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Making Learning Fun
For more pictures, go to Your Permanent Record.
By Kim Underwood
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
JANUARY 19, 2022 – While challenging the third-graders in her dual-language immersion classes in Spanish and English at Speas Global Elementary to do their best, Micaela Bermudez makes learning fun.
For a class on the different types of muscles, she may don medical garb, and, for a “book tasting,” she may become a chef.
Her enthusiasm for working with students – and her skills in doing so – led to her being named the Young Educator of the Year by the N.C. Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCASCD).
She was nominated for the award by David Sisk, the Director of English Learners and Title III Programs for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
“I have had the opportunity to visit her classroom on many occasions over the years, and she positively impacts her students both academically and personally,” Sisk wrote in his nomination.
“Ms. Bermudez listens to and responds to the various learning needs and styles of each individual student, and it shows. Irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity or special population, her classrooms are always filled with engaged, confident, and curious students working together, looking forward to the next challenging activity.”
Her classroom on Friday Jan. 14 was an excellent example of engaged, confident, and curious students working together.
When it was time for the third-graders in one of her dual-language immersion classes to learn more about the Solar System, Bermudez had invited students to create models of the Solar System that illustrated points they wanted to make, such as misconceptions that some people may have.
The students had responded with enthusiasm. Anyone who stopped by her classroom on Friday saw one Solar System after another in which the students had clearly poured a remarkable amount of both creativity and time.
Many of the Solar Systems were quite detailed. Maks Kozadayev and Harrison Bond took their creation all the way to Neptune and added comets, stars, asteroids, and meteors.
Did they have fun?
Yes, indeed.
They particularly enjoyed “painting all the stuff,” Maks said.
“And working together,” Harrison said.
Oliver Radney and Conor McCrory created tierra (Earth), luna (moon) and sol (sun) to illustrate their point that, even though you can’t see it as night, the sun is always there.
If the opportunity came up, Conor would like to go to the moon one day.
“That sounds fun to do,” he said.
While many students had used sheets of cardboard as the base for their creations, Kendall Rickey and Natalie Phares had used a Styrofoam base. Kendall had crumbled up some of the extra foam board and painted it yellow to turn it into stars.
“Everyone thought it was butter popcorn,” said Theron Amoureux.
When one boy popped a piece into his mouth, Theron said, he quickly discovered “it is so not edible.”
Bermudez’s colleagues at Speas appreciate her gifts as a teacher and as a person.
Blanca Basurto teaches second grade in the dual-immersion program.
“When I think of Ms. Bermudez, I think of ‘innovation,’” Basurto said. “She is an innovative educator in so many ways.”
“She has a true commitment to extend her own education to gain a deeper understanding of her teaching practice. She has that strong desire to always be a life-long learner. This is of upmost importance in our ever-changing society. She constantly looks for additional trainings and opportunities, where she can connect and collaborate with others.”
“She asks the challenging questions that bring about change and reflection in education. She is not afraid to take risks, to bring positive change and find ways to better her teaching practice and of those around her.”
“Ms. Bermudez makes a positive impact to all those around her. It has been such a privilege to have had the opportunity to work with her and learn with her.”
Bermudez was born in Argentina and spent her early years there. She came to North Carolina when she was 14 after her mother was offered a job as a high school Spanish teacher in Guilford County.
It was a move everyone in the family was ready for.
“Things in Argentina were not well,” Bermudez said.
She and her older sister and parents were looking forward to life here.
“I knew of the big opportunity I was going to be given – a future where you could thrive in whatever you wanted to do,” Bermudez said.
A couple of years after they arrived, her father died as the result of a brain tumor. He received good medical support, including help from a hospice, and, early on, she envisioned a career working in some capacity in the field of medicine.
Planning to start out as an EMS (Emergency Medical Science) paramedic, she headed to Guilford County Community College. After visa difficulties prevented that from happening after she earned her certification, she was offered a tutoring position in Guilford County working with students in Title I schools where a high percentage of students come from low-income homes.
In the classroom, she discovered her calling.
“That’s where I found my true passion for teaching,” Bermudez said. “I love to see them learn.”
She found it rewarding to watch a child become engaged and to succeed at whatever the child was working on. Seeing a first-grade student who had been struggling with reading become at ease with reading touched her deeply.
When he read a book to her for the first time, she said, it gave her chills.
Remembering that still stirs up her emotions.
“I tear up every time I think about it,” she said.
Bermudez earned her teaching credentials by earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a concentration in Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“I knew I wanted to work in a dual-language program,” she said.
Students whose first language is Spanish sometimes aren’t comfortable with that, and part of that desire came from wanting students whose first language is Spanish to feel comfortable and to understand what a gift it is to be able to speak both Spanish and English.
“Being bilingual is actually a blessing,” she said.
After beginning her career with WS/FCS at Easton Elementary, she went to Old Town Elementary, where she taught with Laura Rodriguez-Perez.
“Micaela is a brilliant educator,” Rodriguez-Perez said. “Her passion and commitment distinguish her.”
“She is a very reflective teacher and always is seeking ways to improve and provide the most meaningful learning experiences to her students. She is a natural teacher leader. She loves to share her knowledge and passion with others. She is kind and loyal.”
Four years ago, Bermudez headed to Speas to teach in its dual-immersion program.
“I truly believe in this program,” she said.
Speas also offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. Katryna Jacober is the IB Coordinator.
“Micaela is a natural inquirer and is continuously asking questions and researching to find the answers. This makes her an excellent teacher,” Jacober said. “She always wants to learn more to help her students be successful.”
“As a person she is positive and cheerful. She is very helpful and thoughtful. You know you are going to have fun when you are around Micaela!”
Robert Ash is the principal at Speas.
‘She is an amazing teacher who is always striving to be the best she can,” Ash said.
“She is always asking how she can improve, what to change, how to get better. Her students are at the front of everything she does.”
“This award only recognizes what we all know to be true.”
Paul Pressly is the assistant principal at Speas.
“Ms. Bermudez is a great teacher,” Pressly said. “She is very organized and always working to improve her craft.”
“She has tremendous rapport with her students. It is obvious that teaching is her passion and not just her job.”
“I am so happy that she is being recognized for this honor. She works hard every day to give her students the best and I’m glad others outside of Speas will get to see how great she is daily.”
The challenges that came with COVID-19 have been stressful for students and teachers, and Bermudez is looking forward to the days when that is behind everyone.
On her own time, Bermudez continues to work on enhancing her skills by doing a lot of reading about teaching.
She also enjoys spending time with her family.
“Spending time with my mom and sister is one of my most important and favorite pastimes,” Bermudez said.
“We love to travel – we went to New York City in 2019 – and do different activities on the weekends. We went to see Wicked recently, the Van Gogh exhibit and plan to go see The Lion King at the Tanger Center in Greensboro.
A few years back, she visited Ireland with a group of teachers.
She also enjoys spending time with Zoe, a boxer/beagle mix she adopted from a rescue group.
“She has a lot of energy, really enjoys walks outside and loves to cuddle. Bermudez said. “She is a big part of my work-life balance since she keeps me from working too much when I am home.”
Cooking food from Argentina – pionono (a savory roll), milanesas (a chicken fried steak) and empanadas – and taking Zumba classes (online these days) are other enjoyable ways to relax.
Clemencia Cardona-Estrada teaches kindergarten at Speas.
Ms. Bermúdez is a role model for her students and coworkers,” Cardona-Estrada said.
“Her lessons are planned intentionally, with a clear goal of bringing the best learning environment into her classroom. She constantly encourages her students to be creative, open-minded and inquirers, which is a taste of the IB (International Baccalaureate Programme) learner profile.”
“She is a young lady, but it does not stop her to be a long-life learner. Ms. Bermudez is one of the most studious young teachers that I have met in my career as a teacher. Her students are very fortunate to have Ms. Bermúdez as their teacher.”
“Their families can be sure that Ms. Bermúdez works very hard to create a learning environment full of opportunities to develop high thinking skills, excellent communications skills in English and Spanish, and planting a seed in her students to grow love and passion for learning.”
Ms. Bermúdez is a great human being. She is always positive and willing to help whoever is in need. She loves to cooperate with other teachers and offers her experience and knowledge to guide other teachers who are beginning their pathway in the teaching field. Her responsibility, sense of compassion and fairness make Ms. Bermudez a reliable person.”
“This award is a very well-deserved recognition to Ms. Bermudez for her love and passion for teaching. I feel proud of Ms. Bermudez to be part of our learning community at Speas Global Elementary. I wish her the best in the upcoming years of her bright future as a leader in our profession.”