has four sisters and three brothers (“Growing up, I always had someone to play with.”)

“What I got from my parents made me what I am,” Efseaff said. “My mother is my hero. Mom taught high school, middle school and is at Porterville College. My sister Revecca Karnoff taught preschool and my younger brother Eyoseph teaches at Sundale. Watching my mom do all she did while I was growing up, and all she does now amazes me.”

Her mother feels the same way about her; so does her father.

“It was such a fantastic honor for someone so young, and such a thrill for me as a parent to watch her walk up there,” Michelle Efseaff said about attending the award ceremony in May. “All of a sudden she broke into that teaching mode. She said, ‘I do all of these things and I get paid for it.’ What she is doing is really valuable. You could see what she brings to the students. She hooks them; besides she’s cute as a button.”

Michelle Efseaff gave credit to Porterville Unified School District administrators, including Principal Veryl Ann Duncan, for giving her daughter the opportunity to express her ideas.

You could hear the smile in her father’s voice when he talked via telephone about his daughter and her recognition.

“Oh, I’m very pleased. She worked so hard. She is just a hard worker at everything she does and it shows,” he said. “It’s quite an honor for her and our entire family for her to receive such an honor.

“You try to bring them up and teach them, and it worked with this one for sure. I love how she gets animated and tells the story. It’s awesome, and it’s good for her students.”

Natasha Efseaff said she didn’t plan to become a teacher because she felt she would be either “too easy or too mean.” She went to Porterville College and took business classes, but worked with the City or Porterville coaching after-school sports.

It was with those students she began to see her goals metamorphose. In her own words, she fell in love with the students she coached and wanted to be a bigger resource in their lives. The pivotal point came when she tried to help the students with their homework and discovered they were being taught to do things “the hard way.”

“I just got frustrated,” she said, “and decided I could do a better job.”

Her students believe she does a better job in class and on the field. She coaches softball at Granite Hills.

Gabriella Ayalla, 15, and Deisy Ramos, 15, are coached by the social science/history teacher. On a hot June morning between practices, they expressed themselves about the award-winning teacher.

“I’m going to have her in class next year,” Ayalla said, after trotting through the grass to talk to The Recorder. “I look forward to her class, because I have friends who had her last year. They’re always talking about how good she is. She’s fun, and I really like her sense of humor.

Ramos smiled and glanced at Natasha under the hot sun.

“She’s really competitive in everything she does,” Ramos said. “She’s really passionate, and always does things to make us better. Sometimes, she doesn’t even have to be out here, and she comes anyway to give us support.”

What Efseaff is exceptionally proud of is the academic improvement her students continue to make, especially in the area of Common Formal Assessment (CFA).

“My kids are always at the top, and their scores have increased every year,” she said, smiling. “I had great teachers growing up here, and I learned a lot. I remember the teachers I had. I went to Monache High and Porterville College. This award isn’t just about me. It’s for all of Porterville.”

-- Contact Anita Stackhouse-Hite at 784-5000, Ext. 1043, or astackhouse-hite@portervillerecorder.com.