![](http://denairpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Celeste-Rodriguez-949x1024.png)
Family: I have three little sisters — Sienna, Soleil and Summer. My mom, Lourdes Crawford, is the learning director at Hughson High School and my father, Lane Crawford, is a chiropractor in Turlock, he runs his own business, Crawford Chiropractic. I recently got married so there is an addition to our family: my husband Rene. He works independently coding and creating websites for businesses.
School: Denair Middle School
Subject taught: I teach sixth- and seventh-grade English along with the yearbook class.
Experience and education: I started off my education at Modesto Junior College. There I received my associate degrees in sociology and Spanish. I continued my education through CSU Stanislaus and received my bachelors in Spanish. I also have passed the CSET in English and am currently interning through the credential program at Stanislaus. Along with this, I will be receiving the BCLAD when graduating from the credential program.
What attracted you to Denair? Denair’s community is one of the best. Everyone is so close and caring. They really treat you like family here.
What most inspires you about teaching? I’ve known all throughout high school that I wanted to be a teacher because I like helping others. The idea of being able to help my students makes me happy and that’s why I chose teaching as my career.
What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? A challenge I look forward to tackling this year is handling everything that comes with teaching. It is my first year as a teacher so everything is new for me. However, I am confident that this year will be great and I’m very excited to start the school year!
What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite activities as a teacher are escape rooms. It’s fun seeing students be so hands-on with assignments and working together as a group. It gives them a better understanding of the novel in a fun way and brings everyone closer!
What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that their middle school experience was filled with good memories and happy thoughts. I hope they remember that their teachers cared about them and always had their support.
How can parents support what you do? Parents can support me by coming to me with any questions or concerns. No matter how little it may seem, I want parents to know that they can communicate with me and I am someone that they can reach out to.
What would surprise people about your job? Something that surprises people about my job is how beneficial it has been to be bilingual. Not many people know I am bilingual, but this really helps with communication with parents and students. Speaking both English and Spanish has made it easier for me to feel closer to the community.
What do you do for fun? For fun I love to spend time with my family. As of right now, my little sister loves playing Mario Kart with me. My family and I will all play against each other in races and it’s always fun!