Local educators congratulated the 2024 Ventura County Teacher of the Year with a surprise visit to his Adolfo Camarillo High School classroom.
“It was shocking and humbling, but I feel a bit of imposter syndrome every time I’ve won something because I am surrounded by talent and truly special educators,” says Daniel Cook, a 16-year dedicated teaching veteran. As a Learning, Instruction and Technology Coach, Cook provides training and support to fellow teachers.
Praised by co-educators for his dedication, Cook aims to inspire students to realize their potential.
“In my 29 years in education, Mr. Cook stands out as the most unique and talented teacher with whom I have ever worked,” says ACHS Principal Matt La Belle. “He is a modern-day Renaissance man, talented and highly skilled in the arts, humanities, social sciences and technology.”
As former chair of the school’s music department, Cook increased program participation and secured over $200,000 in grants. His efforts to rewrite the school’s math curriculum also resulted in increased learning and a significant decrease in D and F grades. Here, he shares some insight into his career and love of teaching.
Q. Have you always wanted to be a teacher?
A. While music was a huge part of my life early in college, I first majored in Business Administration. I enjoyed being a walk-on coach/instructional specialist for music but didn’t see it as a career early on.
Q. What other careers were you interested in?
A. I was a struggling college student, so I had a lot of jobs and often at once, but for a moment I stepped away from teaching and was a manager and educational sales rep for Nick Rail Music that specialized in supporting school music programs locally and around the country. It taught me a lot that a music education and credential program didn’t that I leaned on when I stepped into my role of Music Director at ACHS.
Q. How did you decide to become a teacher?
A. I was fortunate enough to have friends bring me into teaching opportunities in college that allowed me a lot of opportunities to grow and learn from incredible other teachers. My former band director at Moorpark High School began to nag at me a bit to come back and work for him and I finally gave in and that is when it became clear that education would be a huge part of my life.
Q. What do you enjoy most about teaching?
A. Teaching, like any other service profession, feels like you are giving back to the community and making a difference, albeit a difference you don’t always immediately see. Every day feels like a new set of challenges that I am tasked with solving so it never felt like work but a new adventure every day, particularly as a music director. As I’ve gotten older and observed former students graduate from college, been to their weddings, and watched them have their families, I feel fulfilled from the work that I’ve done to be a small part of their journey.
Q. What do you find challenging as a teacher?
A. Teaching is a daily grind that is hard to put into words and every content area has its own set of challenges. As a music teacher, you’re tasked with collaborating with facilities to garner adequate space and time to rehearse, several other calendars to schedule facilities on and off your campus and helping support a booster organization … and for music particularly, you’re constantly in a battle to share your students with AP/Honors courses, athletics and their commitments outside of school because music students are some of the busiest students.
Q. How has teaching changed?
A. Education has shifted significantly as we toil with the impact of society on students and our role in helping address it. Schools have become the hub for not just imparting knowledge, but feeding students and sometimes their families, counseling support that goes far beyond academic support, housing outside emotional and therapeutic services, additional support of various degrees and much more. All of this is taking place on our campuses that were not designed for it and often during instructional minutes to provide the broadest access. The expansion of support and services is largely welcomed and clearly needed, but the system is still adjusting to this broader level of support. We acknowledge the need for academic progress and slipping results in areas, particularly with certain populations, but also continue to provide these other wraparound supports during the same instructional time. Our priorities and areas of focus are broader and inclusive, but it does seem like we have a lot on our plate.
Q. Do you have any mentors?
A. I have been so fortunate to have many mentors in various areas of my focus. My leaders during my time at Moorpark High School, Robert Hackett and Samantha Theisen, played a significant role in my development as a music educator. The iconic Mike Gangemi, who recently passed, was my go-to for support and guidance as well. Nick Rail, the now former owner of Nick Rail Music, taught me so much about broader relationships in the music industry and helped me connect with some incredible people who I then brought in to work with my students. Larry Jones was my sophomore history teacher at Moorpark High School and set the tone on what it meant to be a prepared student and having standards as a teacher. When I finally cleared my credential, Mr. Mark Storer was my mentor through the program and was someone who motivated me to bring our work of civil and societal music into the core content areas of English and Social Science classrooms. For leadership, I have been so lucky to be surrounded by a team of people that have all made me better and helped me grow. Our principal, Matt La Belle, has trusted me and helped our team create the interventions and structural change we needed to better support students' success. While he would cackle for saying this, John Gonzalez has helped me refine my approach and organized some of my chaos. He and I have become a bit of the dynamic duo of data and building systems and our lenses are so different which makes what we produce so much better.
Q. What advice can you offer students regarding success?
A. Your priority as a student is to give yourself options in life. Your job is to get good grades, but if you only go to school for the classes, you won’t enjoy it so much. The community you build around you or get involved with will define your school experience. Get involved in various activities, sports, music, clubs, leadership roles and surround yourself with kids that have goals too. You don’t have to have all of the answers, but when you’re around people who seem to have a plan, their momentum will become your momentum. Commitment to something is critical and speaks volumes to colleges about you, but don’t let one area of study or specific activity prevent you from other opportunities. There is enough of you to go around.
Teaching, like any other service profession, feels like you are giving back to the community and making a difference, albeit a difference you don’t always immediately see.
You don’t have to have all of the answers, but when you’re around people who seem to have a plan, their momentum will become your momentum.
Through the Teacher of the Year program, administered by the Ventura County Office of Education, candidates are nominated by their district, school or professional organization. Winners are chosen based on their essay, experience and endorsement.