Mrs. Faye Gurley, Title I Coordinator
My Educational Philosophy
My teaching career began with my believing that every child has the ability to learn. The longer I have remained in education, the stronger this belief has grown.
My personal school life started in first grade in a rural community in which I was one of eight students enrolled in that one room school. There was one boy in my grade. The other six were in various grades, ranging from second through eighth grade. I learned first grade material as well as being exposed to what was being taught in the other grades.
I always knew that I would be a teacher. I not only learned the grade level material but also I had the opportunity to see the teacher with various grade levels, various levels of learning, various learning styles, and various teaching styles. The teacher varied her teaching according to grade levels.
In that one room school, I learned that every child does learn. Children do not learn at the same speed nor do they learn with the same amount of mastery, but they do all learn. That teacher, my teacher, assumed the responsibility for meeting a wide range of grades and needs. She knew that she was responsible for everyone in that school and because she believed in herself and in us, everyone was successful. Everyone in that school (all eight of us) completed high school and six completed college. The odds of this happening in a small rural community were not very high.
I have been in the education field for over 40 years and I know that it is our responsibility to prepare today’s students for academic excellence as well as building confident and security for a successful life.
Ms. Minerva Soria, Title III Lead Teacher and Parent Liaison
msoria@houstonisd.org
My educational philosophy is that all children can learn at the highest level and achieve academic success in which ever field they choose to enter.
The belief in the power of education has always been fundamental in my life. This belief was nurtured by my parents who although, were unable to fulfill their educational potential because of family responsibilities, devoted their lives and resources to ensuring that their "six" children graduated from college. There was never a doubt in my parents’ mind that we would graduate from college. They told us that as long as we dedicated our time and efforts to studying we could achieve success in any career.
Our parents taught us by example, they helped develop our self confidence, accentuated the positive and explained things. Although, they worked full time, they made it a priority to fully participate in all of their children’s educational activities. From them we learned to value other people and institutions.
In our family teachers were highly regarded and respected. Whenever a teacher discussed concerns they addressed them immediately because they believed in supporting the classroom teacher. I remember my parents taking the whole family to “Open House”, speaking to each teacher and offering their support.
During my last semester at Texas A&M, I started thinking about what direction to take for my future. I searched deep within myself and realized that teaching early childhood was my calling. This was confirmed by my love of working with young children and the wonderful learning experiences that my teachers created for me.
As a Mexican-American, I am sensitive to the Hispanic community and can relate to the struggles English language learners’ face. Although, my academic instruction was in English, my parents knew the importance of maintaining my mother tongue and provided opportunities for me to practice reading, speaking, and writing in Spanish. Often times my father would ask me to read the Spanish newspaper aloud. He would monitor for fluency, and ask questions to check for comprehension. He would apply the same technique for documents that were in English. Being bilingual has allowed me to understand and appreciate people from other cultures and countries.
As a bilingual teacher, I have dedicated my professional career to facilitating learning for English language learners in a risk free environment in which students are respected and valued for their individual talents.
As a member of the Instructional Leadership Team, I help to analyze and interpret test data, advocate for English language learners (Title III Lead Teacher), participate in parent conferences, assist with testing, organize parental involvement activities (Parent Liaison), help with translations, help write the SIP and monitor the ISA Program. I am also an active member of the following committees: IAT, SDMC, LPAC, and ARD. Furthermore, I also write grants to help fund the after-school program, organize the Navidad en el Barrio field trip, and participate in HISD’s Reach Out to Drop Outs.