My name is Adriana Ponce. I am a multiple subject teacher, community organizer, and a leading-edge thinker in the art of teaching. I began my career in education working with a class of 20 students in a 1st grade after school program. A majority of my students were bilingual, and migrant students who transferred mid year with the agriculture season. I also worked as substitute teacher for almost 4 years and visited 25+ schools in three school districts in my hometown, of Salinas, California. I currently live in San Diego, California where I am earning my teaching credential and Masters in Teaching and Learning.
People who meet me today likely think that I am far from being shy about speaking my mind. What people don't know, is that from my childhood, all the way into my late teenage years, I never felt confident enough nor qualified to raise my hand and ask a question. I spent a majority of my childhood years petrified by just the thought of raising my hand to share an answer, my opinion, or worse -an incorrect answer. I think the fear I experienced as a child is in many ways still a prevalent fear for students in their education... I want my students to have a different educational experience. I learn new things from my students every day and I have only continued to grow in my teaching and in my understanding for how to be a support and guide for the growth of my students in their education, and in their general life skills. Above all, I want my students to be able to really take the reins in their learning and feel confident in their awareness as well as unashamed to share what is rightfully theirs, an opportunity to learn, to grow and to make mistakes.
If you would like to read more, please find the rest of my teaching philosophy here.