Neff, Tinsley Educators Named Bilingual, ESL Teachers of the Year
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| Marilou Alcaraz |
The pursuit of academic excellence isn't always easy—especially when students are confronted with discouraging setbacks—but leading by example comes naturally to Marilou Alcaraz and Jinett Martinez.
As young people, both women achieved success in their studies only after overcoming significant obstacles—and it is that "relatability" which has helped them to earn HISD's highest teacher-recognition awards for multilingual educators.
The district announced its top bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers for the 2007–2008 school year during a ceremony held in April, and Marilou Alcaraz, an educator at both Eleanor Tinsley Elementary School and Liberty High School, was named the ESL Teacher of the Year, while Jinett Martinez from Pat Neff Elementary School was named the Bilingual Teacher of the Year.
Philippines native Marilou Alcaraz said she was attending high school in the city when "it dawned on me (that) my sixth-grade medal was mediocre." Although a "dismal ratio" of one book per every five students in her elementary school didn't prevent her from graduating with honors, "keeping up with my peers who came from private schools (in high school)…was a tough undertaking. I was a salutatorian who struggled when reading words like 'schedule' and 'façade.'"
After earning her diploma, Alcaraz dreamed of becoming a teacher, but she had to postpone her university studies because of limited financial resources. "My father announced that our grocery store was not doing well, and I would have to wait until my older brother finished his engineering courses," she explained.
Now, Alcaraz says her philosophy is "not to teach all of my students, but to teach each of them—to be responsive to their unique perspectives and individual differences."
"Being a second language learner myself," she explained, "I have an unadulterated understanding of what any bilingual or ESL child goes through. I was once a struggling English language learner; now, I am a teacher of passion and dedication."
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| Jinett Martinez |
Jinett Martinez faced similar hardships learning a second language growing up, though for different reasons. She came to America as a toddler and spent ten years in a New York City suburb, but moved back to the Dominican Republic as a teenager after watching her father get stabbed by convenience-store robbers. "It was very challenging to learn to read, write, and speak fluently in Spanish," said Martinez, who has also taught at Roy Benavidez and Leroy Cunningham Elementary Schools. "I spoke some (Spanish), but I was not in bilingual programs in New York, and I had to teach myself phonetically how to read and write in it. This helps me relate to my students who come from other countries. I understand their feelings of being displaced and confused."
Martinez attributes her success as a teacher to a deep respect for individual learning styles. "I tend to utilize an eclectic approach to teaching," she explained. "Not everyone enjoys flying, but in order to get to a location, they may opt to drive or ride a bus or a train. The important thing is to arrive at the final destination."
Martinez' methods are clearly working. "My students come into my classroom as beginners or intermediate learners of the English language," she said. "They leave as advanced or highly advanced speakers and readers."
Both Alcaraz and Martinez won Teacher of the Year distinctions at their respective schools and administrative districts in order to advance to HISD's highest level of honor. They achieved these awards through a process that includes the review of essays and personal portfolios by a committee, as well as one-on-one interviews with judges.
Marilou Alcaraz was also named the city's ESL Teacher of the Year by the Houston Area Association for Bilingual Education. She will go on to compete at the state level this summer.
Click here to read more about the Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year for 2008 and here to read about the special recognitions awarded at that ceremony.
