Teacher

Wendy Pelayo
Class: 7th Grade World History and Mock Trial
1. How long have you been teaching at Riverside Prep? This is my first year at Riverside Prep.
2. What got you into teaching? I always knew I wanted to work with kids, but I never wanted to become a teacher. I worked as a tutor at MRS and the Center Administrator saw my talent and over a year talked me into becoming a teacher. Now there is nothing else I would rather be doing with my life.
3. What brought you to Riverside Prep? This is my first year at Riverside Prep. I was placed here because for student teaching I needed to be in a traditional classroom and I wanted to get the experience somewhere close to home so I can make a difference within my own community.
4. What do you like most about working at Riverside Prep? I love the students the most. I get to know them and teach them two of my favorite subjects, World History & Mock Trial
5. What do you like about teaching middle school students? The best part is their character and the ability to mold them into great human beings.At this age kids have a lot of feelings and it's my job to show them expression and that it's okay to feel any way they do. What's the biggest challenge? Likewise, this is also the biggest challenge because expressing oneself could be difficult at this age.
5. Favorite moment in teaching? My favorite moment in teaching is finding familiarity with students. It's the little moments when they decide to share things about their life, especially when it's related to something we're learning about.
6. What does it mean to be selected as the Middle School Teacher of the Month? It means that all of my hard work is paying off and it's noticed by others. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough based on the day. It's a breath of fresh air and it also feels good to be a first-year teacher and get this honor.