GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD A LOOK AT HOW BRONCHOS BANDED TOGETHER

w HANDMADE AT HOME – UCO nursing sophomore Phoebe Barnes and Shelby Denney, a Central freshman on the nursing waitlist, have spearheaded efforts to sew fabric masks for medical professionals. In addition to Barnes being high-risk, both Barnes and Denney have highrisk family members and know the importance of effective protective measures. They also both want to become medical professionals themselves, which meant lending a helping hand was a no-brainer for the two nurse hopefuls. Using donated fabric and elastic, Barnes and Denney have made hundreds of masks while practicing social distancing at home. Pictured, Barnes sews one of many masks from home.

s SHARING SAFETY – Members of the UCO campus community stepped up to fill the need for medical supplies in local hospitals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, donating vital personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and nurses at INTEGRIS Health Edmond. Central’s Forensic Science Institute (FSI) provided masks, gloves, disposable lab coats and Tyvek suits, which are worn over clothing as a protective measure. Just days later, Director of UCO Emergency Management Norman Nieves and university staff from Central’s Departments of Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Management gathered and delivered 48 bottles of hand sanitizer, 400 N95 masks, 14 boxes of gloves, eight respirators, five boxes of 20 respirator cartridges, 60 safety goggles and 30 Tyvek coveralls.

All In The Family

A MOTHER & DAUGHTER ARE BRIDGING THE GAP IN THE CLASSROOM

WRITTEN BY RACHEL BAUGH, PHOTOS BY KT KING

CENTRAL ALUMNAE ALEXISS AND LINDA LOPEZ have experienced firsthand the challenges often faced by English-language learner (ELL) students and their families in local schools. Having grown up attending school in Mexico, Alexiss’ younger brother had trouble adjusting academically when the family moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, because he could not speak English at the time. “The school wanted to retain him, and I remember her telling me that this was one of the main reasons why she wanted to become a teacher someday,” said Linda, Alexiss’ mother. “She told me she wanted to help those students succeed that have a language barrier in the classroom.”

Prior to the family’s relocation, Linda taught at a Montessori school, a school that implements the Montessori Method of Education, which views students as eager to learn and capable of initiating their own learning when provided with the right environment. Soon after they arrived in Oklahoma, both Alexiss and Linda began careers as paraprofessionals at Hawthorne Elementary in Oklahoma City. After seven years as paraprofessionals, both Linda and Alexiss now are fully certified teachers with their own classrooms, thanks to a partnership program between the Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) Foundation and the University of Central Oklahoma.

The Bilingual Teacher Pipeline Program provides financial assistance for Spanish-speaking paraprofessionals working in OKCPS to receive their teaching degree, in an effort to help bring more bilingual teachers into the district, where nearly 54% of students are Hispanic. In return, the teachers must agree to dedicate three years of teaching to OKCPS upon completion of the program. Currently, 15 paraprofessionals from OKCPS are taking courses at Central through the Bilingual Teacher Pipeline Program.

“When our principal sent us the email asking if we wanted to join the program, I thought ‘Why not?’ I’m here anyways; I’m already doing this and love doing it, so why not take advantage of this program and do it for my future students,” Linda recalled.

Alexiss, who had already planned to attend UCO to complete her teaching degree, also found the program to be a perfect fit for her future plans. Both saw a need in their district for bilingual teachers and were ready to take action. In 2016, they began the program together – a journey that came with many late nights of studying and numerous hours spent completing homework, but also with the special chance to complete this milestone together.

“We took classes together and really leaned on each other a lot, which made the overall experience a lot better,” Alexiss said. “My mom was very dedicated to her education and would usually stay up later than me every night studying. She was a role model for me in the process.”

On December 13, 2019, Alexiss and Linda together became the first two graduates of the Bilingual Teacher Pipeline Program and received degrees in elementary education from Central. Only a few months later, they already are seeing the benefits of the program being displayed in their classrooms. Both teachers understand the struggles that ELL students and their parents often go through and are eager to be a resource for those families in their schools.

“My students have someone they can relate to, who they can talk to that understands them and their home life or what they might be going through and their culture. I think that’s a big plus for our community,” Alexiss said.

The mother-daughter duo credit the assistance and encouragement they received from UCO faculty and staff in the teacher education program as a main contributor to their success in the classroom.

“Our professors had high expectations for us and were very helpful. A lot of people don’t understand the importance of a strong education when it comes to teaching,” Linda said. “You are going to teach kids; you need the education classes. I don’t think you can truly work with and understand a child and know what they need if you have no background knowledge of teacher education.”

Now, having both completed a comprehensive education degree pathway, they feel that all of the hard work and stress of balancing work, school and their family life has paid off, thanks to the assistance from OKCPS and UCO. As Linda reflected on her entire experience, she said she would recommend the program to any paraprofessional who qualifies.

“My advice for anyone in this circumstance, like mine, who might be considering finishing their degree later in life, is just don’t give up. Believe in yourself; it is so worth it in the end.”

Editor’s Note: Alexiss and Linda Lopez were previously featured in a story, titled “Breaking Language Barriers,” in the Fall 2017 issue of Old North. To read the story, visit the “University Publications” section at www.uco.edu/ucomm.