Jessica Garcia

Accountable elementary school Spanish bilingual teacher with excellent managerial skills confirmed by 12 years of teaching experience within the same school. Motivated to inspire students and to be proud of their heritage. Nurtured students struggling to learn foreign language and tailored teaching to best enhance competency. Explained assignments in native language and explained concepts clearly.

In the summer of 2014 I traveled to New York to attend the Teachers' College Institution helped me assess students reading level with Fountas and Pinnell in order to provide the students with their independent reading level books and to help me to analyze, plan, and share literacy strategies with my colleagues. Teachers' college also expanded my understanding of literacy development to provide new tools in helping children learn to speak, read and write. Due to all my learning students now have positive experiences at a young age with literacy and naturally develop the enjoyment of reading.

During the summer of 2012 I took a course at the University of San Francisco that focused on the understanding of atoms. Thanks to Chemistry of Life I learned how to make chemistry seem less abstract through the use of models. The course used lots of models to visualize something that is just not possible to see in a classroom such as atoms, molecules and fat cells.

As a teacher Institute alumni of 2009 I have become a life-long science learner. The two-year program improved my science instruction, and helped me ignite my students to have a passion for science. TISS was a transformative program that enhanced my understanding of topics ranging from energy to food systems to water issues. The program required 25 hours of school-year professional development during the summer by the end of the two years I had received 150 hours of professional development including coaching, workshops, and school-team collaboration.