Anita’s Heart Beats in Two Languages

Story courtesy of Anita Gonzalez, MS in Counseling – School Counseling Student

I was raised by two amazing immigrants from Zacatecas, Mexico! My parents came to the United States with hopes to offer my brother and I a better future from what they had. My parents risked their lives crossing the border and living horrible experiences to give us the AMERICAN DREAM. Many people unfortunately, can’t make it but my parents were lucky enough to make it and offer us a better life.

I am the youngest in my family out of two. My first language is Spanish and I did not learn English until the end of elementary school.

I struggled to learn English because I only spoke it very little in school. All my school work and homework were in Spanish and I felt like an outcast during school. I was bullied in high school because I was not able to pronounce certain words. This affected me emotionally and also personally. I should have been considered an at-risk student because I was struggling not only emotionally but also academically. This was overlooked though. Adjusting to school was very difficult and sometimes I remember feeling intimidated by certain teachers, mostly the ones who were white.

I wasn’t recognized or acknowledged in school and was overlooked by many. This is one of the reasons why I want to become a school counselor, to recognize and acknowledge the ones who are being overseen.

I want to make an impact on the students who need it the most. This may be a common reason for many helping professionals. However, seeing how much it affected me and the fact that I lived it, makes a huge difference. I would not like to see people struggling over things that I am able to help. I want to help people in general but I would like to focus on students who’s English is their 2^nd language.

I am a first generation college student, the first one ever to come to graduate school in my family. I did not have any resources to help me, I got lost and I even remember a week before college started, August 2011, I was crying because of how scared I felt to come to Fresno State. My parents didn’t really understand what was going on in the course of my career but they support me and trust me that I will be someone big and will make them and family proud. I am proud to be first-generation though, I am proud to be the first in my family to come to graduate school. It is an honor to learn outside my family’s beliefs and still have their support.

Even though I have had many challenges in my earlier life, this has made me stronger and has opened my mind to different perspectives! Not only that but FAMILY and friends have been a great support. From Mom, Dad, cousins, my best friends, and now my biggest motivation: MY SON, Emanuel! My son came into my life unexpectedly but little did I know, that is when I needed him the most. I needed my son without knowing I needed him.

Being a first time mother, full-time graduate student, working and trying to complete an internship, can really be exhausting! I had my son when I first started the Master’s program. My son was born October 16, 2016 and this is the time of the year when all midterms and papers are due. I was in the hospital a week after I gave birth and I remember trying to complete an assignment in the hospital bed but I could not do it because I was exhausted, mentally and physically. I had to miss class for about a month (or so) because I had a few complications but all my professors at that time understood and gave me extra time to complete it. I still had to complete it though! I finished my first semester of graduate school with a 4.00 and a newborn in my arms. I was completely lost and confused, not to say exhausted!

In addition, having the support of some staff members, such as, Dr. Lopez, Dr. Sharma, my academic advisor, my professors, Dr. Lomack, Jessica Bloom and among other meaningful professors. They have been there for me and showed me what I am capable of and what I, as a LATINA, am able to do all at once.

Personally, I am those types of people who does not ask for help. I do not like to be handed stuff. However, I think with everything that was going on in my life at once, I just had to reach out for help. I started to meet with my professors and started to speak up and be an advocator for myself. I now meet with my mentor, Dr. Lopez, every now and again. We talk about school, grades, internships and even personal events happening in my life. I see her sometimes as my personal therapist. Sometimes we need to vent and rant about certain things. Regardless, she has supported me and motivated me to keep on going. Dr. Lopez, is an awesome person and I am proud to call her my mentor.

Additionally, my academic advisor, Dr. Sharma has also been there for me when I needed guidance. She has supported me as well and has guided me on the right pathway and has helped me get to where I am now.

I also decided to reach out for another type of help because I was struggling financially. Everyone at some point (graduate college students) struggles financially, I think. So I reached out for help, I applied to some scholarships and grants. I was hesitant but my mentor, Dr. Lopez helped me through the process of applying. I was thankful for her and to be receiving her help. I then was selected to receive the Graduate Net Initiative’s Internship Grant and was also selected to receive the Dr. Marion and Kremen Scholarship this semester. I was blessed and of course, super excited to have been selected. I was honored to be receiving help at this point.

It is okay to ask for help at times, it is okay to be vulnerable and recognize that you are tired. Being a Latina can be exhausting but it is a privilege to be one and I am embracing my culture, beliefs, background and myself.

I had to learn the hard way through this maze road to education but it is okay now because there is nothing more powerful than an educated woman. All the opportunities are out there, you just have to learn or have a mentor to help guide you, like I have Dr. Lopez and Dr. Sharma.

You may feel lost but that’s the beauty of feeling proud and successful at the end. Education is our most powerful weapon.

I love being a Latina, a graduate student, and a mother. I am thankful to have taken this path and because of this I can say I am wise but I am looking forward what this world has for me and I will be ready for it. Mi Corazon late en dos idiomas (My heart Beats in two languages) because being bilingual is a privilege and I am part of two worlds whom I am honored to be.

 

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If you would like your story highlighted on Kremen School News, contact samray@mail.fresnostate.edu.

 

ESM Waiver Approved! No CSET for Multiple Subject Credential

Fresno State’s Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies program has been approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for an Elementary Subject Matter (ESM) Waiver! As a result, Fresno State BA in Liberal Studies students who have graduated on or after Spring 2016 will no longer need to take the CSET in order to enroll in Fresno State’s Multiple Subject Credential program.

The BA in Liberal Studies program here at the Kremen School of Education and Human Development provides relevant and rigorous subject matter preparation for elementary teaching that is committed to equity and social justice. The courses in the Liberal Studies program provide prospective teachers with conceptual knowledge of the defined subject matter, fulfilling the California Subject Matter Requirements, with commitments to teaching for social justice, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and universal design for learning. The Liberal Studies Department works closely with faculty from departments across the campus, community organizations, and local schools. At various points within student’s learning experiences, students are afforded rich service-learning and field experiences that span grades K-8.

The BA in Liberal Studies program consists of 91 required units of lower and upper-division coursework, with a total of 120 units. The California Subject Matter Requirements in the ESM Standards are all addressed in the 91 core units, required of all students in the major.

Selena Van Horn, Assistant Professor, and Laura Rabago, Administrative Services Manager, were instrumental in recommending that the CTC approve the BA in Liberal Studies program at California State University, Fresno. The CTC has approved the BA in Liberal Studies program and was granted the ESM Waiver on Thursday, April 12. Thank you Selena and Laura for all your work on this.

*Students who graduate from Fresno State with a degree in something other than Liberal Studies will still have to take the CSET and Fresno State BA in Liberal Studies graduates who enter the Single Subject Credential program may have to take the CSET.

 

Celebrating Special Education Teachers at the Carolyn Dobbs Awards Reception

The Carolyn Dobbs Special Education Teacher of the Year Award recognizes the importance of the work of special education professionals. The award is named after Mary Carolyn Dobbs (1911 – 2011), a California State University, Fresno alumna, who became a teacher and internationally renowned pioneer in special education.

Her selfless work brought significant changes at the state and national levels in the classroom and in everyday life for students, and she also was an advocate for support and assistance for teachers of special needs pupils.

2018 Recipients

Yvonne Carlon
Merced County Office of Education, taught for 12 years at Peterson Elementary as a teacher of the deaf and a teacher in a severely handicap classroom.

Leslie Hoffman
Special Education teacher at Sanger Unified for 15 years.

View all photos from the event.

The Week of the Young Child Honors Dr. Benninga

The Central California Chapter of the California Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC) has chosen Dr. Jacques Benninga as the 2018 Honoree at the Week of the Young Child reception. Dr. Benninga is a Professor Emeritus/Chair Emeritus for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Kremen School of Education and Human Development.

“You have been selected because of your unwavering devotion to the field of early education and your continued drive to pursue the highest standards of ethical conduct, integrity and civic and social responsibility. You have made an incredible impact upon countless students and teachers.” – Kendra Mull, WOYC Chair

The Week of the Young Child, April 16–20, is an annual celebration hosted by the NAEYC celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and families.

Kremen Faculty Present Their Research at the AERA

Faculty do not just teach in the classroom, many are also researchers.

Research is profoundly important for the university and our students. Many of our faculty members conduct educational research alongside their teaching responsibilities. Research is a vessel which allows our faculty members to dive into a topic that they are passionate about. Research has been shown to enhance teaching as students benefit from having a faculty member that is an expert in their chosen topic and who can provide them with current subject matter.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA)’s Annual Meeting is this weekend, from April 13-17, in New York City. AERA is the largest national professional organization devoted to the scientific study of education. The AERA Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research. Showcasing ground-breaking, innovative and multidisciplinary studies in a diverse array of areas. AERA connects all fields of educational research.

Kremen School of Education and Human Development faculty, along with other Fresno State faculty, are attending this meeting and presenting their research. Below is a list of presentation titles and presenters.

Presentation Titles

• Assessing Change in Instructional Leadership Development in Cross-Sector Preschool Contexts
• Beyond a “Lack of Resources”: Exploring Patterns in Faculty Teaching Practices and Organizational Climate
• Conceptualizing Gender Through Comics: The Inquiring, Boundary-Drawing, and Empowering Discussions of Young Readers
• DACA Recipients’ Approaches to Funding Their Postsecondary Education
• DREAMer Students as Future Bilingual Teachers in the California Central Valley
• Early Transition Challenges Faced by Chinese Transnational Teachers in U.S. Elementary Schools
• Educating the Public: Lessons Learned From Designing and Teaching Global Classrooms of MOOCs
• Educational Equity for Latinx Youth: Translanguaging in a Middle School Bilingual Classroom
• Enacting Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in a STEM Capstone Course for Preservice Elementary Teachers
• Enduring Commitment to College: First-Generation Students’ Journeys From Middle School to Adulthood
• Exploring Agricultural Literacy Through Moje’s Disciplinary Literacy Heuristic
• Fighting the Stigma of “Illegality”: The Identity Politics of Undocumented Youth
• Finding Their Academic Voices: Tracing the Development of Two First-Generation Latina Writers
• From Problems to Puzzles: The Potential of Inquiry to Facilitate Teacher Agency in Preservice
• Hidden Behind the Model Minority Stereotype: Disparities in Asian Parent Empowerment and Their Children’s College Enrollment
• Igniting the Massive Population Potential: The Role of Self-Regulated Learning in Student Achievement in MOOCs
• Impact of Disciplinary and Integrated Approaches in Physical Science Lectures for Future K–8 Teachers
• Integrating Technology Into Teaching and Learning: Professional Development for Faculty
• Leadership Coaching: A Multiple-Case Study of Urban Public Charter School Principals’ Experiences
• The Relationship Between College Students’ Sense of Purpose and Degree Commitment
• Sense of Purpose Among Female Students Belonging to Minority Ethnic and Buddhist Backgrounds
• A Social Justice Orientation to Reflective Practice in Teacher Education: Asking a Different Set of Questions
• The Success of Urban Schools in Oxnard, California: An In-Depth Look at Developmental and Relational Assets
• Taking the Long View: Learning From Longitudinal Studies of Writing
• Teacher’s and Student’s Voice, Choice, and Collaboration in a Technology Personalized Learning Initiative
• Validating a Regional Clinical Practice Rubric: Shifting to a Collective Approach to Teacher Preparation

AERA Presenters and Participants

The AERA annual meeting has presenters and participants ranging from Fresno State faculty to Kremen School of Education and Human Development faculty to other professionals.

Nancy Akhavan
Laura Alamillo
Lisa Bennett
Bryan Berrett
Ivan Ceballos Madrigal
Dermont Francis Donnelly
Gaby Encinas
Steven Hart
Luz Yadira Herrera
Anthony Hide
Heather Horsley
David Low
Luis Fernanda Macias
Frederick Nelson
Trang Phan
Emy Lopez Phillips
Gitima Sharma
Myunghwan Shin
Ana Soltero Lopez
Selena Van Horn
Juliet Wahleithner
Emily Marie Walter
Donald Wise
Pei-Ying Wu
Mariya Yukhymenko
Cathy Yun