Бывшая ученица школы Calcutt вернулась в родной город, чтобы стать учителем восьмых классов

CENTRAL FALLS – Calcutt Middle School’s newest 8th-grade science teacher, Desireee Delgado-Pedraza, recently expressed her joy about being back home in her community. A former Calcutt student herself, Delgado-Pedraza said that on her first day of school as a teacher there on Aug. 24, she felt nervous. “There was something incredibly meaningful about walking into a school I once attended, this time as someone responsible for helping shape the next generation of students,” she told The Breeze. As far as her initial nerves, she added, “I think I feel that way with every new group of students I teach. I always ask myself, ‘Will I be a good enough teacher? Can I help them in the ways they need?’” Yet, Delgado-Pedraza said she also felt grounded. “I was back in my own community, surrounded by people who continue to believe in me and trust in my ability to teach our students and make a difference,” she added. After graduating from Central Falls High School in 2022, Delgado-Pedraza attended Rhode Island College to pursue secondary education with a focus in general science. According to a Facebook post from the Central Falls School District, she then served as a learning pod mentor with the district, became a teaching fellow with Generation Teach, mentored multilingual middle school students through Onward We Learn, and later served the city of Central Falls as director of community engagement for education strategy. “I chose to teach at Calcutt Middle School,” she continued. “Being able to return to the school I attended and teach in the community that helped raise me was something that was very important to me.” Delgado-Pedraza didn’t hesitate to share her past alumna status with her 8th-grade science students, and she said as soon as she did, a few students immediately said how cool they thought it was. “They started asking questions about what Calcutt was like when I was their age and what had changed since then,” she said. “I think it helps students feel seen and understood when they know they have a teacher who genuinely understands what it is like to be a kid growing up in Central Falls. I can relate to their experiences in a way that goes beyond being their teacher because I once sat in the same classrooms and walked the same hallways they do.” Delgado-Pedraza calls her time at Calcutt as a student very transformative and says the school was very different 10 years ago. “I actually did not grow up wanting to become a teacher,” she explained. “At different points, I thought I would become an anthropologist or a lawyer. That changed in seventh grade when I met a wonderful math teacher who believed in me at a time when I needed someone to do so. He told me directly that he was not going to give up on me because he knew I was capable of so much more than what I was showing at school.” She said that above all, the teacher backed up his verbal encouragement with actions, including finding advanced work for her to complete, challenging her academically, and eventually recommending her for the honors track. Overall, Delgado-Pedraza said that her math teacher inspired her to get into teaching because she wanted to be a future motivator like him for another student. “I wanted to be someone who could be firm while still caring, who could see a student’s potential even when they might not see it themselves, and who could continue showing up for them even when they pushed people away,” she said. Delgado-Pedraza said some of her favorite memories from when she was a student were simple ones, like walking to the corner store after school with $2 and “somehow (coming) back with an empanada, a can of soda, and four Cherry Heads.” She also played baseball and soccer outside of the classroom but said she considered school her escape and safe place. When she entered Calcutt on her first day as a teacher, she said it almost felt like a light switch turning on in her head, where she recognized the building, yet much of it felt completely new. “The classrooms are beautiful. There are clean, filtered water fountains, something I remember advocating for when I was an eighth grader because we did not have them,” she shared. “The gym is brand new, and even the cafeteria feels warmer and more welcoming compared with the benches I remember complaining about as a student. Delgado-Pedraza was pleasantly surprised by the changes because she said she believes students deserve to learn in a building “that shows them they are valued.” “It is meaningful to see today’s students having access to spaces and resources that I wished for when I was their age,” she said. Her aim this school year is to build a strong foundation for what’s ahead, develop relationships with her students and their families, and also learn alongside her students. She will also run the SMILE after-school program this year alongside another new teacher. SMILE works in partnership with the University of Rhode Island to “give students opportunities to participate in STEM projects, explore different STEM fields, and begin thinking about where they might see themselves within those spaces in the future.” Delgado-Pedraza said she thanks the community for their support and allowing her to return to her roots. “My message to our community is to continue supporting our schools while also holding them accountable,” she said. “Our children deserve our investment, our advocacy, and our belief in what they can become. We have a responsibility to give them opportunities that are even greater than the ones we had ourselves.”