Class Acts: Stroud Elementary School's Monique K. Preciado

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Kristy Ibarra nominated Monique Preciado for Class Acts. Ibarra said her daughter was in Preciado's class last year when Preciado had to take over when two fifth grades were combined and she became the primary teacher of 60 children. Ibarra said it was amazing to watch Preciado interact with her students, making sure not one child would get overlooked. Preciado had great control of the class and her students respected her, Ibarra said.

Name: Monique K. Preciado

Age: 28

Modesto Bee - Monique Preciado, teaches 5th grade at Stroud Elementary School, October 22, 2009. (DEBBIE NODA/dnoda@modbee.com)

City of residence: Modesto

Occupation: Fifth-grade teacher at Alice Stroud Elementary, Empire Union School District

Family: Husband, Jose Cardenas; children, Diego and Nayeli

Education background: Ceres High graduate; bachelor's degree from San Diego State University; teaching credential from California State University, Monterey Bay; working on master's degree at California State University, Stanislaus.

Teaching experience: One year in Spanish-language kindergarten for the Salinas Elementary School District; one year teaching first grade at Don Pedro Elementary, Ceres Unified School District; four years teaching fifth grade at Alice Stroud Elementary.

Why did you get into teaching? I attribute my initial motivation to my grandmother. She has always been a very important person in my life, and when I was 14, she told me that if she had had a choice, she would have studied to be a teacher. My grandmother, a Mexican immigrant with only a second- grade education, who has sacrificed, worked her whole life, wanted to be a teacher. She said that teachers are very important people because they are the ones that help others to be successful. In Mexico, in her time, "teachers were given the utmost respect." She was my initial motivation, and it turns out that teaching happens to be an amazing career, satisfying and worthwhile.

What is your favorite thing about being a teacher? The opportunity to be a part of the life of every student who comes into my classroom. I get to motivate them about their education, and in return they inspire me to be a more effective teacher. Even more satisfying, the look they get in their eyes when "they get it" and "they know it."

What is the most challenging part of your job? Time! There never seems to be enough.

What is the most important lesson you've learned? You don't know what you're capable of doing until you attempt it. And just when I think I can't do any more, I find myself involved in events that are critical to meet student needs, parent needs or professional needs.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My computer; it allows me to integrate technology into the classroom. My favorite activities are our weekly science labs, especially when we learn about the digestive system. This lab allows students to simulate the digestive system using bananas, graham crackers, coffee filters and pantyhose -- to say the least, it gets pretty sticky!

What's next in your classroom? More technology! I want to make sure to stay afloat with today's digital natives.

What advice do you have for students? Opportunity. Students should know that having a good education will open doors for them in the future. They should strive to learn something new every day, and they should always set goals and push themselves to reach those goals.

What advice do you have for parents? Be involved. No matter how old your child is. It is crucial that they are involved in their child's education in class and outside of school.

What will it take to improve academic success in the valley? The support of every constituent: students, parents, faculty, businesses, local and state government. We need to remember that if we continue to not support education our students won't have anything left. Yes, times are hard, but sacrificing education cannot be the answer to solving our budget woes.

How do you reach students not interested in school? By using humor, physical activity, technology and lots of hands-on learning experiences. I do my best to apply what is being learned in class to life experience.

What one area should schools put more emphasis on? Schools should be putting an emphasis on a multitude of subjects. We need to make sure our students are well-rounded in math, science, language arts, social studies, world languages, health education and technology.

If you could change one thing about the current educational system, what would it be and why? I feel an enormous amount of respect has been lost for the teaching profession. The lack of respect is something I would like to see changed. Teachers care for students as if they were our own; we do our best to make sure they are safe, fed, well-mannered and educated. It would seem to me that we teachers are worthy of being highly respected.

What would surprise people about your job? We never turn it off. We don't clock in and out, like in many other professions. We work after hours, weekends and vacations. Noneducators would be surprised at the time commitment, sacrifices and the personal funds that teachers invest for our students. We invest our lives to help build the next generation of professionals.

What are your future plans? I am working on my master's degree in education technology at CSU, Stanislaus, and at some point I would like to be a principal at the elementary level. I hope to teach the future generation of teachers at the collegiate level. I will continue to do my best to help educate every student with whom I come in contact, with the hope to have inspired a future generation of lifelong learners.