This week's Teacher of the Week is an excited and energetic teacher who loves working with students and seeing them progress. She uses reflection to improve her work and shows her students how to do so as well. Iris builds her classroom community by using Bloomz tools and inviting parents to learn with their children

Why did you become a teacher?

I decided to become a teacher during my senior year of high school. To graduate, all seniors had to complete 20 hours of community service. My teacher set up a few opportunities in our area and one of them was tutoring at the local elementary school. I immediately fell in love! I began working one on one with a struggling 2^nd grade student named Ricky and seeing him progress in his reading was a feeling like no other. It was then that I decided I wanted to make teaching a career.

What is your greatest teaching moment?

This past summer my husband and I were selected as part of the International Educators to Japan program. For 12 days we traveled to different public and private schools in Japan to compare the Japanese education system to that in America. We also learned the culture and customs to better understand Japanese students we have in Northside ISD schools. My greatest teaching moment came when I taught a math lesson in English to over 30 first grade students in a Japanese Elementary. It was the experience of a life time!

What is your advice for teachers who are just starting out?

My advice is to start with a weekly post and share pictures with your parents. I started off this way 2 years ago when I taught Kindergarten. I went around the room and took pictures of children at their daily centers; what they were building at blocks, lacing at sensory tub, or cooking at the dramatic play center. I got such amazing feedback from parents who were so excited to see what their child was doing at school! Try out a weekly post of what your class is doing that week and go from there!

What is your advice to parents?

Teach your child that tough love doesn’t mean you don’t care, it means you do! As a parent it’s hard to see your child accept consequences at times, but please don’t try to bail your child out of every situation. Allow them to see through their mistake or consequence. It will build their character, teach them responsibility of their actions and in the long run they’ll learn you won’t always be there to fix everything for them.

What is your favorite children’s book?

My favorite children’s book is Tillie and the Wall by Leo Lionni. The message for kids and adults is still so powerful today. It’s the story of a little mouse named Tillie who wonders what is on the other side of a large wall. She imagines all kinds of possibilities on the other side and is convinced to find out what is there. When she digs a tunnel, she realizes that there are other mice on the other side of the wall similar to her. The mice celebrate to find each other and go freely from one side of the wall to the other. I especially like the persistence of Tillie to try several ways to make it to the other side of the wall on her own and the message of unity.

What do you love about Bloomz?

I love Bloomz because it has allowed me to get parents and students connected in ways I couldn’t do in just a newsletter. I have invited parents several times to post pictures of their holidays- Halloween, Christmas, birthdays and most recently our school field trip. Parents gladly have posted these and it has allowed us all to gain such an insight on what home life is like as well as traditions and celebrations. A kid favorite was sending in pictures of what their elf on the shelf did that night. My favorite things is that Bloomz makes things personal. 

Iris Raga received her Bachelors in Education, and two teaching certificates from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She teaches third grade at Forester Elementary in the Northside Independent School District. This is her ninth year of teaching and she has taught 3^rd grade, Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten. She is married to her wonderful husband, Victor, who is a Northside ISD elementary principal. Iris is a 2016-2017 GoNoodle Ambassador and would love to become a Bloomz ambassador one day! She loves sharing the amazing features of Bloomz!

I love Bloomz because it has allowed me to get parents and students connected in ways I couldn’t do in just a newsletter. I have invited parents several times to post pictures of their holidays- Halloween, Christmas, birthdays and most recently our school field trip. Parents gladly have posted these and it has allowed us all to gain such an insight on what home life is like as well as traditions and celebrations. A kid favorite was sending in pictures of what their elf on the shelf did that night. My favorite things is that Bloomz makes things personal.

If you'd like to participate in the Teacher of the Week program, please visit our page here and let us know about you; we'd love to hear your story!