Ruben G. Perez
I have learned and experienced so much since I began my career in 1988. Below are the highlights as well as an in-depth summary of my experiences.
Career Highlights
- Academic classroom teacher – elementary and middle school
- Performing Arts Teacher – elementary school
- District Administrator focused on closing the achievement gap, new teacher retention, and working with minority students. I was an advisor to over 50 school campuses and supervised after school dance clubs (while getting students to take and retake college entrance exams).
- Board member for Interethnic Forum on Race Relations, involving over 80 local high schools
- Facilitated professional development (K – 12) and developed presentations for students on the importance of education.
- Consultant for aha! Process Inc. since 2003
- Director of an after school tutoring program in a section 8 apartment complex.
- Authored a video designed to help monolingual Spanish speaking parents better understand the transition of moving to the United States. Video highlights include culture-specific reasons to learn or improve English language skills, the differences between school systems, attendance policies and laws and cultural issues with the potential to cause miscommunication or misunderstanding.
- Behavioral specialist working directly with students and families and assisting staff and administrators with reading and interpreting behavioral data. Originated and monitored behavioral contracts and assisted with home visits.
My Experience in Depth
I taught academics at the elementary level and later performing arts. I was asked to join a team whose mission it was to work with middle school students identified as struggling to test out of English Language Learners (ELL) classes. Together, we designed a curriculum to help infuse active learning and stimulate a desire to learn and function more effortlessly in English.
As a district administrator, I worked in a department that focused on closing the achievement gap of students from a variety of economic and cultural backgrounds. Our work included direct contact with students, teachers, and school administrators to help campuses develop a better understanding of student needs and strategies for improvement including the building of better relationships. Each member of our team served as directors of off-campus tutoring sites where we provided extra academic support for students in low-income neighborhoods.
I served as a board member for the Interethnic Forum on Race Relations. Together we organized an annual summit on race relations bringing together students from over 80 surrounding high schools for a guided experience in courageous conversations.
I facilitated professional development on many topics, including understanding the effects of poverty, working with at risk students, understanding gender differences, working with minority students, working/communicating with non-English speaking parents, and classroom management. Special topics can be customized upon request.
In 2003 I joined aha! Process Inc. as an educational consultant. Among other projects, I authored the script to a video entitled Welcome to US Schools: A guide for Spanish speaking parents. The video is designed to aid parents in the transition from one culture to another. The video highlights cultural and academic differences that are often the sources of conflict and confusion. One of the talking points stresses that by learning the English language, parents are better able to advocate for their children and preserve their position of authority in the household.
As a behavioral specialist, I worked specifically with students who struggled both socially and academically. I became well acquainted with the issues that made students feel disenfranchised from school and sometimes their own community. We worked diligently to improve our approach with students who were predisposed to tantrums and apathy.
