“Daring to Do Things Differently”
Increasing Teacher Confidence & Motivation in Yucatán
In 2022, TeachUNITED partnered with the Yucatán government’s education department to address the increasing inequity caused by the pandemic in rural communities. After a successful pilot, government officials requested state-wide implementation of our program to improve educational quality and to support the adoption of national policy. Together, we are working to increase the supply of effective teachers to improve learning outcomes for 400,000+ students.
TeachUNITED recently interviewed a couple of participants one year into the training program to learn more about its early impact on instructional coaches, teachers, students, and the community at large.
“TeachUNITED affects teachers in the most positive way possible. When we were presented with the opportunity to be part of this training, it opened up a different perspective for us. We started to remember why we decided to become teachers.”
– Karina Esquivel, Pedagogy Advisor
Yucatán Secretary of Education, Mexico
After receiving on-the-job coaching through TeachUNITED, teacher Cotty Trujillo has seen improvements in her students after applying topics like growth mindset, engagement, data-driven instruction, and personalized learning. She says, “With the activities we carry out and the learning we had in TeachUNITED, it not only helped me as a teacher improve my educational practice but also the students. My children are around four or five years old. The fact that they themselves help each other improve and provide feedback to each other was very significant to me.”
The caregivers of Cotty’s students have even taken notice of their growth, and it’s helped to motivate her further. “The fact that parents noticed this change in preschool children is important. When I implemented TeachUNITED activities, [parents] became aware of the progress they saw in their children. Really, that motivates me to continue researching and implementing.”
Multiplying Program Impact by Training Trainers
Pedagogy Advisor and TeachUNITED participant Karina shares how the program has made her a more effective and engaging teacher coach. She notes: “Personally, TeachUNITED has had an impact on me because it has allowed me to see my advisory role in a new way. Many times, I thought things had to be done the way I had already planned, without allowing myself the opportunity to get to know the teacher I was advising. [Before,] I focused more on identifying their areas for improvement rather than highlighting their strengths. I have [since] seen significant changes in how things are perceived.
Previously, it was like, ‘Here comes the advisor. I want everything to be perfect and the kids to be well-behaved.’ But now, they actually tell me, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’ Now when [teachers] hand me a freshly-printed lesson plan, they know there will be corrections and edits based on the things we are working on. I can see that mentality that they have already transformed. It shows us that we’re on the right path. They seem more motivated. They feel more interested.”
Karina shares the challenges of upskilling teachers within traditional teacher training programs: “Many times, the Technical Council [principal training] meetings were somewhat tedious or tiring for the principals, because they receive training that they then have to pass on to their teaching teams.”
TeachUNITED’s long-term, customized programming is different. “What change have I seen? At our training sessions, principals are now more interested, more motivated. It’s like they’re now looking forward to what we’re going to present to them, how we’re going to present it to them. Unlike in other times where we only read, share, and present, now, it has been easier, more meaningful. Because [as we model it], they build that knowledge. Now they gather, they move around. I feel that part has had a positive impact,” says Karina.
Developing a Growth Mindset that Boosts Teacher Retention
“I won’t say it’s been easy,” Karina continues. “When you want to introduce something new, there’s this feeling like ‘What if it fails? What if I can’t do it?’ But right now, there really are no obstacles. On the contrary, [principals] are eager to know what we are going to present to them now for them to take to their schools.”
In Latin America, over 90% of TeachUNITED teachers reported improved teaching practices and the ability to engage previously unmotivated students. After participating in TU’s training, this increase in skills and confidence decreased the number of teachers planning to leave the classroom by 36% — critical in a region lacking 3.2 million teachers.
Preschool teacher Cotty has also increased her confidence in implementing new techniques:
“Well, I think the main change is daring to do things differently.”
She goes on to share that “Personalized learning, for example, was something that made me a little fearful due to the children’s age. I thought, ‘Will my classroom be chaotic?’ However, it worked! I think it’s very significant that children can now identify what they can achieve and how they can improve – not only based on what the educator tells them, but also from feedback and observations of their peers. I think this is very significant: the fact that children can reflect on their own process from an early age can help develop critical thinking that will serve them throughout their lives.”
TeachUNITED is greatly inspired by the hardworking advisors, principals, and teachers that drive impact for students every day, and we’re honored to help keep these great educators in the classroom.
“I believe that the TeachUNITED program helps us reconnect with our calling. It’s something that truly motivates us to go back to our origins, to remember what inspired us to teach.”
– Cotty Trujillo, Teacher & Tutor, Yucatán Secretary of Education, Mexico