Becoming a teacher actually began in Sherman, Texas during the Austin College years from 1997-2000. Following his sophomore year, Lorenzo transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). It was here, in his home town, that Lorenzo continued to work towards the completion of a degree. This degree, the degree of bachelor of interdisciplinary studies, required Lorenzo to intern as a student teacher in a school in El Paso. In the course of the three years at UTEP, subjects as diverse as biology, political science, American and world history, research projects, and teacher preparation courses were covered. The bachelor of interdisciplinary studies degree, earned by Arredondo in May of 2002, allows Texas teachers to teach elementary grade levels through to the middle school grade levels. While Lorenzo was educated in diverse subjects, his specialization was mathematics.
Being an intern was definitely not a new experience, or an unpleasant one at all for Arredondo, in fact he had interned at Jefferson Elementary School and at Piner Middle School while at Austin College. Lorenzo was looking for the experience that would provide him great motivation to continue to teach, and an experience that would help make him a stronger teacher long before he entered a classroom of his own. The years studying to become an educator created many memorable experiences in the college classroom, in an elementary school classroom, and in a middle school classroom.
| The College of Education The UTEP courses on becoming a teacher, while rather bland and uninspired, were changed into fun, lively, and engaging learning experiences thanks to the friendships developed by Lorenzo with the other interns, especially Elizabeth Carrera, Guillermo (Gil) Ramirez, Karen Wright, and Mari Ann Norris (now Mari Ann Gadra). Together, the group of interns helped each other understand the material and prepare for the Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) test. |
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| Fannin Elementary School This school, located in northeast El Paso, was the home to Lorenzo’s internship in an elementary school. As a student teacher in Mrs. Burris’ fifth grade classroom, Lorenzo learned so much more than could ever be taught in teacher preparation courses. This experience introduce Lorenzo to the benefits of starting the school year off right, the strategies involved in arranging a classroom, and how to develop classroom management routines to keep the students on task and on the right track to success. |
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| Wiggs Middle School
The internship in this 7th grade mathematics classroom in central El Paso allowed Lorenzo to observe and teach students math at a level that Lorenzo found exciting. At this age student begin to become disinterested with school, especially math. The internship allowed Lorenzo the opportunity to learn more about how student expectations affect performance and how to address a lack of confidence in education. |
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