Rosalva Aguilar is passionate about working with young children and their families. Last spring, she received the 2018 College of Education and Social Services (CESS) Award for Academic and Social Justice Distinction. The ¶¶Òõ̽̽ junior from Brooklyn, New York shares her inspiration to teach, her continued growth as an educator, and how she is pushing beyond her own expectations with help from an incredible support system.
Why are you pursuing a teaching career?
As teachers, we create an environment where children can engage in their inquiries, take risks, and express their ideas and feelings. I want my students to feel safe, comfortable and important in my classroom. Each child deserves a high-quality education, and each child can be successful. As a teacher, I can offer those experiences and opportunities to my students.
What stands out about your educational journey so far?
Having the opportunity to work with different groups of children allows me to learn so much from every child, and it shows me that as a teacher I need to find different ways to engage children in their learning. It’s exciting to witness my students’ growth throughout the year. And it is very rewarding to see that my provocations and setups in the classroom gave children the opportunity to explore different materials and further their understanding of the world around them.
My advisors, mentors, and professors provide tremendous support, checking in with me and always offering their time to just talk about their personal experiences and challenges as teachers. Throughout my student teaching at all of the schools, my mentors always make it a priority to help guide me to become the best I can be. Professors challenge and push me to not only reach my goal, but also to go beyond that and see how I’m capable of doing so much more. They also inspire me to embrace mistakes and use them an opportunity to grow and learn.
Last semester my Curriculum Development in Early Childhood Education (EDEC 140) class was challenging because of the rigorous assignments and expectations. But my professor Kate Cowles was so supportive and would check-in with me about how I was feeling. She believed that I was capable of achieving more and I’m really thankful that she challenged me.
Please talk about your fieldwork in the community.
I’m so grateful for the many opportunities to observe and teach in different field settings, including King Street Center, the Campus Children’s School, Trinity Children’s Center, JFK Elementary School, and more.
As a student teacher at the Campus Children’s School I experienced so much growth. As a teacher, you always need to reflect on your experiences, observations and ideas so you can be intentional about what you teach. And I learned how important it is to take risks and be comfortable in making mistakes because no one is perfect, so when you make mistakes you learn and grow from those experiences.
Currently, I’m student teaching at JFK Elementary School in Winooski. My students come from diverse backgrounds. I’m gaining a better understanding of why it is important to differentiate teaching styles so all students can have the opportunity to feel supported and engaged in the classroom. It’s gratifying to see when students feel empowered and driven to learn through my mentor Caroline Bell’s teaching style. Caroline also taught me about using positive language with children because it gives them encouragement to keep learning.
Why ¶¶Òõ̽̽?
I decided to attend ¶¶Òõ̽̽ because of the culture. People are very open-minded, embracing diversity and change. And I really like that CESS has small classes and offers individualized attention. In the CESS community everyone is close-knit and supportive of each other. Professors are advocates for change within education and beyond which is very important to me.
Do you have any favorite classes at ¶¶Òõ̽̽?
My favorite class at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ was Intro to Early Care and Education (EDEC 001). My professor, Lori Meyer, is very passionate about her work with children. She inspired me through her own experiences and through her teaching. Lori asked us to write about a deep, personal experience that we shared with the class on the last day. We all felt empowered and closer to one another. She taught me that by being vulnerable, you make connections and build positive, healthy relationships with others.
Lauren MacKillop is one of my favorite professors because she offers support in many ways and she’s very passionate about teaching. She was always excited and happy to teach each morning which made her class so much fun. Lauren exposed me to so much important and meaningful material that made me feel prepared to teach young children.
How do you collaborate with other students?
Peers in my cohort have been very supportive throughout my journey at ¶¶Òõ̽̽. They give me different perspectives and a more extended view of the world. This helps me interact and work with a diverse group of students while student teaching. Peers have also provided constructive criticism to improve my teaching style and better serve the students.
Have you been involved with any research projects at ¶¶Òõ̽̽?
In my Collaborative Internship (EDEC 139) class, I researched baking with older toddlers in the Campus Children’s School. During the semester, I created projection plans based on my observations with young children and made changes to the plan based on their interests and development. Throughout the research I incorporated different developmental domains including math, science, literacy, and social-emotional learning.
Is there an important memory that you want to share?
A few weeks ago, I was student teaching in my Kindergarten classroom at JFK. One of my students who is an English Learner was reading a book quietly to herself. As I listened, I could hear her talking in English. When I asked her if she liked that book she nodded her head. She memorized part of the book because of a read-aloud that my mentor did a few weeks ago. All of my students gave encouraging words, and they all sat around her as she read to them.
This experience showed me that when teachers are intentional about what they teach in the classroom, it becomes meaningful to the child. This can help a child figure out their identity and how to become an active participant in the classroom.
Making positive changes in my students' and families' lives makes me enjoy and feel proud of my work as a teacher.
What are your career plans?
My immediate goal would be returning to New York City and teaching in a pre-school or kindergarten classroom. And I hope to pursue a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.
I’m preparing for a teaching career through all the hands-on learning experiences at various schools and different settings. The faculty challenged me throughout my journey at ¶¶Òõ̽̽, and this will help me feel comfortable and confident to take risks in my career.