Life Skills

Believing in one's unique abilities is a choice we make everyday... in that way we enable ourselves to view that every child is special... every child is a gift... every child is beautiful... full of life.. full of hope... full of talent... the key to unleash these skills is to love and nurture them beyond bounderies...

My name is Norizza Sagaoinit from Angeles City, Philippine I’ve been teaching in Special Education for almost 16 years in different places; Philippines, Middle East, Pretoria, South Africa, California and currently here at Santa Fe, NM. I handled students with different exceptionalities and levels of learning which is really challenging job. I have been passionate in my commitment to three things: maximizing individual student performance, inspiring students’ interest to learn and instilling a sense of self-worth among all students. At this moment I am handling Life Skills II Class at Gonzales Community School our Life Skills Program Planner: Daily Living Skills, Social Skills, Health and Nutrition, Job Skills and Community Awareness. I implement adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and the challenges of everyday life.

My name is Yolanda A. Martinez. I went to college at Highlands University. I have been a paraprofessional for 15 yrs in the State of New Mexico. I love working with the students and I am working with my teaching license to teach spanish next year.

My name is Jordan E. Montoya. I have been a paraprofessional at Gonzales for the last three years. I am certified in Braille, and I am currently going to school to become a teacher.

My name is Ximena Montez. I have been teaching special education for 16 years. I am from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and am a third generation teacher. Most of my tenure as a teacher has been working with high needs special education students, but I have taught students with all levels of needs. In our Life Skills Class we have a big focus on practical academics so that the students will have skills that help them throughout their lifetime. Some of the skills we learn in class are: sewing, cooking, cleaning, laundry, how to shop, and money management.