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Ms. Tracie Bernal
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Hutcheson Jr High School
Class Information:
Room Number: 203
Students per Class: 120
Class Description:
My kiddos come from mainly single parent homes in a low income area where gang activity is prevalent and the culture is to drop out of school young due to pregnancies or negative consequences for poor behavior choices. Many of them come to school just to experience a moments peace or to experience positive interactions with adults. Several are struglling to meet district standards in all TAKS tested academic areas as well as to simply learn and understand the english language. If you are thinking my kiddos are set up for failure you couldn't be farther from the truth! In my class we work hard to support and help each other be successful in all aspects of our lives. We stress the importance of setting high expectations and being accountable for our own actions. My classes are full of brilliant young minds that will be tomorrow's leaders and they are working hard to make sure the future they build will be a positive place where success is the standard and good character is the foundation for that success. While some people may have given up on kiddos like mine, labeling them as "trouble makers" or juvenile deliquents" I am proud to say that my school has a culture that sets the stage for these kiddos success! We take them by the hand and run the race with them until they learn to run it on their own... I try to make sure my students are given every opportunity to complete lab assignments together as well as opportunities to be positive role models and set good examples for their fellow classmates. Science is ALL around us, we live it, see it, & experience it every day! My kiddos take what we learn about science and apply it to our choices, behaviors, actions, and life styles. By doing this they not only learn self-confidence by understanding what is percieved as a "difficult" subject. But they learn that mistakes are the root of all good science and by learning from those mistakes & dreaming big we can make not only our own lives, but the lives of others greater than one could ever possibly imagine!
Position:
Science Teacher
Needs:
What don't we need? That would be a shorter list. Joking! Unfortunately we are low on basic science supplies. Non-Consumable Materials Needed for MY CLASS ALONE (not including the TWO OTHER 8th grade science teachers) include: microscopes,dissecting equipment, ring stands, test tubes, test tube holders, tuning forks, resonating boxes, beakers, tongs, triple beam balance scales, hot plates, laboratory burners, safety gloves, microscope slides, measuring tape, metersticks, calculators, spring scales, thermal mitts, thermometers, telescopes, stopwatches and containers of various sizes and shapes for different purposes (such as storage/lab activities/demonstrations). Consumable Materials that are used for various "hands on minds on" activities include: notebookpaper, spirals, crayons, glue, construction paper, candles, matches, clay, index cards, cardboard, balloons, flashlights, playing cards, markers, paper towels, rubber bands, toy cars, slinkies, jump ropes, skateboards, string, yarn, tape, tissue paper, pencils, plater of paris, drinking straws, toothpicks, styrafoam cups, corks and that's all I can think of off the top of my head... :o)
My Philosophy:
I truly believe for my kiddos to actually UNDERSTAND what they are expected to learn they must practice by doing hands on activities that challenge them to use critical thinking skills. But to get them actively engaged we have to get them to change their perspective. I show them that science can be EASY by finding ways to bring everyday activities into the classroom and by having them complete labs they can eat when they finish (food ALWAYS gets their attention!). I think of my students as my own children, and because I only have them for a short time I have to make EVERY moment count! I can't afford to let them sit there and think the world has given up on them and that it is "ok" for them to do the same. These kids DESERVE better! So I make the most of each moment to teach them the state standards as well as how to have pride in themselves and their work. So far that has meant I stay up late working on lesson plans, and spend my own money to purchase supplies that will allow them to do the activities that I truly believe in my heart will help set them up for success. If at the end of the day I am tired, and worried about a kiddo who has more to deal with at home than most people could ever possibly imagine... If I have to give up my lunch to spend it with a child who is cussing me out for holding him/her accountable for his/her actions in my class... If at times I have to make myself vulnerable to them and share a part of my heart with them... Then at the end of the day, I think I have done if nothing else, my best to make this world a better place by touching the lives of the few 100+ kiddos I am blessed to have each year.
Personal Information:
About Me:
First let me thank you for taking the time and interest to read my story, and learn a little more about some wonderful kiddos! Let me warn you, I am pretty open about who I am and the paths that I have taken to get to this desk, in front of this computer, in a classroom where I teach kiddos who I used to be just like. We all have them in our classes, the shy girl who finds solace in books of make believe. The class clown who can't seem to go through an entire class without going out of his/her way to do SOMEthing to make the class laugh! The students who are naturally gifted "book smarts" and will succeed in school despite who their teacher is. The ones that don't really stand out but rather try to blend in with the crowd. The athletes, the cheerleaders, the nerds, the bullies, they are all there and we are supposed to take ALL of those personalities in ONE class and teach a lesson that ALL of them understand! Teachers, YOU ARE MIRACLE WORKERS! :o) As for me, I started off in elementary school as an abused and neglected child. I was painfully shy, and did my best to gain affirmation through good grades. When that didn't work I slowly gave up on those around me as they had shown me they had already done for me. I am NOT an elemtary school teacher. May God BLESS those of you who DO teach elementary age kiddos! I can't imagine looking into the eyes of an 8 year old, knowing he/she is being molested at home and knowing that other than "following proper legal procedures" there is NOTHING I can do to protect them... Thus I teach Junior High. As for myself, I owe my junior high school teachers APOLOGIES! I was one of "those" kids... I slept in class, argued with the teacher, distracted others, added my version of art work (graffeti) to desks and floors (when I was made to sit in the hall). I showed up for class in less than "appropriate" states of mind, and regularly got into fights. By the time I was in 8th grade I had experimented with drugs and alcohol, had my first miscarriage, and dropped out of school. *I warned you I am open about my story* At 17 years old I had my son. It is sad to see a baby raising a baby (which is exactly what I was doing) but that is the reality of life for many individuals growing up in low income areas... But MY STORY doesn't end in tragedy. My story doesn't add to the welfare statistics. Andbecause MY STORY is an example of what WE CAN DO TOGETHER by just LOVING these kiddos and BELIEVING in them... I am sharing MY STORY with you. After getting pregnant, I stopped all of my substance use. I began to distance myself from the gang life I had previously welcomed, and began to focus on giving my child the life I couldn't have. I earned my G.E.D. and after many more than the given "4 years" I earned my bachelor's of science degree psychology. I truly believe God has walked beside me through all of my days to protect me and keep me safe because He knew I would be able to use those experiences although painful, to help others... Yes,many of my kiddos are gang bangers. Yes, many of them appear to need mental health and correctional facilities help. And YES, most people HAVE given up on them! They are babies raising themselves and doing the best they can. But I see myself in their eyes. And I know that class clown is only making jokes because of an insecurity he/she is trying to hide. I know that "trouble maker" is sleeping in class because he/she is afraid if they "try" and "fail" then the negative words of others spoken over them would prove true. And I know that shy kid who is failing my class is because he/she has already given in to the idea that "I am not worthy of anyone's attention anyway, so why bother trying to ask for help that I won't get..." But I KNOW THEY CAN ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS!! I have dedicated my life to instilling a spirit of HOPE and SELF-CONFIDENCE in these children, whom I call my own (though at times they call me the devil! in all fairness my own son feels that way from time to time. Joke!). We ALL can make a difference. We have to be the change we want to see. Or nothing will ever change...
College and Degrees:
UTA & DBU
Why Do I Teach?:
To make this world a better place one "juvenile delinquent" at a time! ;o)