A Peek at One Teacher’s Journey Over the Last Five Years

When we first introduced you to Ms. Adriana Bautista in 2020, she was in her first year of teaching at Columbia Explorers Academy on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Now, more than five years later, she is still teaching at Columbia Explorers! She even earned her master’s degree in reading to increase the tools and supports she can provide to help her second-grade students grow academically. 

Mentorship has been an extremely important component of her time at Columbia Explorers. Her mentor teacher is still working alongside her, and, now that she’s gained more experience, she is starting to be a mentor for newer teachers as well. 

We caught up with Ms. Bautista to hear more about her experiences at Columbia Explorers and learn what she is looking forward to this school year. Read more below!

What have been some of your favorite memories over the past few years? 

I love getting to know the set of kids that I have each year and building relationships with them. It’s special to see kids that I used to have who are now in fifth or sixth grade, and parents of students I had years ago will still wave to me when they see me outside. I also love being hands-on with my students when I teach them reading or math. Teaching can be hard, but those moments remind me that I love what I’m doing and that it’s worth it in the end. 

What has it been like to transition from being a mentee to a mentor at your school? 

One of my coworkers who also teaches second grade started two or three years after I did. She would ask me questions, and I’d always be happy to share ideas with her. I’ve also had a student observer in my classroom for the last two years. It’s really nice to have younger people who are aspiring teachers in my classroom because it helps me remember how far I’ve come. 

If you could go back, would you do anything differently? 

It wasn’t ideal to start teaching during the pandemic, but I’m proud of how I handled teaching everything online. I see some of the documents I used from time to time and can’t believe that I was able to do so much with my students remotely. However, it is definitely better to be in the classroom. 

How has this school year been going, and what are your goals for the rest of the year? 

With this set of kids, I’ve been having to focus more on managing behavior. That’s to be expected because my students are so young, and I’ve found that these types of issues come in waves. I have a great partnership with VOCEL that has been very helpful. Academically, I’ve noticed how important it is for my students to build a strong foundation with phonics. I am going to keep emphasizing this skill with them throughout the year. 

What is your message to your students? 

Always keep striving. I know that life can get hard, but I hope they keep their heads up and maintain a positive mindset. This will help them be able to do whatever they put their minds to.