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It didn’t take long for Yanet Paloma to earn the hearts and minds of her first and second grade students at Bob Hope Elementary School.

On a recent morning Paloma was working on math with the students but they were really looking forward to their science lesson, she said.

On Thursday Paloma was named Teacher of the Month, sponsored by Philpott Motors. The honor comes with a $500 gift card and puts Paloma in the running for Teacher of the Year, which is awarded in December and comes with a $1,000 gift card.

Elizabeth Hernandez, campus director, said Paloma is new to Bob Hope School but not new to the field of education.

Some incoming teachers may find it difficult to adjust to the Montessori part of the program and if they lack the Montessori experience then it can be a true challenge.

“However, Ms. Paloma, she got in there and it was like everything was just natural to her,” Hernandez said. “She got in there, the kids love her, and you can see that she’s just passionate about what she does.”
Paloma has seven years experience as an educator.

Bob Hope school is a 50/50 (English/Spanish) dual language program school that teaches using the Montessori method.

With this method, 99 percent of the time classroom instructions are hands-on.

“It gives students a different opportunity to have different learning styles in the classroom,” Hernandez said.

The students may see the cubes and manipulatives and think they are toys but they are learning, she added.

Even though they are a charter school they must also follow the standards of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, which are the state standards in education.

Ever child is an individual, Hernandez said, and each child has an individualized plan for education.

For Paloma, teaching is a rewarding experience. She calls working with children “amazing.”

“I love to work with the young kids because they have a lot to learn,” Paloma said, adding that she takes care of them. “They are safe in my classroom and I can teach them all of the rules of the classroom to be better at the end of the day.

The students learn their classwork in Spanish from Paloma and switch to a different teacher the next day for curriculum in English. Some of her students are native Spanish speaking and others are native English speaking.

Learning a second language is a skill that can help students when they grow up to possibly find better jobs, translate for their families when visiting other countries or even when shopping, she said.
Being in the classroom and working with the student is a pleasant experience and she sees her students almost like a sponge, absorbing the knowledge.

Bob Hope school also teaches Mandarin Chinese to its students.