My vision as an educator is to offer an outstanding education to all students whom I have the privilege of teaching.* I will help develop students who are socially engaged and make a meaningful impact in the communities where they live and work.**
I believe that motivation is the fundamental factor that affects students’ learning and I focus the school mission on motivating and engaging all students.
I work to expose students to realistic applications of the topics they are learning, like showing videos of Circus Physics, in which flying from a trapeze to a trapeze and “artist” demonstrate the conservation of momentum in a physics class. These demonstrations are important to highlight the relevance of what students learn in everyday life, to illustrate scientific principles, and to raise and keep them interested in the subject.
Finally, my mission relies on integrating technology in education by using and promoting the use of demonstrations based on elementary hardware tools, software, videos, etc., to make the subject more exciting and less intimidating to the students.
I enjoy the educational process and try to make it enjoyable for my students. I try my best to make my style clear and accurate and ensure all instructors follow my example to foster effective communication.
I strongly think that in order to be an effective source of knowledge, teachers must have a deep understanding of the matter being taught, and must stay current with the field advancements. Teacher’s active participation in professional development enhances their educational capabilities and because of this, I encourage and work to promote PD opportunities
I consider that teaching and learning are cooperative activities. my educational mission is to make students involved in the process and, simultaneously, to foster their critical thinking.
Legal brief - Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
Diversity Statement
My experience and ability working with diverse communities of students and colleagues (being bilingual and a role model for minority students), advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, and working with staff and faculty allow me to teach effectively classes with a diversity of students.
In collaboration with a Spanish Professor, I developed a Service-learning class during the summer of 2014. We took 22 VCU students to Spain for one month to take Science, Spanish, and Immigration classes at the University of Cordoba. This course and my participation in international conferences in various countries (Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Mexico, and United States) have allowed me to enhance my cultural competence and to collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds.
* Benard, B. (2004). Resiliency: What we have learned. San Francisco, CA: WestEd. Thompson, G. (2010). The power of one: How you can help or harm African American students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
** https://www.cristoreyrichmond.org/about/our-vision/