Hello, my name Mr. M.! I was born and raised in San Bernardino, CA in a uniquely Guatemalan-Mexican household. I graduated from Brown University with a degree in Honors in Ethnic Studies.

I took a year off to figure out what exactly I wanted to do; that's when I first began my children into the field of education. I started volunteering with a nonprofit called School on Wheels, which offers free tutoring services for students experiencing homelessness. I also started working part time as an instructional aide in Special Education, where I worked with several different types of populations including: Deaf/HOH, Autism, and Emotionally and Socially Delayed.

When I returned, I wanted to continue to work with underserved youth to best empathize with my future classroom, so I signed up to provide free tutoring/babysitting services for a local domestic violence shelter. In those trainings is where I formed my understandings of trauma-informed pedagogy, and every students' actions is a form of communication. A student must feel safe, comfortable, heard and affirmed in order to learn. Continuing this trend, In the summer of 2019, I had a fellowship with Ascend Public Charter Schools in which for the first four week I received rigorous training on culturally responsive pedagogy. The following four weeks I spent in a classroom with a mentor teacher receiving feedback daily on how to improve my craft and my engagement. This, along with my trauma-informed pedagogy training really prepared me for the unexpected -- COVID.

2020 was the first year I worked full time as a bilingual Kindergarten teacher, in which we started the year virtually and then transitioned into in person learning. The past school year was unlike any other, and even veteran teachers were at a loss. Through the values of joy, flexibility, adaptability, and student-interest based, I got my students to the level they needed to be.

I hope to continue this type of work here; I am excited to make connections and get to know you, scholars! #SiSePuede!