Bard, A Place to Think - Master of Arts in Teaching

Hometown:Caracas, Venezuela
Previous Education: Boston University, M.A. in Counseling and Psychotherapy
Work Experience Prior to Bard:
High School English Teacher in two international schools, Caracas, Venezuela, 28 years
Currently Teaching:
12th grade English, Banana Kelly High School, South Bronx, NY
I have also taught a drama elective, creative communication elective and currently, a tutorial for seniors and their college essays.

Why did you want to become a teacher?
have always loved the profession, loved the subject and loved adolescents.

What are your career goals?
I hope to teach high school for maybe ten more years and then teach a literacy or methods strategy class in a teacher prep college.

Why did you choose Bard?
I read the curriculum and it just sounded right.

What do you like best about Bard’s MAT?
1. The professors: brilliant, passionate, authentic scholars and delightful, compassionate individuals.
2. My colleagues: I met wonderful, intelligent, delightful colleagues and friends

Tell us about your student teaching experience.
I taught in Redhook High School and I also taught in Kingston High School, which I enjoyed much more. A nice mentor who simply handed the class over to me. We had some delightful conversations about teaching and he was warm and friendly and appreciative.

In what ways did Bard’s MAT make you into the teacher you are today?
The focus on “writing to learn” was key to the program and I am not sure if it is a trend in all of these programs now, but certainly was not years ago. In my classes, we write every single day: ”free writes” to jumpstart the class or in the middle to see what they are thinking and learning, etc. Also the importance of having kids work in groups was emphasized [in Bard’s program] and I do it.