My Story
MY HISTORY Hi. My name is Liz Ureno and I am the Palm Springs High School AVID teacher. I am from La Verne, CA and just recently moved to Palm Springs. I went to school at the University of Redlands and received a Bachelor's in History. Shortly afterwards, I received my Single Subject credential in Social Studies and a Master's degree in Education from the University of La Verne.This is my first year teaching, but I have worked as a long-term substitute teacher for AVID and an AVID tutor, so I have valuable experience in the AVID organization.
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WHY I TEACH AVIDI knew that I wanted to be a teacher in my Junior year of high school, but couldn't quite put my finger on why. A few years into college, I found my answer. I wanted to be able to give students the tools and skills so that they could find their passions. I also wanted to help them find what they loved to do and why, just like teachers did in my past.
AVID is an organization that gives invaluable advice, help, and instruction to the student both in and outside the school environment. The AVID organization uses great methods that aids students to find their passions and I am there to help them guide through that journey . |
MY GOALSPSHS AVID is a small, but growing organization. It is my goal to grow the program even further and create a strong, dynamic, and influential organization so that students see the AVID elective as an integral part of their lives.
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Thoughts On Being An AVID Teacher
My long term goals for my students have been to integrate more academic and professional vocabulary into their everyday conversations. This is something that we practice everyday. Using academic vocabulary allows the students to explain their thought processes and points of confusion much more thoroughly, which is a skill that they will need for their education and in the real world. This is a consistent practice that we engage in, so it has been a strength of my classroom.
“It’s obvious, AVID Rocks! Keep up the great work!”- Douglas Sexton, Reflective Coach at Palm Springs High School.
My professional goal is to make the PSHS AVID program as strong as possible, and provide as many opportunities for the students as I can to ensure success. This will require effort and engagement from myself, the students, counselors, AVID teachers, and administration. All of these groups have open communication with each other so we are well on our way of making progress with this goal!
My professional goal is to make the PSHS AVID program as strong as possible, and provide as many opportunities for the students as I can to ensure success. This will require effort and engagement from myself, the students, counselors, AVID teachers, and administration. All of these groups have open communication with each other so we are well on our way of making progress with this goal!
As an AVID teacher, I teach AVID students throughout the four years of high school, so a positive relationship is essential! Steps I take to ensure that I have close and positive relationships with my students is that I make sure that I take time to ask them questions about their school work, personal life, and the growth that they see in themselves. I also am open and honest about many parts of my life, because I want to make the students feel trusted and valued.
I stay passionate about students, teaching and learning by fostering environments for positive self-talk and self-reflections. Reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses are essential to create personal growth. This is a skill that I make sure to use in almost every lesson, because it is a real-world skill that will benefit the students.
Teaching is difficult, but when you allow yourself to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, then capitalize on the strengths and improve the weaknesses, teaching becomes much more enjoyable and easier to manage! That is the biggest lesson I have learned so far as a teacher, and now I am learning something new and am making improvements every day!