Mendenhall Elementary School - Fifth-Grade Bilingual Teacher
Teaching Philosophy
My parents’ experiences as English language learners affected me growing up because they struggled to adapt in a school system where speaking Spanish in the classroom was met with punishment. Both my mother and father adapted relatively well, but not surprisingly, they raised English dominant kids because of a system that did not allow them to flourish in their native language before transitioning to an all-English education. It has always been one of my personal goals to be fluent in Spanish, so I focused my efforts in becoming a certified bilingual teacher ten years after graduating with a degree in Fine Arts.
As a seventeen-year veteran at my Title I school, I believe it is imperative to develop a child's native language skills first in order to help them truly develop language across all content areas. I constantly adapt the climate of my classroom to reach kids socially and academically. My classroom is both a revolving door of kids from other Spanish speaking countries who come and go depending on their family situation as well as a place where entire families of siblings cycle through. I hunker down in the classroom trenches and get to know every child who comes to me, so the learning can happen. Students trust me and feel at ease near me. I am a joyful and confident teacher. My students range from those who can articulate questions and opinions to others who need much coaxing to converse and feel comfortable as their confidence grows in both languages.
I connect with each child and help them know that I am interested in who they are because they each have an interior life worthy of exploring. Each year, I find new ways to reach them as my population moves and shifts. I am amazed at the quirky, withdrawn little boy who has surprising knowledge of foreign cultures and an excellent vocabulary yet is academically behind two grade levels in math. I encourage the young boy living in a foster home and share his excitement when he tells me about upcoming visits with his real parents. I teach the kid, who has moved to the United States amid turmoil in his own country, how to follow a schedule, understand procedures and abide by the rules. The list goes on. My classroom is a cornucopia of academic levels, sociability and personalities. And yet we learn here. I am perceptive and vigilant in regards to how my kids perform academically, and I am constantly evaluating and finding ways to adapt what I do for them. Modifying my rate of speech, speaking in various accents, singing instructions, trading places with students and telling personal stories to connect to their world – all amid the execution of my lesson plans – are just a few strategies I use. I share what I know and take what I can from other teachers who teach the same population. And I do it in both English and Spanish. Many of my students are eager, willing and ready to soak up new information, but I also struggle to tap into whatever might motivate a child. I teach fifth-grade material as well as grade levels below and above. I find ways to relate required content to the world around them, even if it is new and unusual. For example, I developed a lesson that modeled the Great British Baking Show. Student teams had their own baking station and supplies and had to divide a full cake recipe in half. The cakes they baked were judged blind for taste and appearance and the winners were crowned. Not only did my students learn the importance of fractions and correct calculations, but also cooperation and communication. The sense of camaraderie and accomplishment was high. This kind of adapting and teaching delights me.
My students spend the school year ticking the academic boxes as well as learning to navigate their burgeoning development as almost middle schoolers and nothing gives me more fulfillment than being part of the roadmap. My official title may be fifth-grade bilingual teacher, but it barely scratches the surface of what I do daily, yearly. I am fiercely proud of my vocation as a teacher, and I am confident that the seeds I have planted will bear fruit.
Principal's Recommendation
Dear Teacher of the Year Selection Committee:
Mendenhall is a school of about 600 students with an 83%-88% free and reduced population. As the building principal at Mendenhall Elementary School, I have observed Maggie Baker’s effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of her diverse group of learners each year. I am writing to support Maggie Baker as Mendenhall's Teacher of the Year, and hopefully, the next Plano ISD Teacher of the Year. For close to 20 years, Maggie has devoted her time, energy and great ideas to Mendenhall. Maggie is a bilingual fifth-grade teacher who has such a passion for kids! Year after year, she continues to strengthen her instruction and develop a variety of effective ways to reach students at all levels. She is not only committed to what happens within our walls of Mendenhall, but also outside as she has been our Mendenhall camp coordinator for years. Each year, she works hard ensuring as many students as possible attend camp, but when they cannot for a variety of reasons, she has helped create a Camp Mendenhall experience within the building for those students. Maggie is an integral piece of the fifth-grade team and Mendenhall. She is the go-to person when you need out of the box ideas dealing with academics or behavior management.
Maggie is always learning and always teaching, and her many classrooms of students over the years have traveled with her in some way as students attest when they later return to share their college pursuits in the areas she has sparked interest. It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation. Her classroom’s applied learning approach integrates many relevant experiences that include a lot of engagement opportunities (hands-on experiences and kinesthetic modes of instruction). Maggie treats each one of her students with great dignity and respect.
She has helped us create a positive environment that is very child-oriented and focuses on building positive self-esteem through high standards and well-designed instruction. She is dedicated and compassionate. Her ability to listen responsively to our students and staff has contributed to the respect she is granted by those who work with her on our school leadership team. I greatly appreciate her enthusiasm and profound respect for people.
Jana Prince
Principal
