Tag Archives: Latino American Teachers

Educator Joaquin Bustoz established AP program for Tempe students

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Educator Joaquin Bustoz established an Advanced Placement math and science program for students in the Tempe Unified School District. Photo Credit: Arizona State University

There are many examples of brilliant educators who have offered their talents to improve high school instruction. One such educator was Joaquin Bustoz, Jr., a university math professor from Arizona who established an Advanced Placement program for high school students.

Joaquin was born on Dec. 30, 1939, in Tempe, Arizona, one of five children born to parents Joaquin, Sr., and Ramona. His parents, who were farm workers, also worked for their local schools, and were so revered that the Tempe Unified School District even named one of their elementary school after the couple.

In 1962, Joaquin earned his Bachelor’s degree in math from Arizona State University. Continuing his education at that institution, he earned his Master’s degree the following year, and in 1967 he completed the requirements for his PhD. After earning his doctorate, Joaquin became a professor of mathematics at the University of Cincinatti, where he taught from 1969 to 1976.

In 1985, Joaquin founded the Summer Math-Science Honors program for high school students under the auspices of the University of Arizona. Still in place today, the curriculum offers an Advanced Placement program that provides opportunities for under-represented students to study university mathematics and science while still enrolled in high school. He also devoted many hours to Native American students on the nearby Navajo and Pima Reservations.

For his outstanding work as an educator, Joaquin garnered numerous awards. For example, President Bill Clinton recognized Joaquin with the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering (PAEMST) in 1996.

Sadly, this talented and dedicated educator was killed on Aug. 13, 2003, in an automobile accident. He is interred at Double Butte Cemetery in Tempe.

You can learn more about this outstanding Chalkboard Champion on the website of the Mathematical Association of America by clicking MAA. You can also learn more about the Advanced Placement program he founded at ASU Summer Math Program.

NM teacher Silvia Miranda earns prestigious PAEMST Award

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New Mexico educator Silvia Miranda has garnered a prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Photo Credit: PAEMST

Congratulations to New Mexico educator Silvia Miranda, who has garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This prestigious award honors the dedication, hard work, and important role that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers.

Silvia currently works with kindergarteners through second graders at Mesa Elementary School and James Bickley Elementary School in Clovis, New Mexico. In her classroom, Silvia sets high standards for herself and her students. In her curriculum, she emphasizes whole brain strategies, a growth mindset philosophy, interest-based learning, and data-driven instruction.

During the pandemic, when her students were told they could not use the school playground for safety reasons, Silvia designed a lesson that asked her students to plan a playground that would allow for social distancing, using their newly-acquired multiplication and division skills to compute areas and to stay within a budget. In another lesson, she established a weather station and led her students in discovery learning about the links between water and weather and life. As part of that lesson, her students became “weather pals” with students in Africa, where they talked about wells and water issues.

In addition to her work in her school, Silvia is a Khan Academy Ambassador and a Statistics in our Schools Ambassador. She has served as a Clovis Municipal Schools Teacher Leader since 2018, was a state ambassador for the NM Teacher Leader Network for two years, and served on the state Secretary’s Teacher Advisory.

For her work as an educator, Silvia has earned many accolades. She is a 2020 NSTA Teacher Awards finalist, a 2018 Milken Educator Award recipient, was Clovis Teacher of the Year in 2018, and was a NM Teacher of the Year finalist. She has been awarded many grants for STEM education.

Silvia earned her Bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in Elementary Education from Eastern New Mexico University. She earned her Master’s degree, summa cum laude, in Education Literacy from Wayland Baptist University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher for early and middle childhood literacy, and she is certified in kindergarten through eighth grade elementary education with an endorsement in bilingual education.

Natalia Benjamin named Minnesota’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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ESL and ethnic studies educator Natalia Alvarez Benjamin has been named Minnesota’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: BYU Magazine

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Natalia Alvarez Benjamin, a high school English teacher who has been named Minnesota’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year.

Natalia teaches high school English as a Second Language and ethnic studies at Century High School in Rochester, Minnesota, to students in grades 9-12. She has taught there since 2015. In her work as an educator, she is passionate about increasing the opportunities for her minority students, and she dedicates her considerable energies to important issues such as pedagogy, cultural identity, and heritage speakers.

In her work with students, Natalia is a passionate advocate for her students of color. In fact, she is a member of the program known as Facing Inequities and Racism in Education – Racial Equity Advocates (FIRE-REA). Through this program, the honored educator has worked on cultural competency training. In addition, she is a member of several organizations that support teachers and students, including Education Minnesota’s League of Latinx Educators and Rochester Schools’ employees of color resource group. She also represents her district in the Rochester Education Association and serves on the Women’s Issues Committee for the National Education Association.

Natalia was born and raised in Guatemala. Spanish is her first language, but as a young girl, she attended a French school, so she learned to speak, read, and write in French. “My personal experiences with languages created a passion and appreciation for multiple languages and cultures,” reveals Natalia. “Many of my students are navigating new cultures and places. I hope that I can be a small part of their journey in succeeding as they follow their dreams,” she continues.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and her Master’s degree in Language Acquisition, both from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

 

Florida counselor and teacher Vicky Puentes earns recognition from GMA, VRBO

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Counselor and former English teacher Vicky Puentes of Miami, Florida, has garnered special attention from the ABC show Good Morning America and she’s won a $20,000 prize from VRBO! Photo Credit: Miami High News

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who are rewarded for their hard work improving the lives of students. One of these is Vicky Puentes a counselor and former English teacher in Miami, Florida. She has garnered special attention from the ABC television show Good Morning America, and she’s won a whopping $20,000 prize from VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner)!

In all, Vicky’s career spans nearly 20 years. For the past five years, she has worked as a counselor and college advisor at Miami Senior High School in Miami. Prior to that, she worked as an English teacher there.

Vicky’s dedication to her students is so evident. “The hours I put in here are never wasted,” declares the honored teacher. “Everything that I do is just to maximize someone else’s personal and human experience,” she continued.

As it so happens, Vicky graduated from that very same high school before she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Miami. Three of her four children also graduated from Miami Senior High, and her fourth is currently attending there.

Click on the link below to watch the six-minute video below to learn more about this Chalkboard Champion.

Good Morning America honors counselor and teacher Vicky Puentes