Natalie De La Cruz is currently a sophomore in The City College of New York, with plans to become a teacher. She comes from Dominican Republic, and her family moved here for a better future. As her mother works serval jobs to keep a roof under her families head, Natalie is perusing a career in teaching to create a better future for herself and for her future family as well. In this interview, we discussed a lot about her teaching career.

Denisse: What is your major?

Natalie: I’m currently majoring in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Language and Literature. Considering I am an aspiring teacher, I believe his major suits me perfectly. Denisse: What made you decide you wanted to be a teacher?
Natalie: As the youngest in my family, I didn’t have much exposure to children growing up until my oldest sister had kids. When I met them I immediately adored them and found myself enjoying any moment I had with them. I treated them as if they were the little brother and sister I never had. The moment that I knew for sure I wanted to be a teacher was when I attended my nephew’s graduation. Witnessing the teachers’ involvement in the graduation, whether it was singing songs with the children, walking them down the aisle or even taking photos with them and their families, filled me up with a feeling of excitement I hadn’t felt before. Being a child’s first role model in life is such a significant position to hold and I’m making it my mission to be that for someone. Denisse: I know that you have been working in a daycare, how long have you been working at the daycare and what has your experience been?

Natalie: I actually started last September, so I officially completed my first year! I remember I was at home talking to my best friend when I received a call from my middle school teacher and the first thing she said when I answered was “Guess what? I know you love kids and I have the perfect

job for you” and I was eager to know more . I was so grateful that my first job involves working with children. Working at the daycare has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The children are so bubbly, lovable, intelligent, and so full of life. From the very first day I started working there until now I’ve grown so attached to them and witnessing their growth and development has been the highlight of my year.`

Denisse: It’s amazing how you managed to find a perfect part time job, to not only help you develop your career but also to give you the experience of being a teacher. How much has the daycare influenced your decision to be a teacher?
Natalie: My job has had a huge influence on my decision to get into the teaching field. Getting first hand experience working with children before officially making it my career, allows me the opportunity to get a sense of what teachers do on a day to day basis. My job has allowed me to gain knowledge on the techniques required to provide a healthy, safe, engaging, exciting, learning environment for my students to flourish in. There hasn’t been a day I’ve woken up and felt like I was actually at “work” and because of that, I knew I was on the right track.

Denisse: You have chosen your career path fairly early, some people currently don’t even know what they want to do. When it comes to choosing a career you must also have a support system, have your parents supported your decision?
Natalie: At first they weren’t the most supportive, specifically my father. Especially coming from a hispanic household, parents tend to hold their children to high standards when it comes to their careers. My father strongly wanted me or one of my siblings to become a lawyer or a nurse, but in my mind I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to be. It made me feel guilty knowing I wasn’t able to fulfill my father’s desires and make him proud, but at the end of the day I wasn’t living to please

him. He eventually accepted my career and my passion as long as it meant I was doing something that I knew I loved.
Denisse: Are there pros and cons about teaching that you would like to talk about?

Natalie: Based on my experience working at the daycare, one of the best pros of teaching is the satisfaction of seeing your student successfully grasp the concepts you’re teaching them. It fills me up with joy when my students greet their parents at dismissal eager to tell them what they learned at school. Seeing the smiles of the parents as they listen to the children recite the concepts I taught reassures me that I’m doing my job correctly. Another pro would have to be the connections I’ve developed with my students. Sometimes teaching goes just beyond academics, and it involves teaching them how to manage their emotions and reflect on their behavior. Through supporting them through these emotional challenges, they’re able to get closer to me as they trust me with their vulnerability. As of now, I don’t have any cons that I can think of, thankfully.
Denisse: Since you plan to do teaching, is there a specific area you want to teach, or do you want to teach all subjects?
Natalie: Honestly, I’m not sure at the moment. What I do know is I’m terrible at math so if I were to teach a singular subject I would avoid math at all costs. I think however, elementary school teachers are supposed to teach all subjects so I would have to teach math anyways, but I wouldn’t mind since I’d be teaching easier math concepts. I’ve always been a lover of literature so I’d be excited to teach Reading classes!
Denisse: I know that you want to teach younger children, but would you ever consider teaching high schoolers or middle schoolers? Why or why not?
Natalie: I never actually thought much about teaching older students. After my experience working with the younger ones, I think for now I’d be more comfortable sticking to the lower grades. The

curriculum for older students seems more rigorous, however I think it’d be easier to teach them considering their attention spans are longer. As I gain more knowledge and experience in the teaching field, I might consider moving up a couple grades.
Denisse: Can you run through all the steps you’ll need to become a teacher?

Natalie: Honestly as of now, I’m not too familiar with the process of becoming a teacher but I know it involves a lot of testing. My first step before anything is getting into the School of Education and obtaining my Bachelor’s Degree. From my knowledge, I know I have to take a series of New York State Certification Exams as well as engage in some student teaching before officially being able to work. I also would have to obtain my masters degree.

Denisse: Have you started thinking about lesson plans?

Natalie: Yes! At work, on days where it’s raining, we come together to plan out various activities for the children to engage in. We brainstorm various arts and crafts projects for the kids to work on, especially during the holidays we tailor the projects to the specific holiday we’re celebrating to not only educate students on the significance of that day as well as getting them into the spirit. We also strive to include read aloud, music time, alphabet and number review, and puzzle time in our schedule.

Denisse: How do you think life would be like if we didn’t have teachers?

Natalie: To me, teachers are what makes the world go round. We would not have the knowledge we have if it weren’t for our teachers sharing their knowledge with us. It’s a never ending cycle. Everyone who is a part of your life is a teacher in some way, shape or form. Our parents/guardians are the ones who teach us the basic skills in life such as walking, and talking. Educators teach us essential skills such as reading, writing, adding, subtracting, dividing,

multiplying. Even the internet teaches us several life hacks we’ve never learned growing up. Without these resources, it’d be difficult to live a successful life.
Denisse: Do you have anything else you want to add about your teaching career or teaching in general?

Natalie: One thing I’d like to add is this quote that stood out to me that goes “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best”. I think that this quote strongly demonstrates the idea that while teaching students the standard common core knowledge is essential, what they learn beyond academics is more valuable

Natalie has fairly strong views on teaching, and she continues to learn along the way. She’s in the early stages of her career, but she’s passionate and ambitious on what she plans to do. She loves working with children and teaching them as well, her personality shines very bright during this interview. Although it was mainly about her career, I learned about her family background, support system, and how she views her career and life.