Career Path Of A Kindergarten Teacher At KIPP SoCal
Giselle's career path began with an education minor at UCLA, involving fieldwork in bilingual classrooms and the Pre-K UCLA lab school, solidifying their preference for younger grades. Following college, Teach for America placement led to two years teaching a special day class at another KIPP SoCal Elementary School, before transitioning to their current role as a kindergarten teacher at KIPP SoCal, stating "I really like the younger grades and I knew that that was the age group I wanted to work with".
Early Childhood Education, Teaching, Special Education, Teach for America, KIPP SoCal
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Job Title
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Undergrad
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Giselle Mendoza
Kindergarten teacher
KIPP SoCal
UCLA
LMU - MA / credential in Special Education
Anthropology, Sociology
Education
Education
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Giselle pursued an education minor at UCLA, gaining fieldwork experience in elementary and pre-K classrooms, solidifying her interest in early childhood education.
2. She secured her first teaching job through Teach for America, emphasizing her preference for elementary education and subsequently teaching a special day class for students with disabilities.
3. Giselle transitioned to teaching general education kindergarten within the same KIPP SoCal district, showcasing career progression within the organization and field
Transcript
Hey Giselle, could you walk me through your career path? Let's start with your experiences in college. What internships or jobs did you have prior to your current role as a kindergarten teacher?
Specifically, I'm thinking about how you landed that first real job.
I was an education minor at UCLA, so I had a lot of fieldwork classes. These allowed me to work in different elementary classrooms, including bilingual classrooms. I also worked at the Pre-K UCLA lab school.
I really liked the younger grades and knew that was the age group I wanted to work with. After college, I applied to Teach for America and made it clear I wanted to teach elementary.
I was placed at a Kids SoCal Elementary School where I taught a special day class for students with disabilities for two years. This is my third year teaching, and I switched to general education kindergarten, still within the Kids SoCal District.
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