Carlos Nieves - Teacher and Skills Educator

Carlos Nieves is a dedicated and compassionate educator with over seven years of teaching experience in Puerto Rico. At 38 years old, he brings both professional expertise and a deep personal commitment to the development of young learners. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education (Grades K–6), Carlos has built a strong foundation in creating engaging, inclusive, and student-centered learning environments.

Throughout his career, Carlos has demonstrated a passion that extends far beyond traditional instruction. He is especially devoted to nurturing the whole child, placing emphasis not only on academic growth but also on the development of essential life skills. His teaching focuses on strengthening students’ social skills, communication and language abilities, motor development, and individual talents. He believes that every child learns differently, and he works diligently to tailor his approach to meet diverse learning needs, ensuring that each student feels valued, supported, and empowered.

Carlos is widely recognized by colleagues and administrators for his willingness to go above and beyond. He consistently offers support to fellow teachers, collaborates on innovative strategies, and contributes positively to the school community. His approachable nature and team-oriented mindset make him a trusted and respected member of his professional environment.

Empathy and understanding are at the core of Carlos’s teaching philosophy. He strives to create a classroom atmosphere where students feel safe, heard, and encouraged to express themselves. By fostering strong relationships with his students, he helps build confidence and resilience, guiding them not only toward academic success but also toward becoming thoughtful and capable individuals.

Carlos Nieves continues to inspire those around him through his unwavering dedication, compassionate approach, and genuine love for teaching. His commitment to shaping young minds and supporting his educational community makes him an invaluable asset to any school he serves.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome to the Forge by Design Podcast. We are so delighted that you have tuned in. I have an amazing guest this week, all the way from the island of Puerto Rico. His name is Carlos Nieves. He is an education in education. He's a teacher, and what a wonderful blessing it is that we can focus on leadership skills from an educational realm. So without further ado, I want to present this blessing from the island, Mr. Carlos Nieves. How are you today?

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Thank you. Thank you for having me. A pleasure.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Absolutely. Well, one of the things that I'm very delighted is the fact that uh you bring a lot of diversity into uh the teaching realm. And when I had considered you for the podcast, uh it really falls in line with what we want to do. We want to bring in people from diverse backgrounds, whether it be in education, engineering, uh, whether it be in something that uh has to do with professionalism and bring those leadership skills no matter in what spectrum you are in. So thank you so much for making the time and being with us today. Uh I want to start asking you what inspired you to become a teacher and be in the educational realm.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Well, um, I started um ironically in the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo, I started studying uh microbiology. Microbiology. Yeah. And well, I was struggling in that area, and I had a friend who was in the department of education, and she told me, hey, why don't you come and take some classes with me to see if you like it? And I was you know what? I'm gonna give it a shot. And then I took a couple of classes with her, and then it was an I remember it was uh an activity in a school, the the first activity we had to make, and I dressed um uh the the character Mario. Okay, and the kids were so excited, so they were so happy, and and and that interaction over there when I started like uh interacting with the kids, yes. Yeah, playing with the kids, and and that interaction like gave me the final push, and then I said, you know what, I want to be a teacher.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Okay, and I stayed. So you you were studying microbiology for for how many for a couple of semesters or for years? It was like uh two or three years, two or three years of microbiology. Yeah, well, and then and suddenly it you the the I guess the the microbiology and uh your career aspirations, you say you were struggling maybe to find um uh your your own voice, your own niche of what what you wanted to study. And I think I think I think we've all been there. Whereas we start studying one thing and in the trajectory along the way, we didn't we change lanes. Absolutely. That happened to me maybe twice. And uh I'm not ashamed to say it. It happens to all of us where where uh you know these students go in and they want to be a doctor, lawyer, or whatever the career may be, and find out that uh every class really fine-tunes you and directs you to the correct path. So when you're you're somebody recommended for you to be in education. Now, this activity with the kids was uh was that a like a party, was that a uh a school event?

SPEAKER_01 3:51

No, it was like a uh like a homework in one of those classes that we were taking.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Okay, and you showed up as as a the character mode, the character.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

So you had a costume on, yeah, okay, yeah, and the kids were so excited, and Luke's Mario, and I saw that it was like I'm I'm I don't have yet the privilege of being a father, but it felt like my kids, uh you know, like yeah, it's like a weird sensation, like I need the like the the feeling that I have to protect them, I have to take care of them, like yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Well, absolutely so there was an immediate connection and something intrinsically said, Yeah, this is this is my passion, this is what I want to do. Now, you had taken uh uh biology for two to three years, and so how long did it take for you to graduate? You changed your major to education? Yeah, oh you had to do, yeah. On your third year, you changed your major to education.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

It took me, I mean, in general, and including those wasted years of biology. No, they weren't wasted. Oh, yeah, fundamental. Exactly, yeah. The knowledge is still here. Yes, like I I say like a long time, it's a long time, like seven years maybe.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

So you got your master's? Did you end up with the bachelor's or your master's?

SPEAKER_01 5:09

No, the the the bachelor in in education, bachelor in education. I have those credits of biology, but they are like they're floating.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Okay, for probably the the the next step, maybe the next chapter of your life.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

Yeah, probably someday I decide to do something else, and I I still have those credits there.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Yeah, sometimes when I when I think about uh the classes in in uh algebra and all these advanced math and stuff like that, a lot of a lot of it's kind of like use it or lose it, you know. So a lot of those things, um uh, you know, my my son shows me his math homework, and back in the day he would say, you know, dad, can you help me? And it was like Chinese to me. You know, I would try and I say, hey, can you give me an example? It's not that I I I I just don't remember right there on the spot.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

So uh time, time.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Absolutely. So I hope that microbiology uh knowledge is still with you. And so once once you graduated uh the the your um bachelor's in education, what is the next chapter? What happened after that?

SPEAKER_01 6:13

Well, after that, um well, I took my practice in the school um Martín Diego Delgado in Arecivo.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

In Arecivo. Yeah, yeah. And if you don't know where Arecivo is, that's kind of the northern part of the island, almost almost to the middle of the island. Uh so yeah. It's a big town. It's a big town, it's got a it's got a beautiful beach, by the way. You know, uh La La Bosa del Obispo.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

La Poza de la Poe.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

La Bosa de la Volto, and I and I know if you go to Puerto Rico, you probably want to go to one of those beaches, but go ahead, continue.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Um, well, um the later of that, I was two years unemployed, and then um I got hired by the government in Kamuy. I entered in the uh the COVID was already a thing. Yes, and I was working in the Department of Health of the Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, so you were in the in the in the uh people that were giving uh the the brochures, the information about COVID. Was COVID in 2018 or was it 2019?

SPEAKER_01 7:24

No, COVID was 2019, I think, to twenty to twenty twenty twenty, I think.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Okay, so two years, kind of like 2018 and 2019. Yeah, so you were working in the in the healthcare uh division, giving out brochures, information, um maybe the the health the health uh educator of Kamui. The health educator of Kamui.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Yeah, and I was there like for a year, okay, and then I got uh hired like in the um childcare of the town of Kamui. And now it's been five years.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Five years. Five years, five years, this year. So one of the things is that what's so one once you get in, were you what first class? Was it fifth grade when you first started studying, or was it kindergarten?

SPEAKER_01 8:14

My practice my practice was um a third grade. So your practice was a third grade, yeah. And then I work in uh in before oh before entering into the government. I work one year and a half uh doing uh fifth grades.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

Fifth grade. Fifth grades. That's a different spectrum, right? You have little kids and then you have fifth grades. I I think there's a a little bit more challenge there, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:39

No, different worlds, different worlds, different worlds, right? Right now, um my students are babies. Okay, literally babies, because uh it's to one year, six months until three.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

So from six months all the way to three.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Okay, because I remember me being in fifth grade, and back in the day in Puerto Rico when you didn't have uh a teacher that was absent, it's not like here in the United States where you we have substitute teachers, it's a controlled environment. Uh you can't you cannot skip class, right? Whereas back in the day, you know, we had if two teachers were missing, you had almost two hours. And some of the kids they they jumped the fence and went to the beach, you know, others went to the stores and stuff like that. So I know how probably how complicated it can be for a teacher uh to uh teach that subject matter. Not saying that every student is is bad, I'm just saying it was uh definitely um different times uh back in the day. Yeah. So when you were teaching uh the fifth graders, did you feel that that was your your audience? That you you uh felt that this this is what you wanted to do at that level, or did you want to inspire higher or lower?

SPEAKER_01 9:56

You know, I I felt comfortable with those ones, but um I got the like the hench that I wanted something more like like something different. And when I had this opportunity now, I was like, what am I giving classes to babies? Like I I I I'm not prepared for that. And I mean I wasn't back then. Um but I had to take like a certification called C D A. C D A. Yeah, what is child child development um I don't remember the A. Okay. But that's that's for for um taking um cool courses for to teach the kids.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

To teach the little kids. To teach the little kids, yeah. Obviously, because it's it's a different specialization. Exactly. Uh so it's it's more honed in, it's a different tool sets, different skill sets, and so forth. Here we see the um the I would say the diversity, right? You have to not only as a teacher being able to teach uh older kids in the fifth grade, maybe that's like eight or nine years old, maybe fifth grade. Yeah. Uh more so.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Ten, like ten, nine nine to ten.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Nine to ten, more or less. So, and then teaching uh little kids. I would figure that teaching smaller students would would test a little bit more of your patience. Yeah, do you have to be calmer, more attentive? Uh, because obviously they they can injure themselves, maybe. Oh, they they're they're too curious about picking up um toys or you know, hopefully not no scissors or anything like that.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

They don't know the dangers. They don't know the dangers. They don't they can have scissors or or um spiky things, no sharp things, sharp off things. No, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

So how what is it what is a typical day in in in classrooms look for you? Well, uh I enter at 7 30. Yeah, 7 30 a.m. Yeah, and if you guys don't know, in Puerto Rico, 7 30 a.m. feels like almost noon. It's it starts to get humid and very hot.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Yeah. 100%. 100%. Yeah, um at 8 uh is the um they start going to the um the breakfast? Yeah, the breakfast. Okay. They're going to get the breakfast and then they come back to the to the classroom and we enter uh the assemble. The assemble is like the the class of the day. Yes. Uh every day I practice them, the colors, the um numbers, letters. That's that's like every day. I also teach them um um signs of things, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Uh uh signs? Sign language?

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Yeah, really? Yeah, I took a course for that. Okay, and but I I only practice the colors, the colors, right? And the numbers.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Alright, so I'm gonna test the how do you say uh the color blue? Blue. This is blue, blue, all right, red, red, yellow, yellow. Oh, I like this one. I like this one. I won't forget that one. Green, green, orange, orange, purple, purple, pink. This is fun. We can do this throughout the whole podcast, you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Yeah, brown and black.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Brown and black. Oh, that's amazing. Yeah, yeah. Do they do they pick up quickly on that?

SPEAKER_01 13:34

No, no, no, not really not not that much, but I okay. I have I have um kids that only only one girl learned all of them. All of them. And she's not with me right now, but I told her mother and she was so proud. I can't believe she. Yeah. Sometimes parents, um, not all of them, right? But they limit their children. And they but in my classroom, I let them be free to and so they can unlock all the potential that they can give.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Oh, that's outstanding. So how how is a a I guess a toddler graded? How what what's the curriculum? Let's say a one one-year-old, two-year-old, how are they uh, how do you know they're making advancements and graded so far? Is that is that a uh a scale, a sort?

SPEAKER_01 14:29

No, but we're we're not like a school per se. Like we are more than uh uh uh a care, a child care. Okay, child care. Yeah, but we um have this we have a curriculum, but it's like um to help them in their development.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Um in their language, um, their their motricity. Yeah. And their so their motor skills, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Motor skills, their speech, yeah, uh, their interrelation, social, emotional. Yeah. Also, you must get a lot of uh child tantrums. Do you have you so what what happens when when you have that one kid that just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or maybe he's cranky, hungry, well thank god uh has some anxieties, uh separation anxiety from their parents.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

You get it all. I mean the key here is treating them with love. Okay, yeah. Uh there are kids that maybe in their house they don't get um the love. They you know um in our school, right, in in my classroom, I have um excellent um partners. I have three assistants. Each of them excellent in their in I don't have nothing bad to say about them. They are very good, very responsible, and they help me a lot with the kids. You know, I we make thank God we make a good team. And I think that's the base of everything. Like being having that click, that bond.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

Yes, yes, absolutely. And so you you have kids that potentially um maybe throughout your history uh come from uh homes that uh have maybe some absent father, absent mother, maybe problems, uh marital problems, financial issues, uh perhaps malnutrition, uh, and all these very sensitive topics, and then they bring their child to this child care center, and you have to work with those uh uh toddlers, uh one-year-olds, two-year-olds individually, and ensure that once they leave your facility, your child care center, that they have all the social motor skills, emotional intelligence, uh, some sort of direction. And I feel that what he's doing as well is uh empowerment. Uh, you're empowerment, empowering the the kids, and potentially they may not be able to fully articulate what they're trying to convey, maybe like appreciation, thank you, whatnot, but by their behavior, by their progress, you can tell that uh they're making an effort and that they are appreciative. Now, do you also dress up for them? Yeah, now you say you started out as a Zvario. How often do you guys uh I do, I do you do? I do, I say all right. Give me some characters you dressed up for.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

Um, I have I just give me three guys. Uh you probably have 20. I do.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

You do I do have like 20 or more. Okay. Um well they like superheroes. I sometimes dress like Captain America, Superman, Spider-Man. There's this character that they love, and I didn't know about him until I got there. His name is Blimpy. Blimpy, what is that? Bleepy. It's like a it's like a character that he um does like uh educative stuff.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Educative, educative, yep.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

Yeah. And Woody, the cowboy of Toy Story, and I have so much. I have a lot of them.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Yeah. So uh what are their favorite? What what is one or two of their favorites?

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Um bleepy. I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

I'm trying I'm trying to envision it.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

This is like a guy with a blue shirt and uh rib, uh like a bow tie orange.

SPEAKER_00 18:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Like a hat orange and blue. Okay. And glasses orange.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

So that is that frequent throughout the year or or just special special events?

SPEAKER_01 18:32

No, I yeah, well, mostly birthdays. When they when it's their birthdays, I talk to their parents, hey, let's do let's do a birthday, it's uh birthday party for the for the kid, and they okay, let's do it. And I dressed and we celebrate their part their birthday, and sometimes when I have to go to to other to schools, like they asked me to go to like um right now in the in the town of Camui, they are running like an activity called called Olympiadas Municipales.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

Um Olympic something something like that.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Um I I have to go and like uh share them and I dress like superhero.

SPEAKER_00 19:18

Nice. So you take your you take your class to these events, yeah. And okay, dressed up as a character. Oh man, that sounds like fun. Maybe I'm in the wrong profession. So what what are what is the one of the biggest differences between teaching uh kindergarten or toddlers, maybe first, second graders, and teaching uh fifth graders? Oh, I have to say the the Did you say the curriculum would be more uh formalized? I I guess one when when do you start going into the grading system, like A, B, C, uh, grading system? No, right now, right now we I I'm I'm not in that on that right. Well, in fifth grade you have a grading system. Uh obviously you have you know Yeah, so you get you get uh graded.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

When yeah, when I work in in that fifth grade, it was a program, uh a federal program called teen teaching.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

And I was working with another another teacher, and I was like uh I was the second teacher of the classroom, but the other teacher was like the the the first one, the other weird, the the like the one charge of the class. I was like the helper teacher.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

Okay and uh assistant teacher. Exactly. Okay, assistant teacher.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Yeah. And if another teacher like um got absent and I substitute teacher, yeah. But I didn't have the opportunity in in that manner of of of working with the grades.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

That was the other teacher that had that part of the so what what would you think is the if you if you were to have like this one critical necessary skill for a teacher that you must have to be in an environment with such small kids? What is what is one skill that as a leader that you must have in order to be a have an effective classroom?

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Oh um patience.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

The patience and and being I think I think every I think every parent is is gonna agree with you. Yeah. Patience.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Patience and and but two, you have to uh comprehend them. You have to be like um have empathy.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

But um I think patience, giving them love, treating them with um respect, don't be like harsh to them because you don't know how they're having it on the home on the home, right? Like I always try to teach to treat them with make them feel like good like in the in the classrooms. You enter my classroom, you're gonna have fun, you're gonna play, you're gonna have love, you're gonna be taken care of, you're gonna eat.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

Oh wow, it's amazing. So how do you handle your students who are learning at a very different levels? I mean, so you have a taller six of six months, obviously, that's practically that's 110% of attention, patience, whatnot, versus a student that is two years old. So how how do you handle those those students in the same classroom? Do you have uh separate classroom for separate student age age levels or you mean like kids with special needs? Yes. Special needs or or just age groups. You have a six months and then you have uh a three-year-old.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:54

So what how do you handle those skills uh skill levels?

SPEAKER_01 22:57

Well, in the special need area, we um provide them uh like this test called ASQ.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

ASQ, what does that stand for?

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Um those um tests are for for measuring their development in all the areas. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

Like um so it's a it's a complete profile of the the child.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Complete profile of the exactly okay and uh um social, emotional, their motricity, yes, their communication and language, their individual development, their social like every area, sure. We we measure it on that on that test.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

So you may have kids maybe two, three years old, uh, that you can probably see that they're more some are more outgoing and some are more introverts, maybe dependent on family issues or whatnot. Um, but so that's how you would grade them. Do you see people uh students excelling more in one area than the other? Yeah. Such as such as what?

SPEAKER_01 24:07

I most of the time, like I don't know if it is for the age, but I refer them most for the communication and language. Because um eight out of maybe no, six out of ten, I I refer them by to get um therapies of communication and language because they don't talk. At that age, they struggle to talk. And I like to ref refer them for that so they can have this um opportunity to develop that faster. Yes. And most of the parents agree with me on this. Like they're always like, oh please give me the the I want I wanted to give him therapies for for I want him to speak fast, and I do.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

So it it it takes time, yeah. It takes time to develop that.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

When they except for example, um today one kid entered my classroom, what he's one month in adaptation. That that um phase we like study his condo, we uh uh uh see what he does does in the classroom. We study like it's like a study study studying the kid. After that uh phase, then we apply those tests uh ASQ and if the kid gets in the black area, I have to refer him.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Okay. Yeah. So how long do you wait before you refer them refer them? You know, you don't wait till the end of the of the No, that's immediately. That's immediately okay. I you have to immediately report to to you report to the superintendent, to the to the leader of the of the prince, the director of the of the center.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

Yeah, the director, and then I I um call his parents and I make a reunion and we talk about it, and the rest is up to them.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

Okay. So what has been your most uh challenging uh experience in these four to five years of teaching? And how how have you been able to to overcome this this as a as a teacher, as a leader?

SPEAKER_01 26:30

Well I have to say that those kids that um enter with um especially needs like autism and parents that don't want to accept that and I mean I I have I have one case that um you can see you can see that the kid from you see it and you know. Yes, you see and you know, but her uh the mother was like in denial she didn't want to accept it and we I had to re uh make a reunion with a social worker. Yes. And then she she said that when he goes to when he I get to to trip, yes, that she will do the the uh the necessary to to main to go to a psychology to go to a psychologist.

SPEAKER_00 27:33

Yeah yes. So is there is there um a capacity limit for children with special needs or autism in the classroom? Can you have yeah, can you have three? What's what's the maximum uh students because they they require uh uh uh more uh attention?

SPEAKER_01 27:50

That changes all the time, but I think right now it changes all the time. Yeah, but uh, I think right now it's two or or one or two.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

One or two.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:58

Okay. So you know the the complications out not the complications, I would say the challenges for uh for any teacher uh to be able to give um autistic children the the the due attention, uh the care, the learning, the empathy, the sympathy, uh that uh the love, right? Because there's a there's a a tactical uh you know part of it, you know, the the embracing of these children. So they I think you know they know that you can uh that their approach with love and they can sense that the the they can sense where you're approaching with love, with care, and they're more uh opened, I guess, with to to dialogue or to uh to no, I won't I won't say obey, but to cooperate or potentially with the the the instructions that you give them exactly in order in order to learn and so forth. So there's one, two, three max per class or per per center? No, per per class. Per class. And how many classes are there in that center?

SPEAKER_01 29:06

We are five right now.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

Five classes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:08

Two two um two kinders, uh two maternals and one um babies.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

Okay, that's that's that's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 29:22

Yeah. My I respect the ones that are with the babies because that that's hard.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

That that that's gotta be hard. So how do how do you manage uh a classroom behavior in a positive way? Because I uh like like anything else, there are many, many, many good days, but then there are there are those days in between energy energy or um perhaps tantrums or or whatnot of how how do you when how do you manage that?

SPEAKER_01 29:58

I always remember in university I had this um professor called Senovia Torres, and she always she always I I have her I have her in my mind always because she was um she practiced the Montessori the Maria Montessori method that is children learn by playing. And in my classroom, that's that's the way to go. You you enter, you're gonna play, don't um be free, release that energy, and when we go to the to the to the yard, the backyard, they love that. Oh wow. And they start running and they go to the and they the little hill, whatnot, and the and the on the little bikes, and I I see them and they look so happy. And sometimes when they are like like in the tantrum, yeah, I take them to the little park, and they release.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

Yeah, and they and then they're like calm and that's amazing. That's amazing. So how many recesses do they have during the day? Is it two? One in the morning, one in the afternoon? Um to the two. Two. So one in the morning, one in the one in the morning and one in the afternoon. So it's from the you get there at 7 30, perhaps the class starts at 8 and ends at 3, maybe, or what's what what's your schedule?

SPEAKER_01 31:26

Parents can uh after the after the the the last food that it's uh it's at 2. And from 2 15 they can go come and and get and get them. Okay. They have until 4. Until 4 o'clock to get them.

SPEAKER_00 31:45

And then you get to take them home if they don't come. Is that it? No, I'm not gonna be able to do that. No, if they if they don't come, I have to call the department. You know what I think is when when I was picking up my my kids when they were small uh to the to the elementary school, you know, you you know, if you were late, right, and you have that one teacher, two teachers outside waiting on that carpool, right? And uh you know that all the cars are gone, you know, and that's the only teacher there waiting in line with your child, you know, that you don't get the best looks. I have to ask, you know.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

If something happens, it happened to me once, it was 4 30 almost, and the parent didn't appear.

SPEAKER_00 32:26

Did not come at all.

SPEAKER_01 32:27

And we were about to call like uh social services, okay, and suddenly she appeared and she was crying, and she said that she fell asleep and she woke up.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

Most likely it's traffic because the traffic in in Puerto Rico is uh very severe. Yeah, okay. Can can you share a um a funny or heartwarming moment uh from your classroom? Something funny that I know what's that little kid you would tell me once that rolled his eyes. Oh, what's his name? Uh that's right now.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

That's that's happening right now. It's called his name is Jerem Heremia.

SPEAKER_00 33:04

Jeremias, Jeremiah. So Jeremiah's parents. Shout out, Jeremiah. Shout out. Uh, this is a funny story. It's it's a heartwarming story, but uh it's something that's very peculiar of Jeremiah. And that's uh we will share that with us because I thought it was hilarious.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

The first the first day, we were he was he was eating, and then he tried uh a fry, uh and when he bites, yeah, he just rolls his eyes. Yeah, he went like this, he closed his eyes, and I was like, Jeremiah, and he he didn't open his eyes, and he runs with his with his eyes closed, yeah. And if he does something wrong and I have to say, what are you doing? He goes and he he does the same thing always.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 33:51

There was this yeah, but there was this kid that it's not funny, but it made funny now, it made me cry me cry like emotional okay because he had he had uh uh he still have it, autism. And he didn't say nothing, he was he was like always quiet in his world, and like a month uh before leaving, he started like talking little by little, he started singing with me, the songs, and his last day I'm gonna cry his last day, his last day when he was he was leaving, he looked at me and he said Dios te bendiga, God bless you, God bless you, and I was like he just said that okay, he never said that all throughout the year, never that he started talking like a month. Oh wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:49

So he started talking a month before he graduated or before he left.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Before he goes to the other classroom classroom, that's the other class.

SPEAKER_00 34:57

And before he left, he God bless you. I did cry. You did cry? Oh yeah, I did cry. I think I would have too. I mean, I would have gotten very emotional. Noah Noah, yeah. Alright, so Noah's parents, what a what a wonderful blessing that he touched your heart.

SPEAKER_01 35:12

I I saw him like uh a couple of weeks ago in uh in an event of the the Olympia, I told him. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And he was looking at me and he's like bigger now, he's like bigger now. That was about three years. Three years ago. And he said to me, I remember you. Oh wow, yeah, and I was like, Yeah, and was dressed, I was dressed like Captain America. Oh, yeah, who am I?

SPEAKER_00 35:39

So you had another uniform, yeah, another costume, costume.

SPEAKER_01 35:42

Yeah, and I was like, Yeah, who am I? And you say, You're Carlos.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Oh wow, amazing, amazing. The Paris game, and yeah, it was uh well that you see how how beautiful this this uh experience was for uh for Carlos because you know you never know the the lives that you touch. I in the in the professional realm I've had several jobs, right? Different companies, and the way we interact with our co-workers, with our superiors, the way you interact with uh, you know, just your peers in general. Sometimes you think you're not making an impact, but I have I have many uh stories, uh many messages, uh maybe testimonies that we meet people four or five years later, and they all they remember a specific time where we had a conversation, or I gave them advice, whether it be professional, uh personal advice, uh whether it be on leadership or on a task that they were working on. And it's amazing that the things that sometimes we think or we take for granted, uh, you know, this kid, Noah, remember your kindness, remember your attentiveness toward him, and the fact that uh he would say, God bless you and remember you after after so many years. So many years. Wow, that's that's a beautiful experience to always to always share. Uh have you ever had a student who really impact you in a certain way? And uh what what happened other than Noah? What is is is there a particular it could be students, yeah plural? Yeah, there's one.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

Uh my first year. Your first year as a teacher in the classroom. Uh I did like a click with her. She was it was so like how can I put it in words? I I f I felt like she was my daughter. Like I protected her. She she like Mega Stephen said, be careful, be careful.

SPEAKER_00 37:45

Okay, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:46

Yeah, like um how old was she? She was she was um when she arrived, yes, she was one and eight. Okay. One year and eight months.

SPEAKER_00 37:56

Eight months. One one year, eight months, okay.

SPEAKER_01 37:58

Yeah, and she she stayed with me for a year and four months that after that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:04

Wow, that's you know, that's um, you know, that that age group, I I think I would be a little bit too nervous because you know, they're more prone to scratches, to falls.

SPEAKER_01 38:14

Yeah, I always tell I always I I always tell their parents that yeah, that their b their babies, their age, they're going to interact with each other that accidents can happen. Sure. And they always understand like they're not good kids. Sure, sure. I'm not going to let them like sit in the chair like all day without doing nothing.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

I don't know. I if I I would maybe put some uh elbow pads, some knee pads, they would have a helmet, the whole football gear, uh you know, wrap them up in bubble wrap or or something, shrink wrap them. You know, it's it's not abuse. I'm just trying to take care of your kids so you know they they're the the same when they came in, and so when they clock out or leave the rest of the day.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

So that's what uh what's what I was about to say about her is that one day when she was leaving the classroom, I always tell my assistants, like, uh I I I always wanted to be a father, but but I don't and I don't I haven't got the opportunity yet. And one day she was leaving the classroom and she said, Bye daddy.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

And I was like, Oh that touched you, huh? Yeah. Well, you know, perhaps, you know, sometimes like like you said, if they come from um I don't want to use the word dysfunctional, uh, but if they come from from uh a household that has certain problems, relational problems, marital problems, uh, and they they sense that, they see that, then um, you know, they they they really they really cling to you. They they really embrace you and all that. So maybe they're seeing something in you that they're not seeing at home. For you know, again, I'm not saying that's always the case or it is the case, but there are cases. But but there are cases where uh it can happen.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

Yeah, and and and I've seen it. Like right in the in the middle of the of the of the time when they're in my classroom, parents come united, and then in that uh time they get separated, and I can see the change of conduct in the in the kids. Yeah, you can see you can see that that affects affects.

SPEAKER_00 40:26

Oh absolutely has to it has to affect you know uh whether it be single parenting or whatnot. I used to work at uh a company. There were some single mothers in this company, and they had small kids, and the the the sheer logistics of dropping off their kids uh at the school, the sheer logistics of having to ensure that they had eaten during the day because some of them had had problems, uh the logistics of you know leaving work early to pick them up, or the grandparents, or something like that, where they normally don't have a a person uh with them 100% of the time. So they're there are different family members that care for that child during the day. And uh fortunately they have a teacher who uh cares for them, you know, and you they spend at least in your classroom uh seven to eight hours with you, uh, and you give them that attention, give them that uh that empathy and sympathy. So I can see how that uh that girl said bye, bye daddy, right? All right, I'm I'm I'm pretty sure you felt uh heartwarmed. Uh what it what advice, you know, you started in microbiology, right? Many years, and I I can see that because you know uh you look you can look like a microbiologist. I can see that. You know, you got the the whole persona. Um so what advice will you give someone because for you it was a transition. Once you graduated, you had some time off, you were you had an interview, then COVID hit uh 2018 to 2020, uh you had some some involvement, uh giving uh the director of uh giving pamphlets and education and instruction, uh then you were hired as as an educator, and someone wants to to work in this field of education, uh uh specifically uh working with kids, uh specifically working with the special needs kids, people uh not only autism, but other special needs, other uh handicaps perhaps. Uh, what would you advise them that you know they want to enter this career? What would you advise them to to have a an excellent and a successful career in this educational realm?

SPEAKER_01 42:48

Well, I think the base, I think the most important thing is that you have to love what you do. And you have to know that what you want is that like teaching the kids, uh having uh love for the kids, having patience, um like preparing yourself with um um getting uh like every every um how do you say taller?

SPEAKER_00 43:21

So every event, um, yeah, every uh conference, every little yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:28

Yeah, okay. Conference that um uh with it's a taller, it's uh workshop.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

Every workshop, yes, okay. Oh, you see how we we uh switched the language there. We were not saying anything bad. So he gave me a word in Spanish, and he's like, How do you say this word in English? And I never said it. It took me it took it took me a moment. Uh yeah. A taller is uh it's a workshop, you know. So every workshop, every activity, it took a lot of workshops. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 44:00

And uh um the environment, the the uh the pros prosperity and and all that.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

Uh but yeah you do do you travel around the island uh with the students or do you have like field days? No field days? No. Oh that's a bummer. No, uh that's a bummer.

SPEAKER_01 44:25

Yeah, the program doesn't allow us.

SPEAKER_00 44:27

Okay, okay, because you you you probably uh leave one behind. I don't know. Hopefully not. No, I'm not I'm not giving any teacher any any ideas. All I'm saying is that you know I don't want to attempt, but you know, when I was in, I I lived in Puerto Rico, and uh, but you know, when I got there, I was probably in the fifth and sixth grade. So I came from Boston, Massachusetts, to to the island of Puerto Rico, probably 10 years old, maybe 11. And uh I remember field days. Uh they took us to uh well right there was the caverns of Camui, the the expansion, the caverns, la cavernas, uh also the the cave, la cueva of Camui. And so we they took it to to to to a different uh I guess uh national parks, whatnot, but they they weren't too far away, but I would say maybe an hour away.

SPEAKER_01 45:14

Yeah, mostly the the mostly the the the department uh allows them to to have like uh to travel and all that stuff, but uh my program is uh call a cool and that's like uh the uh the department of uh family that's okay. Social services.

SPEAKER_00 45:36

Yeah, okay, so they're uh they're on a budget. I'm not I'm not saying that. Well that that's that's amazing. Well hopefully, hopefully in the in the near future they they have some uh m a little bit more diverse programs where well you're saying that since the students feel that they can uh release the energy during recess time, right? Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, that potentially being in that you know the older the older kids and you know of course uh you know three, four years old, um are able to to get some fresh air, uh especially on a tropical island, maybe see see the beach or the sand or or maybe like a nursery.

SPEAKER_01 46:16

Yeah, right right now we're we are we are planning like it's it will be the first time I see some there. Uh the last day of of of this semester, taking them to water park in Keoradías? Okay, water park. Yeah, that's like another in Okay, yes. That's fun. Yeah, we're planning that, so let's see if if are you gonna dress up?

SPEAKER_00 46:34

Do you always dress up?

SPEAKER_01 46:36

No, no, no, not always. Okay, for for that, for those events, no.

SPEAKER_00 46:40

No, no. I know because it's super hot with a with a costume on, and especially in Puerto Rico.

SPEAKER_01 46:45

Yeah, I'm probably gonna be in in the water area.

SPEAKER_00 46:49

So what is what is the future, uh, you as an educator? Uh do you feel that this is uh somewhat your comfort zone, your calling per se, or do you aspire to maybe teach um elementary, uh middle school, high school?

SPEAKER_01 47:03

Well, right now, right now I I feel good when you feel very good where you're at. I don't see myself like in a high school or or teaching like those um ages.

SPEAKER_00 47:15

Right now I feel good in this this uh initial developmental stage of of these students, uh of future leaders and whatnot. So what one of the things that uh I admire about the Carlos is uh his his willingness uh to to really embrace his career, uh always speaking positive about the the students, and I know he has some ups and downs days, and we had some conversations uh in in in the past where it can be challenging, you know, not not only uh for the students but also for the teachers. Um you have assistants, uh uh assistant teachers, one or two? Three. Oh my god, three assistant teachers. Can you imagine that? You have a full class full of students, then you have well you need if you have tall toddlers, you definitely need uh assistant teachers. But just that just that dynamic to work in synergy, in unison, uh, you know, in harmony, so to speak, is uh it can it can get a little friction sometimes, but uh navigating through that shows uh amazing leadership skills that not everyone has the the patience, the know-how, not everybody has the the background education through these workshops in order to uh excel in that position. So I want to commend you on on this career. I mean, five years, and and he's a young teacher, a young educator. So how about another 20, 30 years? Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 48:51

That sounds amazing.

SPEAKER_00 48:52

That sounds oh that that's the kind of attitude that we want. So once again, he he kept saying throughout this uh throughout this podcast that you must love what you do. And that's that's not only true for the educational realm, that's true for every career, uh, whether it be in medicine and engineering, uh, whether you be in in in a specific field, you have to love what you do. So that's that's that's amazing. So now you have other events coming up for the summer, uh for the the the fall, uh with these kids. Do you dress them up in any shape or form?

SPEAKER_01 49:30

Yeah, yeah, and right now in the I'm in the next week. I'm Puerto Rico again. And we are planning like uh Easter Day. Yes. And I'm going to dress like uh like the Easter bunny. Okay. Oh my god. Yeah, they love that.

SPEAKER_00 49:48

Now, Carlos is he is a tall individual. Okay, so just this is gonna be the tallest Easter bunny that I have seen. You gotta send me a photo of that. I really to the tallest Mario and stuff like that. Uh, if I take it back to like Sesame Street, he reminds me of Big Bird. You know, the yellow, you know, the yellow big bird the yellow bird. Well, you know, you take Ernie and Big Bird, uh you know, Big Bird was was much taller. So every time he dresses up and he sends a photo, he looks humongous compared to these little kids, right? Because he's tall to begin with, and then you add your shoes, your height, and then everything else. If you have a mask and stuff like that, Batman, Superman, Mario. I mean, your costumes are very diverse. So I just want to say thank you for all that that you do. And uh, what is the name of the the school that you're in right now in Puerto Rico?

SPEAKER_01 50:40

I work in Centro Misueño.

SPEAKER_00 50:42

Centro Misueño. So it's the center of my dream, but this is Centro Misueño. And if people want to find out more information about that, do they have a uh a website?

SPEAKER_01 50:52

Um yeah, I I can give you the number.

SPEAKER_00 50:56

Sure. No, what we'll do is we'll add that to the bio. Okay, to the comment section and to the bio of the podcast. So if people are interested, and if you're in that area and you're looking for a school uh for your children uh that have uh special needs or need a little bit more tender, loving care and more attention, centro mi sueño in Camui, Puerto Rico.

SPEAKER_01 51:20

Puente Sarsa.

SPEAKER_00 51:21

Puente Sarsa. Now you know Puerto Rico, they gotta have uh long names for a lot of things. So I learned that quick. So uh, so thank you so much for this interview for this podcast. Thank you for the opportunity. This this has shown a lot of uh leadership building skills for those individuals from microbiology to education, the patience, the resilience, uh the the academic skills, the grading, uh, and and these students have now amazing uh memories to have for the years to come. So this has been Daniel Badijo Forge by Design. It's such a privilege once again to share with you, and I will see you on the next episode. Please tune in, it's gonna be amazing.