Stephanie FloresStephanie Flores, a freshman at the University of Illinois, is planning to major in English and minor in Spanish. She is originally from Chicago, Illinois and is currently a 2015 Golden Apple Scholar, meaning that she looks to someday teach in a school of need.
Stephanie came into EDUC 201 knowing that she wanted to be a teacher, so she knew from the start that her community placement was going to be a lot of fun for her. Since Fall 2015, she has volunteered at the International Prep Academy, an elementary school in Urbana, Illinois through Student Opportunities for After-School Resources (SOAR). Although she originally came into the university as an elementary education major, and her time volunteering has allowed her to realize that her true calling is with high school students. Nonetheless, Stephanie has enjoyed her time at SOAR and looks forward to fitting it into her schedule in her future! |
Student Voices with Stephanie Flores
On Why She Chose Education
The way I grew up is a main factor of why I want to go into education. I am the eldest of four in my family. Growing up, I definitely got asked for help on homework by both my siblings and my parents. Although my dad is fluent in speaking English, he still struggled with reading and understanding the material my siblings and I were assigned for homework sometimes. The one who would often spend the afternoons with us was my mom, but she doesn't speak much English; so when my younger siblings began to go to school, she often asked me to help them. From there on, I realized the passion I had to help people with their homework and explain things to them.
After going through CPS schools my entire life, I've realized that there are many cracks in the school system and I want to help improve them. I've viewed the way some teachers show their passion in the classroom and how much they genuinely love their job and I also want to do that. I want my students to know how loved they are. I've grown up to see too many students being affected by outside factors. I want to change that. I want my students to always know that they have someone to rely on, no matter what it is.
I think the one person who has helped to inspire me is a high school teacher named Mr. Reza. He would always walk into class with a huge smile on his face. I could tell he was happy to be there and he always tried his best to make his class as fun as he could. He was well aware of the neighborhood he was in and how much weight the students in the classroom were actually carrying on their shoulders, even if that weight wasn't necessarily school-related. The year he was my teacher really opened up my eyes to being more mindful of those around me, which made me want to teach in low-income neighborhoods. I want to be able to inspire my students and make them see that although there are many factors constantly pushing us down, we can still succeed, despite the social inequities we can experience as a result of our race and social class.
After going through CPS schools my entire life, I've realized that there are many cracks in the school system and I want to help improve them. I've viewed the way some teachers show their passion in the classroom and how much they genuinely love their job and I also want to do that. I want my students to know how loved they are. I've grown up to see too many students being affected by outside factors. I want to change that. I want my students to always know that they have someone to rely on, no matter what it is.
I think the one person who has helped to inspire me is a high school teacher named Mr. Reza. He would always walk into class with a huge smile on his face. I could tell he was happy to be there and he always tried his best to make his class as fun as he could. He was well aware of the neighborhood he was in and how much weight the students in the classroom were actually carrying on their shoulders, even if that weight wasn't necessarily school-related. The year he was my teacher really opened up my eyes to being more mindful of those around me, which made me want to teach in low-income neighborhoods. I want to be able to inspire my students and make them see that although there are many factors constantly pushing us down, we can still succeed, despite the social inequities we can experience as a result of our race and social class.