Noemí Macías graduated with a Master’s of Education and a Single Subject Teaching Credential in English from the Teacher Education Program. She will be teaching at Santa Barbara High School in the fall.
GGSE: What are you planning to do after you graduate?
Macías: I will be working at Santa Barbara High School teaching English 9.
GGSE: Tell me about your time at Alvord Unified School District. How has your work there affected your development as an educator?
Macías: Working at Alvord Unified School District as a bilingual aide taught me how rewarding it is to teach and how patient I need to be in order to be a good teacher. Connecting with my students was something that brought me joy during a time that I felt aimless and unsure of where I wanted to be. I did not always want to be a teacher but with the experience working at this school district, I was able to find a career path based on something that I learned to love. Now, I can't imagine doing anything else; I know I chose the right career.
GGSE: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Macías: In five years I think I will have traveled a lot more (because I never did before TEP). I hope that I will have gotten the hang of teaching and balancing my work and personal life because I don't think I was doing a very good job of that while at school. I will have made a lot of great memories with each class I encounter. I also see myself texting my ELA cohort for help on lesson plans.
GGSE: What's your favorite memory from the GGSE?
Macías: My favorite memory would be the feeling I got after I interviewed for TEP. I thought that if that was what the interview was like, I knew the program must be even better. I thought that returning to UCSB for GGSE was the best decision I could make.
GGSE: Is there anyone at the GGSE you'd like to thank?
Macías: I would like to thank Tim Dewar for being such a great content supervisor. I learned a lot from him, and he was always an email away when I was worried about anything. He reassured me a lot! I would also like to thank Tory Harvey for her help in all her classes. It was nice to know I could approach a professor who was kind enough to take time out of their busy schedule to help a student (multiple times). I would also like to thank Chuck Bazerman for his help on my master’s project. He was patient with me through the whole process and was always willing to give feedback.
GGSE: How are you celebrating your graduation?
Macías: I went to visit my mom and siblings for the weekend and celebrated with my family. I will now be spending the summer reading books I might teach and books on teaching in preparation for the school year. I will hopefully be catching more sunsets now.