Teacher of the month:
Juana Contreras Chavez
Leilani Santos
March 03, 2024
Every student has a teacher who has been willing to answer every questions we have, who is willing to use their time to help a student better understand the work.A teacher who believes in their students even when students don't believe in themselves.A teacher who will be highlighted this month is Juana Conteras Chavez who has been a teacher at Seaside High for five years, teaching math as well as being a long term sub for two years.Conteras is an amazing teacher she always tries to understand her students and shows she cares for them.There is never a time when students don't feel welcome or left out and Conteras tries to encourage all her students to participate as well as she connects with each one of her students.
Conteras went to Monterey Peninsula College(MPC)for three years and then transferred to UC Santa Cruz where she then got her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. After she finished she went and did an internship through a program called Cal-Teach at UC Santa Cruz. Cal-Teach is a program designed for Science,Technology,Engineering,and Math(STEM).This program was for students that were interested in teaching that are then placed in any grade to gain experience in teaching. Conteras said, “I did my internships in both middle school and high school but I enjoyed helping high school students the most.”
When I was interviewing her, I asked her what was the most difficult part of becoming a teacher. Conteras replied with, “For me the most difficult part of becoming a teacher was passing the edTPA.” The edTPA is the teaching assessment in California which people need to pass in order to be a teacher. This includes three parts which are planning, instruction/implementation, and assessment. For the first part you have to create three to five lessons and a test in the classroom,then you record yourself implementing the lessons and the last part is the writing portion which is an analysis for all three parts. When Conteras was talking about the edTPA she said, “The writing part was challenging due to my low confidence in my writing skills. However, with the support of SHS administrators and Janabell, I was able to pass my edTPA.” After this obstacle she didn't give up and submitted her edTPA three times before she finally passed.
I also asked her what she enjoys the most about being a teacher and if she enjoys working with teenagers.Conteras answered by saying, “One of the things I enjoy the most about teaching is those “aha” moments when students figure out the pattern or formula or one way to solve the equation.” Math is a challenging subject but Conteras always finds different ways to help her students and understand them.
Lastly, I asked her what her life outside of school is like. She said, “My life outside of school is spending time with my family. I have a six year-old son and a two year-old daughter who both love reading,watching movies and building legos. Weekends are about being outdoors either going to the park or spending time in are backyard.”
Conteras overall is an amazing teacher who is always pushing her students to try their best and really works to understand them.