Please join us in congratulating SIATech at Long Beach Job Corps, English Teacher Ms. Roberts for being our latest staff spotlight nominee!
Ms. Roberts was nominated because “she makes a positive impact on students by coming up with creative ways to engage students during and after school,” said Long Beach Social Studies Teacher Ms. De La Rosa.
Ms. Roberts has been an English teacher with SIATech for almost six years. Her duties consist of “classroom management, lesson planning and delivery, records and data, cheerleader, school mom, nurse, the list goes on and on,”.
One addition to her tasks is holding after school sessions where students work and eat cereal. “She calls it 'cereal success study sesh.' She does her best to engage students, and goes above and beyond to show up for them after school,” said Ms. De La Rosa.
Prior to coming to SIATech, Ms. Roberts received her bachelors in English Literature from CSU Dominguez and her credential from CSU Long Beach. She began her teaching journey in 2001 at Long Beach Unified. She taught English grades 6-12 throughout this time. Ms. Roberts left teaching for nine years due to 2010 layoffs.
“I came back to SIATech in 2019 because there was a hole in my teacher's soul. Teaching and mentoring at promise youth is and has always been my wheelhouse. I love these kids,” said Ms. Roberts .
In recent years, Ms. Roberts decided to go back to school and earn her masters. She shared she is proud of her ability to connect with students in authentic ways. “I was a latchkey 80s kid with no supervision who struggled to finish high school because of my dramatic life and lack of guidance. I have always loved English, and my issues were not academic, but I wasted so much time not knowing what I was capable of achieving. I think I teach because it matters, it is rewarding, and in some way I try to redeem my own teenage soul by helping kids who are in similar situations or worse. Everyone needs someone in their corner,” said Ms. Roberts.
Ms. Roberts expressed her love of working with students and reflected on why she enjoys her work. “I have a repeated memory that happe
ns with many of my students. This is when they come in squirrely, unsure, sometimes angry and even defiant. But over time, with support and authentic concern, I have had many students who struggled come to me near or after graduation and thank me for being in their corner, believing in them, and treating them with warmth while holding them accountable. This is the ultimate reward for this hard work we do.”
A few fun facts about Ms. Roberts is that she can do fun voices and accents. She also shared, “I am supposedly related to Shakespeare 16 times removed cousins on his mother's side,” and added that her Fantasy Football team is crushing so far this year.
Ms. De La Rosa expressed her appreciation for working with Ms. Roberts . “She inspires me to be creative, and do fun activities with the students. She always has the student's best interest in mind.”