Temporary Teachers: A highlight of three current student teachers at East and why they are going into education career

Robert Herrera — Señorita Lind’s Spanish student teacher — listens as a student flawlessly pronounces “perro” and “baño” — words she’d previously stuttered over. Herrera has always thought of himself as a helper ever since he was called a “teacher’s pet” in elementary school. Helping others is something that brings him joy and a sense of purpose — and now he can officially call himself a helper.

“I’ve always had a passion for helping and teaching,” Herrera said. “I have that desire to see people who maybe don’t learn or are struggling in something. Being able to see how that comes to fruition and see them grow means a lot.”

After teaching next to Señorita Lind for the past two months, Herrera has discovered the qualities he wants in his classroom environment when he becomes a full-time teacher — an estimated 33% speaking, 33% writing and 33% listening. 

Out of the classroom, Herrera delivers groceries as a side job — another aspect of his passion for service. Herrera knows this job brings assistance and relieves stress in people’s days, making it something he can look forward to. 

“People are very grateful that I take the time out of my own day, even though I do get paid,” Herrera said. “I have this one elderly lady — super sweet — and she’s just like, ‘I’m so thankful for you, thank you for helping me out so much.’ That’s what I live for. I love to be the guy who helps.”

At East, Herrera has learned the impact of his help. Growing closer to his current students, he finds the line between being able to crack jokes here and there and also ensuring that each student is grasping the pronunciation and spelling of each word in their writing.

“I need to remember we can only teach students so much,” Herrera said. “I’m not a God. I can’t teach them everything. But I’ve learned to love the small moments.”

Student teacher Caroline Gambill excitedly observes biology teacher Stephanie Valencia mix water and vinegar in a graduated cylinder, noticing the slight pauses and added comments she will have to reteach the next period. She shakes the nerves off and remembers why she’s here — her love for science and biology. 

“I love a kind of lab environment and I really like to work hands-on with science,” Gambill says. “But I think the connections and the relationships are most important to me and those aren’t always super available [with students].”

Gambill switches between Valencia and other biology teacher Jennifer Davis’ classrooms throughout each school day. Observing both Valencia and Davis has taught Gambill about organization and how she will one day structure her own class.

“Time management with classes is huge,” Gambill says. “Knowing when to transition through different parts of a lesson are kind of difficult things to grasp but they’ve been really good at helping me with that. ”

When not presenting a lab or studying for her undergrad degree at Kansas State University, Gambill loves listening to Phoebe Bridgers or Fleetwood Mac and spending time with her pet gecko in light of her love for animals — giving her something to connect with her students about. 

“It’s awesome to see kids who like the same kind of artist or are wearing a shirt of an artist and I’m like ‘Oh my god, I love that,’” Gambill said. “And I really love animals, so that obviously translates really well into the science classroom.”

Gambill believes forming these connections is the best way to engage students — even the “non-science lovers.”

Michael Scott walks a struggling student through a complex momentum formula, remembering when he was in the student’s place five years ago. Scott now sees the teacher to student connection from a new lense as he student teaches for physics teacher Miles Martin in Physics, AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2. 

As a full-time teacher, Scott hopes to build a student-centered classroom — one where students create the problems to make sure they really grasp the content and material. 

While Scott’s interests are physics and science, his favorite hobby is running. After being a runner himself and coaching for the last four years, Scott brings some of his experience in his running shoes to the classroom. 

“I think there’s definitely this coaching mentality that I take in[to the classroom],” Scott said. “Practice makes perfect in sports, and I [also] see it in the classroom.”

After Scott’s high school experience, he felt it was his duty to teach, connect with students and aid their learning process.

“I had a great high school experience and a lot of my teachers had an impact on me, and I know how important learning is as anyone grows up,” Scott said. “I would also like to play a role in these students’ lives to help them learn how to learn for themselves.”