2020 Scholarship Recipient: Perla Villatoro

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UPDATE

March 4, 2025

On some good news we had a lot of Black History Month focused events at my school. I try to do at least one cultural focused lesson during recognition months and I am attaching a picture of some of the results (look left)! Students created a blackout poem within a text from an important Black voice that was needed during our time. We focused on Sojourner Truth, Maya Angelou, and Killer Mike.

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August 17, 2024

This Thursday marks two weeks as being an official teacher! My students and my co-teacher are great! I have some bad days as a teacher where I want to cry, but the next day is always so fulfilling, and I'm grateful for my job. It is a weird dynamic, but I'm looking forward to what will come. 

 

I started my 4th master's course for my degree and learned that I was accepted into the gifted endorsement class offered by my district, which is free of charge. It is going to be a jam-packed year, but I'm ready! 

 

Every year, on the first day of school, our media specialists take "the first day of teaching" photos for all staff, and I have attached mine below

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Perla’s words about herself:

My entire childhood consists of vivid memories of me in school. Almost every teacher I have had has left an imprint on my life today. I was raised entirely by my mother herself, along with my older and younger sisters in our home. My mom is my rock and she has always made sure to do the absolute most she can to help further my education and my life. From as early as pre-k my mother has tried to build a bond with my teachers and make sure I was excelling alongside them.  My early childhood teachers will probably always be my favorite because I have stayed in contact with them the most. My pre-k teacher ended up moving across the street from my family, as she started her very own preschool. My kindergarten teacher is the one who I share the most memories, because of how fun and exciting she was and is.

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Overall, all my teachers have mainly been strong courageous women with good hearts and I told myself I want to be like them, not just as a teacher, but as a good human being overall. I have a strong love and passion for reading and writing, and I know I want to share it with others along the education spectrum of things. I have not yet decided what age group to focus on; however, being able to read and help younger minds grasp the basis of the English language to me is very exciting.

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I also would like to share with older teens the great American epics we read to this day, while also teaching them how to make their words have great power. Thank you so much for letting me express my desire to be a teacher and with your help I can fulfill that wish and get the chance to decide how to share my gifts and passions with others.