YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

September 7, 2009

Granger's Brenda Gonzalez is a living example for students

by Philip Ferolito
Yakima Herald-Republic

GRANGER, Wash. -- When middle-school teacher Brenda Gonzalez had students on the first day of school tell what they did over summer break, one student dropped her head and said, "I picked cherries -- I didn't do anything fun."

Picking cherries is nothing to be ashamed of, said Gonzalez, who launched her teaching career Aug. 26, the first day of school.

Born to immigrants from Mexico, the 25-year-old grew up in a Spanish-speaking home outside Wapato and spent many summers helping her parents in fields.

"That was our summer vacation," she said.

Her experience growing up in the Lower Valley isn't much different from many of the sixth-graders she's now teaching. She believes her background will help her build strong connections with students.

"It's just kind of funny when they share with you the kind of work they do -- they kind of put their head down," she said. "There's nothing wrong with (field work). It's honest work; they earn honest money."

But Gonzalez said she hopes her transition from the fields to teaching in this town of roughly 3,050 people will serve as an example for students.

"We can move on, we can be successful," she said.

Her story echoes a growing trend among children of migrant workers in the Valley aspiring to move from field work into professional roles, said Mateo Arteaga, director of educational outreach for migrant students at Yakima Valley Community College.

And having a teacher from a similar background only helps students make such transitions, he said.

"I think any individual that has any experience in what students are facing today, whether its an agriculture background, they are going to be more sensitive to students' needs in the classroom," he added.

Gonzalez began tutoring students in a Gear-Up program designed to build students' interest in higher education at Granger Middle School immediately after graduating from Wapato High School in 2002.

Now, seven years later, she's teaching sixth-graders math and science in the 1,500-student school district that includes three schools.

"I'm really excited to have my own classroom," she said. "I really want to see those kids grow, not just in school, but as people."

One recent morning, she had students log numbers on a chart that hung at the front of the class.

They were broken into groups of five and compared how tap water and soapy water reacted after being dropped on a penny.

Gonzalez told students to discuss their findings with one another. She stresses a hands-on approach to learning "and making it fun."

Having them interact with one another will help them develop better problem solving skills and stay interested in learning, she said.

"I hated science in high school," she quipped. "It was just reading, reading, reading. This curriculum is a little more hands-on. Especially when you have kids with a lot of energy -- let's use that energy for good."

Fellow sixth-grade math teacher Cathy Klarich described Gonzalez as strongly committed to teaching and having a passion for it.

"She's really good," said Klarich, under whom Gonzalez served as a student teacher last year. "She relates really well with students -- she builds relations with students so that they want to learn from her."

And Gonzalez expects every student to learn, Klarich added.

"So if you're in her class, that means you don't get to be a bump on a log and do nothing," she said.

It wasn't long after Gonzalez began tutoring at the school that administrators became interested in her and encouraged her to get a teaching certificate, said middle school principal Lisa Roseberg.

"After we got to know her over a couple of years, we thought she'd make a good teacher," she said.

But getting a teaching certificate wasn't an easy road. Gonzalez juggled tutoring with working part time at Safeway and going to Heritage University in Toppenish, where she earned her teaching credential.

She said it was tough at times to put her education first.

"I always chose work over school," she said. "It was a real challenge for me. It was just real hard for me."

But being a teacher is something she's wanted since heading a children's church at an Assembly of God Church in Toppenish at age 16.

"I think that's when I knew that was what I wanted to do," she said.

She hopes to see great strides at the middle school in math scores this year.

"Math, that is my biggest goal this year," she said. "To have them jump -- big jumps."

Eventually, she said she'd would like to earn a national board teaching certificate, a credential that recognizes high teaching standards.

Gonzalez said she thought about attending Central Washington University, but strong ties to her parents and culture kept her in the Yakima Valley, where she has one brother working as a high school tutor, another in high school and a sister in eighth grade.

She's the first from both sides of her family to graduate from college. She still lives at home, following her family's tradition.

"I guess it's the old school -- you stay home until you wed," she said, explaining that she plans to marry her fiance in June. "My family is very traditional."

Being able to offer Gonzalez a teaching job close to home is a blessing, Roseberg said.

"We just love her, so we're very happy to have her here," she said.