Meet Tiffani Mugurussa, a kindergarten teacher at the John Reed
Elementary School in Rohnert Park, California. Her advice to parents: "READ,
READ, READ read to your child every day. Get involved. Visit the school,
meet the teacher, find out what they are learning about. Don't just ask how
was school today. Ask specific questions....If your child thinks you think
school is important, they will think it is important too."
Why did you become a
teacher?
As long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a teacher. My great
grandmother was a teacher. I have always loved working with children. I couldn't
see myself doing anything. else. I knew I wanted to work with children. I
thought about Juvenile probation, but I wanted to reach kids before they
got to that point in their life.
Did you find it difficult securing a
position?
Yes, I had landed a few temp positions, but they were well temporary.
I taught Kindergarten for a year, as a temp, but got pregnant that year and
well, no one was looking to hire an 8.5 month pregnant woman for the following
year. After that there seemed o be a freeze on hiring. I took a position
at a private school for a year. Then when class size reduction came, I had
several job offers. It was great to choose where I wanted to work.
What advice do you have for those now searching
for jobs in teaching?
Keep all opportunities and connections open. If your not getting
the interviews, take a good look at yourself and your resume package. It
is very sad but true, your first impression, be it your looks or your paper
work is what gets you in the door.
What are the challenges and issues you face
everyday in the classroom?
Parent involvement. I wish parents could understand how critical
i is for them to be involved. Even in Kindergarten, we need the parents to
be involved with their childs' homework and related school activities. Other
challenges for me is that I am not bilingual. I wish I could communicate
better with my parents.
What behavioral issues do you
face?
Each year there seems to be at least one behavioral problem. Often
it is hard to get the parents to cooperate. They usually feel it is the school,
not the child. For me, i deal with children who have never been away from
home. Kindergarten is often their first experience of something structured.
I use lots of rewards to reinforce the good behavior in our class, I notice
those students who are modeling it and hope that the others will see
this.
How do you keep the interest of your students?
What do you do to develop lesson plans that really hold the attention of
students?
I involve the students as
much as possible. In kindergarten almost everything is hands-on. If we are
learning about oceans, we are playing in the sand,. If it is insects, were
are catching them, or watching caterpillars turn to butterflies. Students
can't just sit there, they have to be moving and doing, especially in
kindergarten.
What have been some of the most joyful moments
in your teaching career?
Last year i had a student
who spoke very little English and when she did speak in Spanish, she was
so shy, but each time she she talked in class, she was excited. Her face
would light up and you just knew she wanted so badly to learn. Her smile
and bright eyes will stay with me forever. Last year, I had another student
who repeatedly told me she wanted to grow up to be a teacher just like me.
She was a very gifted student reading at 2nd grade in Eng. Eng. was not her
first language.
Do you ever suffer from burn-out? If so, how
do you cope with it?
Occasionally I feel burned out. I have two small children a 2yr
old and a 5yr old. It is hard to be on demand all day long, then come home
and be ready for the second performance. I find that sometimes i just need
to get away and be by myself. Sometimes I just go shopping by myself. Just
walking around and paying attention only to myself does wonders for me. About
one time a year, I take a personal day and just stay home, clean house, catch
up on old and watch a few movies. Everyone needs R andR once in a while.
We can't always wait till June
Do you deal with many family issues? If so,
is this difficult? How do you cope with it?
Occasionally we deal with family issues. The hardest or the abuse
cases. It is hard to think that a child could be going home to something
awful. If I think there is a situation that shouldn't be existing, I take
immediate action. I would hate for something to happen to a child, and for
to have sa back and let it happen.
Fortunately I haven't had anything to terrible, but I have had students
who have been through the rough and were in the recovery stage. It is so
hard for them to focus on the now and not the past. Sometimes you find yourself
being a mother, a psychologist and a friend to these families, before you
can ever be the teacher.
What advice do you have for parents who want
to help their children do better in school?
READ,READ,READ read to your child every day. Get involved. Visit
the school, meet the teacher, find out what they are learning about. Don't
just ask how was school today. Ask specific questions. What is the book your
reading right now. Show me the math you learned today. If your child thinks
you think school is important, they will think it is important too.
What is it like to deal with the parents of
your students? How could parents make your job easier?
Don;'t bombard the teacher with questions, before or after school.
Teachers are very busy. Set up an appointment or send a not. We don't want
to hear about your personal life, unless it is affecting your child. Focus
on your child. Do your best to help them be successful at school. If you
don't now how to do that, make an appointment with the teacher and get ideas.
Teachers are willing to give their time to those families who want to
help.
What changes have you seen in your profession
in recent years?
family involvement. I do see more community involvement, but there
needs to be much more of both.
If you had to do it over, would you become
a teacher again?
YES!!!!!! It is the most rewarding job. What other type of work could
one do that would touch so many different lives. . A student gave me a gift
that read, "Life is about dreams...Teaching is about making them come
true."
Do you enjoy the subject you teach? How do
stay interested in something you teach year after year?
I love Kindergarten. There is something so magical about that first
day of school. I'm their first teacher. It can get hard teaching the same
subjects. That's why I'm not an English teacher, I couldn't stand teaching
the same thing five times a day. I try to vary my lessons each year, teaching
different units, or changing the activities to fit the students
needs.
Tell us about an experience with a student
when you thought, 'this is why I'm doing this'-- when you felt you were really
making a difference.
two years ago, i had a student with downs syndrome. He made our classroom
a very special place. He showed that anyone is capable of learning. even
my most difficult students took to this one little boy. His determination
and strong will to be just like everyone else, and his peers cheering him
all the way is something I will never forget
What is the funniest, most exciting and satisfying
part of your job?
Kids say the greatest things, I love it when they use he wrong words
or try to tell jokes, but just can't get it right. I think the most exiting
part is the beginning of school. I always feel like a little kid at the
beginning. I can't eat or sleep, I can't wait for he first day.
I hope this helps. Sorry for the typos and misspelled words. It
is late, about 12:30am. My kids are asleep and I was working on lesson plans
and getting things ready for a conference I'm presenting at. I figured, I'd
better do this now, or it would be never. |
