Rachel's very first professional teaching position was as the single teacher in a brand new Community Day School for the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. When we interviewed her for the position, Rachel said, "This is my dream job!" How could we turn down someone who felt like that?
Rachel began with no students at the beginning of the 2007 – 2008 school year. After a couple of weeks, her first student arrived. And, over the course of that first year, we gradually built up the class to 11 students. Rachel took on an assignment in a program new to our District, and many procedures were created without any model to follow. Our school is now in its second year, and we have added another teacher and have 17 students.
Rachel's holistic approach to teaching emphasizes creating a classroom community. She works diligently to build student self-esteem and positive relationships with each other. One of Rachel's passions is to provide her students with very motivating and interesting learning activities. She regularly incorporates kinesthetic and creative activities in her lessons, and her students are very enthusiastic about learning.
Rachel is absolutely committed to making her Quest Academy students successful. She has the best interests of her students in mind at all times. In June, 2008, we proudly promoted six eighth graders to high school. At our promotion ceremonies, Rachel spoke very positively about every student. As I sat there listening to what she said, I thought about how these students may never have heard such positive things about themselves. Her comments about her students were so tender and so sincere that a box of tissues had to be passed up and down the aisles of the audience.
But, the best way to tell you what Rachel has done for her students is to say it in the words of one of her eighth grade girls who spoke as the representative of her class at the promotion ceremony. She said:
"When I came to this school, I was nervous because this was my last chance. If I screwed up, then I might go to the court school. I was like very quiet most of the time because I missed most of my friends at my old school, but I got over it. Later on, I got my grades up a lot. Life got easier because Mrs. Guera helped me. She showed me how to be responsible and be successful in high school. She taught me stuff that I never knew about like math, language arts, and all that stuff and I want to thank her for that because if I had not come to Quest Academy I would not have graduated. So, thanks for everything."