CRISTINA RIOS – THE BRAIN BEHIND WHALE DAY
BY VAL SCHOGER PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICK COOPER
A teaching highlight for young students and soon-to-be teachers
A group of children aged 5 to 12 years enters the classroom at West Bay Elementary School. In an instant, their eyes go wide. Never have they seen the classroom like this. Large displays are propped up and whales in all shapes and sizes adorn the room – it’s Whale Day, and that means that a group of young aspiring teachers led by their professor, Cristina Rios, has been preparing a fun-filled day for this particular group of elementary school kids. Not all children at West Bay Elementary get to participate, only a small selection. They are the group of kids who do not speak English as their first language. Several of the children have just recently moved to Bay County with their parents from different countries around the world. The initial difficulties of joining a new school, making new friends, and learning a new language, can be a challenge.
Whale Day happens each year at a different Bay County school, and, at the end of each Whale Day, Cristina Rios’ elementary education students will have gained valuable classroom experience in teaching children about the different whale species, whale conservation, the environment, different languages and, most importantly, they will have taught the children not to be afraid to be different. “It is the classroom teacher who sets the environment for acceptance,” says Cristina Rios. “You don’t have to love everybody, but you should respect and honor them. The classroom should be an island of safety.”
Cristina Rios is a professor for elementary education at FSU’s Panama City Campus. She has trained more than 800 teachers during her 15-year career at FSU. Two of her courses will provide soon-to-be teachers with an ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages) endorsement. “I wanted to develop a teaching highlight for the ongoing young teachers that would also be beneficial to the community. I started developing the idea for Whale Day in 2007. It enables us to teach English language learners in a unique and engaging way and make them feel comfortable in the classroom. They might often feel as outsiders during their regular classes, as some have just started to learn English.” She explains that Bay County has an inclusion model that places all students, regardless of their English language proficiency, in the same classroom. This is why meaningful teacher training in ESOL is so crucial.
“We try to teach each Elementary Education student not only how to become a good teacher in content but how to make sure that every single child feels that their culture has a place in the classroom. Once they feel that connection with the teacher, because they honor who they are, there is more motivation and less behavioral problems. We want the children to be proud of their uniqueness.”
and Amber Torres, Cristina Rios, and front right, Alexandra Hall.
Cristina Rios has gained much experience in teaching English language learners. “Patience is needed and teaching should come from the heart,” she explains. “In my early teaching career, I taught at St. Kevin’s and St. Brendan’s Catholic schools in Miami, Florida. In one of my classes I had 38 students who spoke eight different languages. I worked with the students. I had to be creative with my teaching methods and establish a close rapport with the parents. There was so much success with that particular class the principal asked me to continue teaching this group of kids into their next academic year.”
Cristina Rios speaks three languages fluently and is very passionate about learning and teaching. She is a Cuban born native who grew up in Puerto Rico with Spanish as her mother tongue.
At age 17 she moved to the United States to attend Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia where she majored in French, studied English and then spent one year at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. The time spent in Europe helped her understand all the challenges of being in a foreign country, but she remembers that she never felt at a disadvantage. “I appreciate every opportunity to learn. I did not get upset if I said something wrong, and I would encourage everyone to correct me so that I could learn. It upsets me if people with an accent are being judged, and it is assumed that they are less intelligent.”
She remembers in 2003 the media started reporting about immigration topics frequently, and all of it was negative. “I was tired of seeing only negative news about immigrants. There is another side to immigration. I know that I always felt excited and thankful about being an American citizen but not at the expense of forgetting my cultural roots. I wanted to know and follow the rules, and I wanted to integrate. It starts with speaking the same language.
Cristina Rios states there are between 6,000 and 7,000 languages spoken worldwide. She estimated that currently in the Bay County school district, there are between 35 and 40 different languages spoken. There are around 500 ESOL students in Bay County. “A classroom should be fun and a sense of humor keeps me healthy. I want to learn, I want to be a good human being, and I don’t think I am better than anybody else,” she reflects. “My students can’t say my classes are boring. For one of the ESOL courses, I will show up to the class dressed up as Napoleon Bonaparte, a sight that is certain to be remembered by the students. Napoleon conquered almost all of Europe but he was also a short man with a very thick Corsican accent. I want my students to know every time they hear someone with an accent, this person can do just as good a job as everyone else.”
Cristina’s excitement and passion for her students are deeply rooted. “My mother was a Spanish teacher and very passionate about social studies. My grandfather was a physician and a poet and, like my son Alejandro (lead guitarist and vocalist of local band Jam Therapy), he was very creative. My mother always encouraged me to be creative. I believe if you have passion in your life, then that nurtures generosity. When a teacher brings passion-driven teaching into the classroom, it can multiply and make a difference in so many people’s lives.“
[author image=”https://www.panamacityliving.com/media/2013/08/Val.jpg” ]Val studied communications and marketing in Germany and holds a marketing degree. She had a corporate career and has worked for nine years in media, PR and marketing internationally in Germany, England, the Caribbean and the United States. During an extended sailboat cruise n 2003, she traveled to the Gulf Coast and subsequently to Navarre, Florida and was immediately smitten with Northwest Florida. She started her first business in 2004 in Fort Walton Beach and as of July 2013, she became the sole owner and publisher of Panama City Living Magazine. She obtained her Merchant Mariner Credential (Captain’s License) right here in Panama City at SeaSchool and enjoys being on the water when she finds the time. [/author]