Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 23

Spanish and financial skills. Once here, she married and
had two children and re-entered banking.
It was her father-in-law, an educator, who persuaded
her to volunteer alongside him helping struggling math
students at a school in McKinney. She was immediately
hooked and began the steps to earn her certification
and complete her student teaching to become a
classroom teacher.
Patty Marquez, a bilingual instruction aide across town
at Borman Elementary School, tells a similar story.
Originally from Mexico, she earned a bachelor’s degree in
Human Resources Administration and began working for
a large corporation when
her husband’s company
transferred them
to Florida.
which is required, to simultaneously be employed as
teaching assistants in classrooms if the placement is
consistent with their targeted area for certification. The
opportunity to earn a salary while completing school
is a key piece of attracting adults who are changing
careers or pursuing their passion while raising a family.
“The 50/50 program, allows student teachers to
be hired as aides during their student teaching
experience,” said Dr. Michelle Williams-Laing,
Director of Professional Development in the College
of Professional Education at TWU. “Denton ISD has
already hired eight EC-6 Core Subject/Bilingual
student teachers to work
as teaching assistants
while completing their
certification.”
To ensure that the quality
Moving up in his
of instruction is also
profession, he was
exceptional, the university
then transferred to
and district put candidates
Texas where she found
for this specific focus area
the lack of speaking
through an extra set of
English prohibited her
steps before they
from finding her dream
are accepted.
job. She applied and
“We’ve set up a Bilingual/
was employed for the
ESL Teacher Recruitment
first few years serving
Committee so that we
students in the Borman
Patty Marquez, teacher’s aide at Borman Elementary, started working at
can be very strategic and
cafeteria. After starting
the campus in the cafeteria. She is trading a career in human resources
management
to
pursue
her
passion
for
teaching.
intentional regarding the
a family, she realized the
educators we seek to
importance of instilling
employ for our 50/50 positions,” said Ms. Tracy Johnson,
the value of education in her own children.
coordinator of human resources. “We moved up our
While working days, she enrolled in the district’s free
window to extend contracts, offered early ‘letters of
Adult Education courses to learn fluent English. The
assurance’ to student teachers who demonstrated the
more time she spent serving students on campus, the
skill to command a classroom, and completed a more
more she realized that she felt happier when she was
extensive interview process.”
surrounded by young people.
“Working in human resources brings a lot of adult
problems, working with children just brings me joy,”
said Ms. Marquez.
Ms. Marquez is currently pursuing her teaching
certification through an alternative process and hopes
one day to be at the head of her classroom.
The dream to become a teacher is becoming a reality for
many in the district through the district’s TEACHDenton
program. A new partnership to target those who wish to
pursue teaching in a bilingual class to meet a growing
shortage of teachers in high need areas recently
received a boost.
Texas Woman’s University received permission from
the State Board for Educator Certification to allow
students who are completing their student teaching,
The process includes a classroom lesson
demonstration with a group of 10-12 students from a
lesson plan based on the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills (TEKS) prepared in both English and Spanish.
“We understand that serving this population of student
requires a good understanding of teaching pedagogy,
the fluency of a second language and the heart to take
care of our kids,” said Ms. Johnson. “It takes a special
passion and a special individual to work with some of
our students who most often arrive at a critical time in
their educational career.”
For all involved – students, teachers and professors –
the opportunity to meld the passion for teaching and
the value of education is making a lasting impression
turning dreams into a reality.
23