Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 22

Ursula Connell, teacher’s aide at WS
Ryan, works through fractions with
her small group of fifth graders. A
formally trained mortgage lender,
she is working on her teaching
certification to work with students.
Answering the “Call”
to Teach
District finding unique way to help fill teaching shortage In
Bilingual/ESL through 50/50 program with TWU
O
ften, it’s a long and winding road that
leads an individual to their passion or
life’s work. Combine that with what most
seasoned educators define as “a true
calling” to teach. Add a unique opportunity
to partner with a local university’s college
of education, and Denton ISD hopes the
intersection will answer the shortage of
bilingual/ESL (English as a Second Language)
teachers giving our students and teachers
an advantage.
Story and photos
by Julie Zwahr
Fifth graders at W.S. Ryan Elementary
have no idea the path that Ursula Connell,
a bilingual instructional aide, has taken to
proudly offer extra assistance to the small
group of mathematicians.
“She’s just crazy about numbers,” said
Mauricio Loyola, fifth grader. “But, I’ve
learned that math is fun and I might be
really good at it.”
Born in Spain, Ms. Connell’s parents
immigrated to Peru when she was very
22
young. Wanting the best education possible
for their daughter, they enrolled her in a local
school that offered her 15 years of formal
education completely in German.
Upon graduation with her degree in finance,
she worked until the age of 24 at a corporate
bank, processing loans and mortgages. As
is commonplace in the world of finance, her
bank merged with another and her manager
promised her a new position if she could
learn to speak English. She immediately
enrolled in a two-year program in Boston,
spending years mastering the language.
“As you might imagine, my native language
is Spanish. I learned everything in German,
and speaking English to people in Boston
was confusing,” she laughed. “Their accent
and my accent was just too much for my
mind to comprehend.”
Her aunt offered her an opportunity to work
in real estate in Texas, promising that it
would be a good combination of using her