Education Resources
Library literacy and support for local educators and students
Q&A with Denisse Dent
Denisse is a Dual Language 3rd grade teacher at Table Rock Elementary
Can you tell us about your career journey to becoming a Dual Language 3rd Grade Teacher at Table Rock Elementary?
I graduated from Oregon State University in 2021 with a double Bachelor’s in Human Development & Family Sciences and Elementary Education with an ESOL endorsement. After graduating, TRE was the place I knew I wanted to be and it was the one and only place I applied to. I knew that teaching Dual Language (DL) was exactly what I wanted to do as I grew up as an English Language Learner, and DL was something I didn’t have access to in a rural Kansas town. Being a Dual Language Teacher at Table Rock Elementary is a way I feel I am able to give back to the community and where I can reach and support our English language learners/bilingual students in a way I wish I had been given growing up.
Reflecting on the school year thus far, what has been a real standout moment?
One of the most memorable moments for me has been experiencing the sense of community with my team as we work together to best meet the needs of our students. They are the people I rely on, and I feel comfortable being my authentic self with them. I can turn to them when I need help, a pick-me-up, or just a shoulder to lean on. I believe that having a strong community within our grade-level team is important because school feels like our second home, and I genuinely look forward to seeing them each day.
Any resolutions or goals for your classroom in this new year?
Taking a step into the new year, a large focus for me is to continue fostering a learning environment that is supportive and engaging for my students. A key goal of mine is to continue to adapt and evolve my teaching strategies to ensure each of my students feels heard, seen, and also challenged in a way that best supports each of their unique learning styles. I’m really looking forward to different opportunities for growth, both for myself and as a classroom community, and I look forward to collaborating with my team to create immersive learning experiences. I believe as teachers we are forever learners and growers, and I find beauty in the process of it.
What are your thoughts on how schools and public libraries can work together to support students’ literacy especially those who speak Spanish?
Understanding what our community offers brings such a great opportunity for our students and schools! There are many ways schools and public libraries can work together in supporting students’ literacy, especially in Spanish, and this can begin by reaching out to these spaces on what they provide! What our team has done is reached out to our local public library in White City, and have walked our students there to check out books, or have had librarians come to us and speak about the opportunities they have. What’s so awesome is the selection and availability of books that are in Spanish. They also provide bilingual storytimes, a Spanish conversation group, and movie nights in Spanish. This is a great accessibility for our school, students, and the families in our community.
What moments of delight have you noticed amongst your day-to-day routine in the classroom?
I have so many moments of delight, it’s hard to pinpoint one! What I have loved seeing in our dual language classroom is how students go out of their comfort zone to speak in their second language (whether that be English or Spanish) to make connections with their peers. I also live for the lightbulb moments, the jokes, the cross-cultural references and connections, and when students support each other through words of encouragement. Even on the hardest days, all of those moments stick out to me the most because it’s what brings me the most joy - it’s truly a bucket filler.
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JANUARY RESOURCES
Rayne and Deliliah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee. But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. As growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, they start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous…and momentous.
Grade Level(s): 9th-12th | Genre: Realistic Fiction | Lexile: 660