The school year in Petersburg starts tomorrow, and several new instructors in town have been preparing for the year ahead.
Rose Melinda Villazor was originally preparing to teach second grade this year, before the Petersburg School District recently reassigned some positions.
Tomorrow, Villazor will start her first year teaching third grade.
She has lived in both Alaska and the Philippines, and isn’t new to Petersburg. She worked as a paraprofessional at the elementary school last year.
Villazor told KFSK’s Taylor Heckart that she’s excited to welcome many familiar faces back to school in a classroom of her own.
Listen here:
TRANSCRIPT:
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Rose Melinda Villazor: I know these kids that I’m going to be handling, because I’ve handled them as a sub last school year. I am excited to reconnect with them again. I know how energetic they are and how curious they are.
I’m going to be mainly teaching language arts. I’m departmentalizing with my other third grade teacher, and she’ll be taking over math. It’s going to be a really fun setup, so I can focus on reading and writing and just that content knowledge that I’ve been studying in school. I feel like we’re gonna have a lot of fun in the classroom and I’m excited for that.
Taylor Heckart: I’m sure the first year as a teacher is scary.
Rose Melinda Villazor: Very.
Taylor Heckart: Does it make it easier that you kind of know this community and these kids?
Rose Melinda Villazor: Yeah, it helps that I know everyone is so nice, and they’ve been giving me a lot of patience and grace, because I’m bound to stumble. It happens. It’s just amazing to have that support.
That sudden change to third grade — the next day there was a work party, and a lot of volunteers came in to help me switch my classrooms and all the curriculum and materials that I’ve been prepping. It’s just it’s nice to have that support and know I have people behind me ready when I need them.
Taylor Heckart: Talk to me about what you enjoy about this age range, being in elementary school.
Rose Melinda Villazor: Well, they’re at that spot where they’re still very sweet and willing and to follow directions and not hesitate to express their emotions, but they’re also at that age they’re like they can differentiate, okay, I know when it’s time to have fun and giggle, I know when it’s time to get serious.
Taylor Heckart: What brings you the most joy about teaching and being a part of education?
Rose Melinda Villazor: The kids. They have this energy that is just so contagious. It’s so positive, and I feel inspired to teach them. Because they are so curious, let them feed that curiosity. I have such a passion for learning, and when I see that in a kid, I just want to foster that and hope that they have that also when they grow up.
Taylor Heckart: Heading into the school year, is there anything you would like your students or parents to know about you?
Rose Melinda Villazor: I’m just very open to communication, and I am so excited to be in a room full of their kids and help support them and teach them, but also just to connect with them in general.
