At Colorado’s Greeley West High School, there are dozens of teens fresh from a Central 或南美国家. Dozens of first-time English learners, often not even proficient in the language of their home country. And dozens of kids newly enthusiastic about learning, thanks to a young, energetic teacher named Caleb Flores.
The Milken Family Foundation is enthusiastic, too. 今年它授予16岁的弗洛雷斯， M.A. ’21, one of its $25,000 Milken Educator 奖, the only one awarded to a teacher 在科罗拉多州. This national teacher recognition program empowers recipients to “celebrate, elevate and activate” the K-12 profession.
At a school where almost 20% of the student body speak no English or have only limited proficiency, Flores teaches English language arts, reading and culturally and linguistically 多样(CLD)材料. 除此之外.
“Mr. Flores’ class has been a great help when learning a new language. 他的方式 teaches classes is not only creative but also fun. 没有比……更好的办法了 用有意义的社交方式学习.”
—Karen Vicente Vicente, 11th grader, Greeley West High School
是什么造就了一个好老师? 凯伦和她的同学知道了. 弗洛雷斯向 it: “Someone who can inspire students day after day to be better, who is excited to see diversity as an asset and be a champion for equity and access, who sees each child 在他们所有的承诺中.”
他符合他自己的描述吗? Before deciding, consider the story of young “José.”
Four years ago this fall, José was an incoming ninth grader. 他害羞、孤僻 在危地马拉从未上过学. After arriving in Greeley — where he was staying with a cousin’s family, working and sending a little money back to his family in Guatemala -他的成绩很差. Flores encountered José every day in two classes.
Soon came a family meeting at school — in Spanish. “我们没有看到最好的习惯. 我们能做些什么??弗洛雷斯问. And to José, with his aunt, uncle and cousin standing behind him, he 说, “You have unlimited potential.”
“In class, I set the expectation that they can’t fail.”
迦勒弗洛
With the family’s blessing, José soon quit his job and focused on school with the confidence of someone who feels strong, supportive arms around his shoulders. “当 students are aware of a target and know what they’re being asked to achieve, they 应付自如，”弗洛雷斯说.
These days, José chats with Flores all the time — but in English only. 毕业后 this spring with a proud family behind him, José has his sights set on community college.
“Caleb is a wonderful example of a bilingual, multicultural teacher who embraces that willingness to pay it forward and go well beyond the classroom in dedication,” says 博士说. Aldo Romero, director of UNC-based Cumbres (or “summits”) Teacher Preparation Program, which is a co-curricular scholarship and support service program for education/CLD 专业. This spring, Romero asked Flores to give up part of a Saturday to speak at 康伯斯的毕业招待会. “Sí，我很乐意!他的回答是.
As part of the curriculum, Cumbres assigns CLD students as mentors to six Denver-area 学区. These mentors meet one on one with Greeley high schoolers under Flores’ supervision, which “helps offer a safe haven to be themselves and vent,” he 说. In turn, his language development classroom becomes almost a second homeroom, where Flores learns each student’s backstory — who doesn’t have laundry facilities at home, where that cut on an arm came from, who needs a winter coat.
“The more I get to know my students personally, the better they work and learn,” Flores 说. “That’s part of what has inspired me to become a trusted adult, and that’s what 让一切都值得.”
Recognizing the pressures on these teens — his grandparents immigrated from Mexico, and his parents struggled in school — Flores makes sure to celebrate milestones. 他的 team puts together an awards night with speakers and refreshments. 它不仅尊重 seniors but all CLD students who have stood out as leaders. “这是一场爆炸 每年都举办，”弗洛雷斯说.
There are holiday parties and interdisciplinary projects that capture students’ interest. Each May, a mini graduation ceremony from Level 1 English rewards kids with a certificate 和照片. “Good for the soul,” the Milken awardee pronounces all this. “这让 我们都觉得很有成就感.”
给n his passion for and excellence in teaching, it may come as a surprise that Flores didn’t always see himself teaching high school. 做生意是他最初的计划. 一个 imagines Flores’ parents and grandparents gathering around behind him much as José’s family has, pulling for him, seeing their own goals in his future.
“They are the reason I got into this profession,” he reflects, citing his “intrinsic motivation” in aiding newcomers to the United States. “教育是一个很好的均衡器. I’ve seen it change the trajectory of lives in my own family.”
今天, social media often tells teens that education isn’t valuable, laments Flores. “We tell and try to show them that education gives people a great chance to reach the goals they want for themselves, to get them to their best potential.”
