Miguel Lopez , Excellence in Beginning Teaching
Philosophy of Teaching
I was trained to be an engineer, but I am wired to be a teacher. The
journey to this discovery in my life has been, in
itself, a growing experience that has set the foundation
for my philosophy of teaching. Although
I loved my college training, somewhere along this
journey I realized that I was not meant to spend
my life working with circuits and programs,
but to be involved in the business of helping children
reach their dreams and their fullest potential. My
philosophy of teaching can be summarized in a simple phrase, I
want to help students grow in knowledge and character to become
better persons.
I see my role as a teacher as someone committed to helping students
grow. In the classroom, I provide tools for my students
to use in their journeys, whatever those journeys
may be. I am here because I have been selflessly
and sacrificially helped by my parents,
wife and teachers. Although my mother and father
did not have the opportunity to go beyond high school,
they wanted their children
to have the opportunity they lacked. Thus, my education
is the result of their sacrifice.
I am also indebted to my teachers and my wife (also a teacher), who
from the beginning became my mentors and friends.
As gate keepers to a universe of endless possibilities, they opened
doors for me to grow
and develop my talents and skills. Now it is my turn
to help others to grow.
Knowledge and character are the two areas in which I want my students
to grow. In my opinion, education is more than mere
communication of facts.
It is the means by which we learn about the world
and ourselves. As
teachers, we help others to think and act correctly
and to live lives that pursue academic and moral
excellence. Hence,
the result of our effort in the classroom is the
improvement of our students'
futures and possibilities. As we help them grow in
knowledge and character, they will become better
persons, maturing a class at a time, an encouraging word at a time,
bringing
good to our society and to themselves.
As I ponder many paths and possibilities for the rest of my journey, I have chosen to be a teacher because as a poem says, "One hundred years from now, the only thing that will matter is that the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child."
Educational
/ Professional Background
Education and Training
- Certification in Mathematics 8-12 - Region 10
- Master of Theology - Dallas Theological Seminary
- BS - Universidad de Guadalajara
Teaching Experience
- ESL Mathematics Teacher - Williams High School
School Principal Recommendation
It is both my personal and professional privilege
to submit Miguel Lopez's name as Williams High School's
beginning teacher of the year. Miguel's educational
background prepared him to be an engineer. He recently
enrolled in Region X's alternative certification
program because he realized that not only was he
called to be a minister, he was called to be a teacher.
Williams High School, like others in the district,
state and nation, is faced with a high standard of
accountability due to the federal mandate of No Child
Left Behind and other state and local measures. As
we set out to understand the challenges before us
we knew that our greatest obstacle would come in
getting our Limited English Proficient students to
have greater success in math. In our efforts to prepare
for this challenge, WHS consulted with many educators,
visited many schools across the state and prepared
our math and ESOL departments for the challenge.
What complicated our efforts was that we did not
have a teacher who was certified in ESL and math
and who was Spanish speaking. We wanted to offer
native speaking, double-blocked, math courses to
our most needy students, now we just needed to find
a teacher.
In Mr. Lopez's classroom one will find a man of
small stature with extreme patience, lots of energy
and excitement about math and kids. Mr. Lopez begins
EVERY class with a bell ringer activity that is engaging
and that will be used throughout the lesson. While
students are engaged with their warm up, he is walking
around the room talking to the students individually
about their homework and social lives. All of this
takes exactly five minutes because the egg-timer
chimes indicating that it is time to wrap up and
start the lesson.
Mr. Lopez then discusses a real life application
of the lesson in which they are about to engage.
One lesson called for students to learn the formula
for the slope of a line. Mr. Lopez discussed mountain
climbing and skiing complete with books from the
library that depicted these events. The students
were all in amazement totally unaware that they were
about to learn how to measure the slope of the mountain
on which those people were skiing.
Mr. Lopez put
the library books away and started modeling the
formula for the students. All of the students were
engaged,
smiling and eager to learn. At the end of the lesson
he allowed the students to complete some problems
on their own. The students ferociously began their
computations all of them eagerly trying to finish
first to impress their teacher.
Mr. Lopez is pacing the classroom looking over his
students' shoulders advising them to fix small errors
that he observed, when finally a flood of hands went
into the air. The students finished, Mr. Lopez smiled
and said, "OK, we are going to finish the rest of
the problems for homework." The dismissal bell rang,
and I sat in amazement as all of the students put
their homework in their binders and rushed out the
door, saying bye to Mr. Lopez in English and Spanish,
who responded to them in English and Spanish to study
hard and don't forget to do the homework. Not one
minute in a ninety minute block was wasted. I soon
realized that Mr. Lopez was not a typical
teacher; he understood his students, his curriculum
and his role in helping students succeed.
Mr. Lopez
has organized a parent night for his students,
where he explained to parents in Spanish their role
as
a partner in their child's education. He consistently
is one of the first teachers in the building, only
the custodian beats him here.
Mr. Lopez has been observed by multiple administrators,
counselors and former teachers of the year; all state
that he is a master teacher and one of the best they've
seen. He teachers our most needy students and is
having success in an area (Limited English Proficient
Math) that every school in the state finds most challenging.
Mr. Lopez has also started a parent outreach program
in which he trains the parents of his students on
what they can do at home to support their student
in school. As a first-year teacher, Miguel Lopez
goes far beyond typical expectations. His passion,
compassion
and commitment set him apart and make him an exceptional
teacher.
Sincerely,
Sara M. Bonser
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