Arts & Entertainment
PV Teacher Lands in Judge Judy's Court
Betsy Okamoto, who teaches at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, says she's learned a lot from Judge Judy over the years.
When Palos Verdes Peninsula High School teacher Betsy Okamoto first began teaching, she saw herself more as a friend to students, but after watching Judy Sheindlin on the popular Judge Judy television show, she changed her approach.
When students tried to turn their homework in late, she stopped accepting it.
"I started holding people accountable," she told CBS Los Angeles. "It really made a difference in my teaching."
Okamoto—who teaches English and advises the National Honor Society and Beard Full of Butterflies literary magazine—used the lessons she learned from the program as inspiration for her entry into a short essay contest about how Judge Judy changed her life, according to the television station.
As a contest winner, she got the chance to sit in the front row during a taping of the show, meet Sheindlin and eat lunch with the cast and crew.
- Full story and video: Teacher's Essay Lands Her in Front Row of Judge Judy's Courtroom [CBS Los Angeles]
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
