I began my teacher preparation as an English and Astronomy tutor at Diablo Valley College (DVC). I went on to earn my BA and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from SF State. After earning my Master of Science in Education from CSU East Bay, the Great Recession of 2008 devastated education, so I struggled to find a permanent teaching position. It was DVC that was my constant throughout these difficult years. Home was at DVC, where I could always go to practice my teaching skills. My passion for teaching flourished in 2011, when I took root as a 3rd grade teacher! Now, I am proud to continue to give back to the community that made me by serving the future teachers of DVC as the EDUC 120: Introduction to Teaching in Elementary Schools instructor, early fieldwork supervisor, and Teacher Preparation Pipeline Coordinator.

Faculty, ESL & Education; Teacher Preparation Pipeline Coordinator; Shore Acres Elementary Fieldwork Supervisor, Diablo Valley College

Honestly, the time spent with the children is priceless and the work does not even compare. Out of any class that DVC offers, and I have taken enough to obtain two degrees, EDUC 120 was the best class I have ever taken here.

My journey to becoming a teacher began at DVC. While enrolled in EDUC-120 Introduction to Teaching, I had a transformative experience as a mentor in a 3rd grade class in Bay Point, CA. The course, taught by Angela Bever, along with the amazing students inspired me to pursue a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and a Master of Science in Reading and Literacy. 

I've known since high school that I wanted to become a teacher and since coming to college I would like to be a professor as well! I am currently majoring in Mathematics and if I continue to pass my math classes, I would like to be a math professor and a math teacher down the line.

I have not talked to an counselor yet about anything else besides the classes that I need for my major. In today's session, I heard a lot of things about credential programs, continually gaining experience in working with students, and a lot of other things that need to be done besides the classes for the major.

So, what other things am I going to have to do? Tests? programs?

I am so excited to continue coming to these meetings next semester and learning so much more about becoming a teacher! Thank you both for leading these meetings and hosting this program!

I've wanted to become a teacher since I was a kid because of how much my third-grade teacher believed in me when many did not. Throughout my schooling, especially now in my college years, I strive to teach in various environments where I'm caring for children, tutoring my fellow students, or learning about education policies and theories. When I came to Chabot, I chose to be a part of CATE, Chabot's Association of Teacher Education. I not only joined CATE at Chabot College as a student member but also helped give a student perspective in creating the program during its first semester. The opportunities to work with passionate teachers on bringing new generations of a diverse teacher population into the workforce made me realize how important teachers are throughout community settings. The most fun I had with CATE was working with them on a Crayon Drive where we partnered with local restaurants to recycle crayons for classes with new teachers.

Although I just left Chabot and will be on my way to UC Berkeley, I will continue pursuing my dream of becoming an elementary school teacher by getting my Master's in Education and my credentials in Multiple Subject Teaching. I also think I might move into school administration and maybe even work in government on Education public policy. But I'll always hold in my heart the amazing feeling of changing student's lives.

Theresa Mailander, Early Childhood Specialist and ECE Adjunct Instructor

My professional journey in ECE began and continues at Las Positas College. The knowledgeable and inspirational faculty sparked my desire to pursue a degree in early childhood education. After receiving my associate’s degree, I attained my BA in Child and Adolescent Development at San Francisco State University. While I was at SF State, I discovered that I not only wanted to work with toddler and preschool-aged children, I wanted to teach early childhood education so I pursued my masters and received my MS in Early Education from CSU East Bay. I now work for LPC in their Child Development Center as an Early Childhood Specialist and I am an adjunct instructor for their ECE Department. I will be forever grateful for the knowledge I received at LPC.

My name is Stephany Marchena Chavez and I began my educational career in fall 2009 at Las Positas College. During this time our country had face some big economic issues and I did not get the guidance I needed in high school due to budget cuts at the time. I went to Las Positas College knowing I wanted to work with children but was not aware of the steps to take. The amount of resources I found at the college were very helpful and guided my path. Not to mention the instructors I had a long way who influenced me to continue my education. The early care and education instructors inspired and guided me during my time at LPC. After graduating from Las Positas with an Associate Arts in Early Childhood Education I transferred to California State University Stanislaus and obtained a Bachelors in Social Science. My current educational goal is to enter a Master’s program to continue my path in education and help future educators just as I was helped at Las Positas. As far as employment I have had great opportunities of work due to the experiences I gained through my education. Currently I work as an early education specialist at the child development at the Las Positas campus. I am very grateful for the experiences I received at LPC which continues to amaze me each day now as a current employee of the institution.

I’ll bring joy to my classroom!

-Melanie Maravilla

After finding out that I was unable to attend an out of state college due to lack of financial aid, I did not know what to do as far as next steps. During that time, I was working at a licensed Child Care Program and a co-worker suggested that I take Child Development Classes at City College of San Francisco. With that suggestion, I enrolled in ‘CDEV 53 Child Growth and Development’ class during my first semester in the Spring of 2011. Over the course of 5 years, I completed the required courses, as well as School Age and Administration classes and Multicultural Studies, which helped to expose me to new ideas and concepts. I graduated with my Associate of Science degree in Child Development in the Spring of 2015. During my time at CCSF the faculty and staff helped and mentored me so that I have become the leader I am today. After graduating, I was able to apply what I had learned to my work as a professional in the field and I still utilize that knowledge to this day as an Administrator and Facilitator in the Out-of-School-Time and Early Childhood Education Fields. CCSF holds such a special place in my heart and I highly encourage anyone looking to get into the field to explore what they (or any Community College) have to offer.

After graduating from Foothill Community College, transferring and graduating from San Francisco State University Terra Lee began her career as a news reporter. While interning at KRON4, she quickly realized her passion to teach was greater than her desire to be an Anchorwoman. She transitioned into the field of Education and has joyfully served in the field for the past 20 years. For many of those years, she served as a kindergarten teacher. She also served as an Administrator in the Elementary setting; In addition, she had the honor of serving families as a Family Childcare provider. As a Bay Area native, she takes pride in continuing to serve in her local community. It is a jubilant experience for her to share in students’ educational journey.

I began my teacher preparation at DVC working on my Associate in Arts degree. I had the intention to transfer to an upper division college after completing the requirements for the AA. I earned my Bachelors in Arts and a Multiple Subject Credential from CSUEB. I was part of the BPEP program which allows me to finish the Bachelors and the Credential program at the same time. Then I got a Spanish Bilingual Authorization added to my credential from UC Riverside. For sure I can say that the classes I took at DVC prepared me well for the upper division classes and the rigor of taking up to 30 units in a quarter as part of the BPEP program. Now, I’ve been teaching 4th grade in a bilingual program for the last 5 years and I’m really happy to be living my dream teaching.