Building Inclusive Classrooms & Communities
While Teresa Valverde ’22 gained valuable experience and enjoyed her seven-year career in the U.S. Navy, her passion remained working with young children.
After traveling the world on several deployments, Teresa Valverde made the decision to leave the military, complete her bachelor’s degree, and begin the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Towson University. “Of all my travels, I loved the culture, the food, the people, and the countryside of Japan,” says Valverde, who volunteered at a preschool and daycare center there.
Last fall, Valverde launched her career as a kindergarten teacher at a Baltimore County school that is celebrating its inaugural year. “I’m excited to do something great and make a difference, beginning with the very first class at Rossville Elementary School,” says Valverde.
She cites the faculty as one of the greatest strengths of the TU program. “Faculty shaped the content in every course to reflect diversity and promote an inclusive environment, which is exactly what we want to create in the classroom and for the greater community.”
“ I’m excited to do something great and make a difference, beginning with the very first class at Rossville Elementary School. ”
Born in Peru, Valverde “was the little girl who was never represented in the classroom or even in a picture book.” She moved to the United States with her family when she was kindergarten age. “I went from a predominately Spanish-speaking school in New York to a school in Rhode Island where no one understood me, and I could not speak English,” says Valverde, whose learn-by-doing experiences would contribute to her future successes.
Before she begins thinking of management positions, Valverde has other plans. “I could see myself getting an ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification to be a resource for all students of ESOL populations,” says Valverde. “Life has a way of coming full circle.”