Houston area teacher: 'My teacher’s genuine desire to educate us inspired me to become one of them'

Teacher Corazon Briones-Flores believes that small moments she experiences as a teacher are worthy of remembrance, such as when parents express their gratitude or when students learn English for the first time. 

Briones-Flores was motivated to become a teacher due to the quality teachers she had growing up. Despite having very few resources, she tried to feel the same joy that her teachers felt while teaching how to read, write and count, and their sincere goal to educate children motivated her to be a teacher as well.

"My teacher’s genuine desire to educate us inspired me to become one of them," Briones-Flores confirmed to the Houston Daily. 

Briones-Flores went on to describe her own role at the school.

"I am currently the school’s Social Studies Department chair and a teacher mentor," she told the Houston Daily. "I have been with SGA since 2013."

Briones-Flores also discussed her background and early challenges she faced as a teacher.

"I earned my bachelor’s degree in 1987 in the Philippines’ premier school for aspiring teachers, Philippine Normal University," she told the Houston Daily. "My training basically is based on paper and pencil. Anchor charts, modules on copy papers that I painstakingly created for hours and textbooks were my best friends. That said, when I came to the United States in 2008, I struggled tremendously not with resources but in dealing with classroom management, teaching strategies and culture shock. My teacher training did not prepare me how to teach in America. My biggest challenge is how to become an effective teacher in a culture so different from mine. I needed to adapt, sharpen my skills and meet the expectations of the school. So, I attended all the district training I could, observed veteran teachers, collaborated with colleagues and immersed myself in the community where my students live."

Even with 37 years of experience in the classroom, each day has been a new challenge for Briones-Flores and she continues to learn from her students as they learn from her. Sugar Grove Academy, where Briones-Flores teaches, is a public school in Houston, Texas. It has a student population of about 772 and the school services students in grade 6-8.