KENNEWICK, Wash.- Adriana Chavez is a resource room teacher at Southridge High School. She was awarded January’s Classroom Makeover from WaFd Bank.
Mrs. Chavez was nominated by her husband who said “I wish I would have had a teacher like her growing up. She ensures that her kids feel wanted and loved and makes a difference in their lives.”
Mrs. Chavez is teaching three classes this year. One of which is a personal and social responsibility class, working on emotional and social skills. “We work a lot on our emotions,” said Mrs. Chavez. “How to talk to each other, how to talk to adults, how to get along and how to not react in the moment.”
Most of her lesson plans are focused on social emotional learning with a focus on preparing students for the future. “As kids, it’s hard to do that and so I feel like teaching them how to do that before they step into the real world is important,” said Mrs. Chavez
As a resource room teacher, Mrs. Chavez works to incentivize students by setting up a classroom store. “They earn tickets every single day,” said Mrs. Chavez. “Any sort of positive thing that they’re doing, they’re earning a ticket.”
The store is stocked with treats like Dr. Pepper and Takis to encourage and motivate students. Mrs. Chavez said her check from WaFd Bank will go towards refilling the supply.
WaFd Bank believes in keeping our community strong through supporting students and teachers. Each month, WaFd and NonStop Local will choose a teacher from nominations by the community and present a check to their classroom. You can nominate a deserving teacher here.
