San Francisco Public Schools

At my continuation high school, many of our students have become disconnected from reading. But just about all of them loved books at one point in their lives! It is so gratifying to help them find a book that rekindles that excitement and joy. When a student asks if we have more books by the same author, I have hope that they will continue to think of themselves as readers long after they graduate from high school.

I love the large and diverse student and staff population at Lincoln. There are so many awesome people with so many passionate interests and it's great to be in an environment where people invest themselves into the things they do.

I've been teaching at TMAHS since 2009. We've been through many changes, but true to our mascot, the Phoenix, we always rise. I teach Senior Seminar, so I help all of our twelfth graders with college applications, financial aid, scholarships, and planning for life after high school. Every time a student submits an application, they ring the bell, and the whole class cheers. It's my favorite tradition. 

Burton played a pivotal role in helping me DREAM BIG. 

My XC season has been amazing. Every practice and race has shown me how much I’ve improved and grown. I’m grateful for my coaches, teammates, and the fact that I can push myself beyond my limits.

I’m really excited for this year where we have a new menu for the kids. If they were here last year, this year they’ll see something totally new.

I’ve been with the District for 46 wonderful, beautiful, blessed years. I love the Warriors and I love the kids.

I love the people of SFUSD: the students, families, and all of us - the staff members that serve those students and families. It really does feel like we are all one big family.

I love my work because it allows me to impart the joys to science, art, literacy, and math to my students. They end up learning that every subject is intricately connected in the real world. Students feel a real sense of pride and ownership in making those deep connections.

I love the numerous opportunities SFUSD strives to provide and how distinct they can all be. I believe they really allow for well-rounded students and future workers.

I like Burton because I feel like it's a really tight-knit community where everyone supports each other.

I love connecting with families and students and supporting them in learning how to navigate the world and each other.

I just love being with kids, being inspired by them. I love their curiosity and I love collaborating with other teachers and staff to help our kids learn and have fun while doing it.

My favorite part about my job is seeing the wins. I think we have a population that is underserved. So just someone checking in on you and saying I see you, I care about you, I want you to win, all those things have really long standing outcomes that I think we don’t see in the moment but are huge wins. So when we celebrate that with the kids that’s the biggest win to me.

I get to know the families and they love me and tell me I’m their auntie. I love working with the kids, they’re my life. They are our future. I could retire but I’m not going to retire. As long as babies are being born, I want to work with them.

I get emails and save all the cards that students have written to me. Building relationships builds community and makes society better and stronger.

I’ve wanted to teach since I was in high school. It’s something I’ve always loved doing. Getting to be part of the growth of these students is amazing. I love working with the kids and community at Glen Park.

My favorite thing about being a SFUSD teacher is the diversity. I get to meet with so many people and collaborate with so many people across the district. These students and families really remind me of myself when I was younger and that's what makes Malcolm X special.

I love teaching PE because the kids just run here. This is the best part of their day. You get to be the ambassador of fun and what’s so beautiful about teaching PE is it’s social-emotional, it’s physical, it’s cognitive. There’s so much that you can do to really access and develop those parts of a student's whole experience.

I think saving the environment is important to our future and something I want to be involved in.

I really love seeing the ‘a-ha’ moments with the kids as they’re connecting things they’re learning or have seen before when I share knowledge about different plants and animals.

It’s always a trip down memory lane coming back to the schools, going into classrooms, and meeting with the teachers and staff.

We’re trying to get kids out of their comfort zone and have some fun while staying safe.

Learning both Spanish and English helped me understand who I am as a Hispanic person born in the US, and it helped me grow more as a student.

I help students teach each other about taking care of themselves and their wellness.

I grew up in the Mission and with the James Lick community, and there’s a big sense of pride that I’m able to give back to the community that helped raise me.

I appreciate the small community here at Thurgood Marshall and getting to know everyone really well. We are like a family and we all love each other.

It’s important to me to be a Black male teacher in a school with lots of Black and Brown kids, so there’s a certain way I carry myself.

I love seeing the kids progress, get better at their skills, and find things to enjoy that will keep them physically active throughout their lifetimes.

By setting an example of hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude, I hope to encourage my students to become the best versions of themselves and to pursue their passions with confidence and enthusiasm.

I’ve had chance meetings with multiple former Hoover students, who as adults have told me how much they appreciated their middle school art classes and how it gave them an outlet to be creative and a way to express themselves.

Having a community that stands up for you and really has your back has been the best part of being part of the village.

What I love is seeing students take their skills to other places that I could not foresee, and learning from them.