Today, August 16th, 2022 is the first day of school in the Lake Travis Independent School District and I want to feature three wonderful teachers in the district. With the new report coming out today about the shortage of teachers and why they are leaving the profession in droves, it is important to focus on why teachers chose this profession.
As a Lake Travis community member and studio owner, I feel it is important to give back. Teachers have had a positive impact on my life. When I first came to the US as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975 at age 8, I started 2nd grade without knowing one word in English. The teachers in my ESL class helped me learn the English language quickly. I remember Teachers believing in me throughout my years in school, but Mr. Thieme at Valwood Elementary, in Farmers Branch, Texas made the most impact in my life. He made me feel like I could accomplish anything. He was right because I did. Teachers make a huge impact in the life of our children and they deserve more. They deserve more pay, more respect, more support by the district and community.
In June, I had the community nominate teachers they feel deserve a complimentary family portrait session and gift print with my studio. I want to blog and share their story as to their WHY for becoming a teacher and staying in the profession. A few nominations came in and 3 teachers were able to come into the studio to get their portrait done. I want to share their story.
Raquel Lloreda (LTMS Math Teacher) & Jose Gonzalez (LTMS Science Teacher)
Giving back is a core value of my studio. In June, I posted for nominations for teachers in the Lake Travis ISD who are deserving of a portrait session and a gift portrait. Teachers have been through a lot in the last 2 1/2 years. They give so much of themselves to teach our children and they deserve more respect and definitely better pay. I wanted to give back to teachers because I want them to know they are appreciated.
Kristan Cogan-Sais, a mom with a daughter at Lake Travis Middle School nominated Mr. Jose Gonzalez, a 7th and 8th grade teacher at Lake Travis Middle School. This is what she said about Mr. Gonzalez.
"Mr. G has an incredible energy, love and passion for teaching. He reaches students on a whole different level and excites them about science and learning. He’s made an incredible difference in my daughter’s life 2 years in a row. We’ve been so fortunate to have him."
The universe must have been listening because a few days before I received the nomination in my email, I was at the
Lakeway/Lake Travis Rotary Club scholarship award luncheon as a Rotarian and Jose, his wife Raquel and daughter Sophia who was receiving the scholarship from the Rotary were at my table. They are such a lovely family and I learned that both of them are teachers at the Lake Travis Middle School.
Thank you to Jose and Raquel Gonzalez for being a positive influence on the children of Lake Travis. Here is more about them:
1)What do you love about being a teacher? What school, subject do you teach at.
Raquel - I am a math (Algebra and Geometry) teacher and Math Department Chair at Lake Travis Middle School. I love interacting with students daily, I love their energy and wonder! To me, math is fascinating and necessary in all aspects of our lives, so I love sharing that enthusiasm with students and watching them enjoy it and have those "ah ha!" moments!
Jose - I teach 8th grade Science and serve as Science Department Head at Lake Travis Middle School. I love to facilitate knowledge by demonstrating my enthusiasm for STEM education. My goal is for students to become confident and excited about doing higher-level math science.
2)What made you decide to become a teacher?
Raquel - I believe it is very important that all members in our society be well informed, problem solvers, and independent thinkers regardless of their job or role in our community. This requires a strong education system that includes great, passionate teachers. I became a teacher because it allows me to contribute toward this important goal. I also love that I get to do math all day every day:)
Jose - Education gave me the ability to overcome adversity and it provided me the opportunity to create the type of life I wanted. Therefore, I wanted to foster the same opportunity for my students. It is also important for me to change the narrative and perception of men of color.
3)Tell us about your family.
We were both born and raised in Latin America and began our fairly tale together in 1992 at the start of high school at LASA in Austin. We worked hard to overcome a lot of adversity and circumstance to beat the odds fulfill our dreams of attending college, completing degrees in Math, Biology, and Chemistry. We spent four years thousands of miles apart during college, and then destiny brought us back together as high school teaching colleagues in AISD. We have since earned Masters degrees in Mathematics and Engineering from UT Austin. We are the proud parents of a new LTHS graduate who is headed to Wellesley College in the Boston area this Fall. We also share our home with our five pound Yorkie, Brutus:)
4)How has your experience been teaching in Lake Travis ISD?
Teaching at LTISD has been phenomenal. We chose LT because we wanted a great school district for our daughter, who is a "lifer' in the district. We began teaching here in 2007 when it was much smaller, and have grown with the district. We've seen the community come together to prioritize rigor and high quality education by providing staff and students with the facilities, resources, and professional development training necessary for a great educational experience. Additionally, our campus staff at LTMS is second to none. We get to work with some fantastic educators and we care about each other like family. On May 31st this year, Jose and I received our 15 year service pins from the district, which is a great honor!
5)What are some things that you would like to be available to teachers to make their job easier?
Raquel - Time. The most impactful change I would love to see is more time for instruction and student support. This could be achieved by reducing the amount of time spent on assessments and by implementing a block schedule (at the middle school) with imbedded flexible tutoring.
Jose - A four day week. Four instructional-days with one planning day to provide teachers the time to develop and implement cross-curricular and authentic learning experiences, which includes involving community members as the experts in real life-applications.