This is one in a series of Q&A’s with employees new to Denair Unified in 2022-23.
Family: Married with two children (daughter going into first grade and son going into eighth grade).
School: Denair Middle School
Subject taught: Spanish, Dual Language Immersion Spanish Arts, AVID
Experience and education: Graduated with bachelor’s degree and finished credential program, both at CSU Stanislaus. I have worked for the public school system since I graduated high school. I have worked in a variety of classified positions in the Ceres Unified School District and completed my student teaching experience in Ceres at Cesar Chavez Junior High School.
What attracted you to Denair? I have heard great things about Denair Unified. One that drove me here is that it is a small school district with great community participation. I love to hear that parents, administration and staff are involved in the success of DUSD students.
What most inspires you about teaching? What inspired me to become a teacher was the love for my language, culture and community. I want to take part in helping students who want to learn a new language, and I want to keep pushing those who already speak it to polish it and become biliterate. Lastly, I want to inspire the younger generation and make a positive impact in their lives.
What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? I am looking forward to getting to know my students, building a relationship and a sense of community in my classes. I want students to feel like we are all learning together by engaging them in the learning process and giving them the tools they need to succeed.
What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching tool is in class peer/group conversations. When in a language class, it is essential to practice the language with those learning alongside us. How I do this is by incorporating various activities to get students talking in the target language.
What do you want your students to remember? I want the students to remember that they are bright, capable and valued.
How can parents support what you do? I believe parents play a big role in their students’ education. The key is to keep an open line of communication and work together to help the students succeed. If this is in place, we are going to make big things happen.
What would surprise people about your job? Something that would surprise people about my job is that it is a lifelong learning experience. For me, too, teaching is learning. I have to keep up with new trends in the language and methods of teaching language acquisition.
What do you do for fun? For fun, I do family time. My family is big (my parents, my siblings with their own individual families, too) and when we get together, you bet it is a party of laughter, music and food.
