SAN ANTONIO – Inspired by her mother, Antonia Alderete chose a career as an educator.
“She works with SAISD in an elementary,” Alderete said. “I wanted to become a teacher, help kids and impact future generations.”
Alderete graduated with a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at San Antonio in December of 2019.
“Once the summer hit last year, I just wanted to teach right away,” Alderete said. “I was kind of getting nervous.”
She completed her student teaching at Briscoe Middle School and learned about a teaching position. She applied and was accepted to begin teaching 7th grade English and language arts as a first-year teacher during the pandemic.
“Knowing also that everybody was in the same boat (as me), was helpful because it wasn’t as nerve-wracking,” Alderete said.
All teachers were in uncharted territory due to the virtual school. Alderete, along with her colleagues, eventually transitioned into hybrid teaching based out of their classroom.
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“The biggest struggle was just having to manage two groups at once and trying to engage everybody at the same time,” Alderete said.
As the year continued, managing her online and in-person group got easier. Her students were engaged in the lessons and looked forward to class. Her style of teaching also caught the attention from coworkers and supervisors at Briscoe Middle School.
“I was surprised, but I was very thankful, because I have an amazing team,” Alderete said.
You can watch the video above to see what recognition Alderete received and how she was celebrated.