After teaching English for 18 years, Victoria Daniel left Aragon last January and became a Language and Literacy Coach for the SMUHSD. As a teacher on special assignment, or TOSA, Daniel collaborates with other teachers in the district rather than interacting directly with students in the classroom.
When did your passion for English develop?
“I’ve always loved reading and English; my love for it grew more profound in sixth grade when I had an English teacher who turned me on to literature, symbols, and the like. Her passion was contagious.”
What made you want to become a teacher?
“I majored in English at UCB and got my teaching credential at SF State. One of the schools we could student teach at was Aragon. I was placed here, along with Ms. Ward, and fell in love with the students, the faculty, the culture. I was lucky enough to get hired at the end of that year.”
How did you instill a love for English for your students?
“A lot of what we do in English class is learning how to think critically about the world and people around us. And if a student walks away appreciating the value of symbols in his own life, if he can identify the symbolic green light in his life as Gatsby (in the Great Gatsby) does, he can appreciate the inherent beauty of pursuing a dream.”
What made you want to become a TOSA?
“I was looking for something to shake up my routine for a bit. I always want to be closely tied to students and instruction, but I was craving a new challenge. I have close to another 20 years left in my career, and I was afraid I was going to become stale [or] complacent if I never left my classroom.”
How does working with other teachers compare to teaching students?
“It is different in that adults are more focused and need information that is directly relevant to their work. Yet, they are similar in that we all learn the same way–we all need time to be introduced to new concepts, time to process that information, then time to implement and apply. Real learning and improvement does not take place in one class period or one professional development workshop–it takes time.”
What is exciting about the change in environment?
“The variety is invigorating. It’s exciting to see how different schools run, meet many teachers, and work across disciplines. On a given day, I can observe an applied chem class, model an academic paired discussion with an algebra teacher, help write a vocabulary activity for an ELD (English Language Development) teacher, then meet with a modern world history teacher to plan a week’s lesson.”
Do you plan to return to Aragon?
“Yes, Aragon is my home. I basically grew up here: people watched me begin my career, get married, have kids, and soon these colleagues will teach my kids when they come to Aragon. ”
