Fifteen years ago, Alex Kajitani was a struggling new teacher in one of California's poorest neighborhoods. His students seemed unmotivated, unengaged and uninterested in what he was teaching. Demoralized and desperate, he set out on a journey to turn his class, and his life, around.

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Within six years, Alex was named California Teacher of the Year, and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year, 2009. He is lauded for his innovation and "real talk" as a teacher, and his journey – from frustrated new teacher to being honored at the White House – is one he now shares with teachers across the country, to inspire them to new heights and fresh ways of thinking about the students they serve and the subjects they teach. Alex tells refreshingly honest stories of what it takes to succeed as a teacher today, and interweaves them with real, easy-to-implement strategies that can be used immediately to be a highly effective teacher.

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On January 16, 2018, join Alex and other teachers from across southern California (in one of his only southern California appearances this year), for a morning of inspiration, motivation, and highly effective teaching strategies that work. Then, spend the afternoon making a plan to implement the strategies, or back in class trying them out.