UCCI Teacher Spotlights

What do you do, and why?

I am a Spanish teacher because I want to teach the beauty of the language and the benefits that come with being bilingual. I teach Spanish 4 for Patient Care: ¡Socorro! to prove to the students that their knowledge of the Spanish language can take them far in the health industry.

How long have you been teaching and how did you decide to become a teacher?

I have been teaching for three years now and I decided to become a teacher when I graduated college with my BA. The day after graduation, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the major I had chosen. That day I realized that throughout college I was a tutor and a mentor and had enjoyed it all those years. This led me to the education path and now I know I made the right choice. My students are my motivation and I will continue to provide them with assistance and knowledge so that they can succeed.

Please tell us about your background (teaching, industry, etc.), and how you apply your experience in your current role as a Spanish Teacher.

I am a first-generation college graduate, and went through a lot of the same struggles that my students are going through now. I can identify with a lot of them because we share the same language and culture. Having this background has led me to teach my students not only Spanish, but also how to embrace their culture and love the language. I realized that a lot of them feel they are at a disadvantage for not being completely fluent in their native language or in English. This is the way I felt at times, therefore with this class I am able to teach them material that helps them perfect their language and use it in a professional setting to benefit everyone.

You’re currently teaching the UCCI course Spanish 4 for Patient Care. Please talk about your experience teaching this course, any challenges you may have had with implementation, and what interested you about this course.

Teaching Spanish 4 for Patient Care: ¡Socorro! has truly been an extraordinary experience. I decided to teach this course because my students are enrolled in a health academy. Therefore, their classes revolve around the health industry. Before taking Spanish 4 for Patient Care, students take: Medical Terminology, Human Body Systems, Sports Medicine, Medical Office, Principles of Biomedical Science, Biology, and Chemistry; therefore they come with a lot of background knowledge needed for the UCCI course.

Teaching this class allowed my students to expand their knowledge. The twist to this wonderful experience was that everything was in Spanish and students were able to use their background knowledge and truly expand it. All students took full advantage of this opportunity. My specialty is not the health field—my students have been my partners because at times they shared with me their knowledge. Knowing that students come to me with this knowledge helps me feel confident about what I am teaching because I can always check in with them and their teachers if I need to. It has been a learning process and a great experience for me—I will make sure to focus on a couple key assignments instead of trying to do it all—and I am looking forward to teaching this course again next year.

Please tell us what you think is important about teaching Spanish in a health context—do you notice a different level of engagement in your students compared to a traditional class, and if so, how?

All of my students are at Health Careers Academy because they are interested in some sort of medical career. This elevates the level of engagement in my course because students enjoy the material taught. They know a lot of this material in English, but learning it in Spanish is a challenge in itself. Students know these are not terms used in their everyday life, but they are aware that they will use them once they begin their career so this motivates them to do well in the class.

You were a Teacher Leader for the Spanish 4 for Patient Care curriculum team, at the UCCI Teacher Exchange for ABC Unified School District. Please tell us about your experience as a Teacher Leader and how has this experience had an impact on your teaching of this course.

This was the first time that I not only got to share my material, but also prepare new material with others. This experience was truly rewarding because I was able to share with others the hard work and dedication my students and I had accomplished. I shared student work and projects during the exchange which demonstrated the students’ success in the course. Teachers were able to see the engagement of my students and how they were applying background knowledge as well as new knowledge into this course. They were having fun and 99% of the time all students completed every assignment. I was happy that I was also able to perfect units from the course with colleagues which provided me with feedback and new innovated ideas.

What are your top three resources (online or otherwise) for learning or teaching the Spanish language or for teaching Language other than English (E) curriculum?

1. I have used the Centers for Disease Controal and Prevention (CDC) website for many assignments and resources.

2. I like to present my students with interactive ways to learn the curriculum therefore Kahoot, Quizlet, and Quia have been my students' top three online resources for learning.

3. Youtube and National Geographic have helped a lot with videos.

We’d love to hear about any non-academic interests/experiences/hobbies you have, or perhaps related to academics but not necessarily to your current role.

I am a family gal—I love to spend time with my family and loved ones. During my spare time I do a little hot yoga here and there, and I am obsessed with ZUMBA.