Schools need teachers; teachers help students learn at a school. Doesn’t that sometimes make you wonder who they are and why did they become a teacher here at Southeast Middle School?
Mr. Yamashita, a seventh and eighth grade SEMS PE teacher and media influencer, explained how and why he started as a teacher: “[I became a teacher] I myself was a bad student and I always wanted to be a teacher since no teacher helped me and I wanted to help students.”
Mr. Yamashita, not the only teacher who wanted better things for his students.
DREAMS eighth grade history teacher Ms. Garnica explained her own reason for becoming a teacher: “I didn’t really have a good educational experience when I was growing up, I was a Spanish speaking student so at the time there weren’t lots of programs for students like me so I wanted to legitimately be a better teacher.”
Ms. Lawrence, a SEMS theater teacher, needed to start working as a teacher because when she had her daughter she needed a more stable job for herself and to spend more time with her child.
For some people this situation might be similar. Parents with children on the way would want or need to find a stable job in their area or somewhere close for their child. Teaching may also help with stability because it provides a closer environment to their child if they enroll them in the same school as how Ms. Lawrence did with her child.
But why Southeast ?
At Southeast, teachers either work for DREAMS or SEMS.
SEMS stands for Southeast Middle School which refers to both the whole school and the residential school.
DREAMS Magnet stand for Design Research Engineering Art Math Science Project based
Students get in based on the lottery system however parents need to apply their child into it first before they have a chance of entering it.
According to LAUSD, “magnet schools/centers are voluntary integration programs that provide rigorous, high-quality, theme-based instruction designed to facilitate student learning and promote academic achievement.”
So how did teachers decide which program to work for?
Mr.Yamishita said, “Ive worked at Southeast for two years in the 21 years I’ve worked as a teacher. One reason I worked at Southeast is because 11 years ago I worked with [Mr. Zamudio].”
Ms. Lawrence stated how she made it to Southeast: “It was luck. I was an intern teacher and so with an intern teacher after working for two years if the school doesn’t need you, you become displaced, and I was displaced. I didn’t have a job. But as I was looking I bumped into someone I knew before we both started teaching and so…[she hooked me up]… I’ve been in the Southeast for eight years.”
When some teachers become teachers by connections others might just want to work in their area for example Ms. Diaz.
Ms. Diaz, another DREAMS teacher who teaches art, gave an explanation how she ended up at DREAMS.
”Why I chose Southeast was because I was raised here and wanted to work in the community… I’ve been at Southeast for over 20 years of the 21, 22 years I’ve worked as a teacher. I started as a substitute here then became a permanent teacher at Southeast then transferred over to DREAMS magnet,” she said.
While Ms. Diaz went to Southeast for its location Ms. Garnica arrived to Southeast because of family.
“Ive worked at Southeast for four years and started working at Southeast because to be honest my little sisters went to that school and at the time I wanted to be a support system and even when they left I fell in love with the school,” she said.
And there you have it folks DREAMS and SEMS but there’s only four teachers listed in the article there’s many many more. But a question would you yourself want to work at Southeast.
