The article I chose to write about this week was a shout out
recognizing a bilingual teacher named Cassandra Barreto in the Chicago Tribune.
Barreto became a paraprofessional first, and loved being in the classroom so
much she decided to become a teacher. I chose to write about this specific
article because I see this being common trend in education today. Bilingual
teachers are not common, and it much easier to find a person who is bilingual
and make them a teacher rather than the other way around. Barreto actually went
to college first to become a graphic designer, but the economy was so bad, and
she could never find a job in her degree which is why she ended up in the
classroom.
Barreto now teaches seventh grade, and her favorite thing
about being a bilingual teacher is showing her students knowing two languages
is a positive thing. She often encourages her students to speak in more than
one language in her classroom. She loves the smaller class sizes she has and
the relationships she gets to build.
I think it is wonderful teachers are being recognized in
such a public way such as this, especially bilingual teachers. This is such a
difficult and under recognized job, and it feels good to be recognized.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/franklin-park/news/ct-fhj-shoutout-barreto-tl-1110-20161101-story.html
This is a pretty cool story! I enjoy reading posts about teachers being recognized for positive things since educators tend to fall victim to a negative spotlight more often than they should. I also think that it's pretty cool how Barreto found her calling and pursued it. One of the best paraprofessionals that I have ever worked with decided to become a teacher and is now one of the best teachers in our school. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how that happens. I was a computer science major in college until I saw how amazing working with kids was. I decided to teach high school social studies, but needed a job and wound up working as an aide in 4th grade. It was amazing and I absolutely loved working with elementary. I promptly changed my path to elementary education and never looked back!
ReplyDeleteI love the paraprofessionals in my office, I seriously do not know what I would do without them! Two of them actually have their teaching degrees, but are unable to get a contract as a teacher. It's wonderful to have such highly qualified individuals to assist me and my students, but on the other hand I feel awful that they aren't being used to their fullest potential!
ReplyDeleteAs for falling into a new path, this happened to me when I accepted my position as HS Inclusion. I had multiple LTS positions at the elementary level (which I thought was my calling!). I reluctantly "settled" for this position after struggling to obtain a contract; here I am 3 years later LOVING my job and can't imagine teaching any other age!
I love reading when teachers are recognized for some of the great ways they are making a positive impact. So much hard work is put in on a day to day basis, it is a great reminder that the hard work really pays off. I think it is wonderful that she is allowing students to see and learn there are many positives to being bilingual. It gives students motivation to want to become bilingual and learn a new language. Teaching can be difficult at times, but there are those moments that make it all worth it!
ReplyDeleteThat's really great! I read a similar article of an ESL teacher who received an award for her efforts. I am sure being bilingual has so many great benefits!
ReplyDelete