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Guadalupe Perez, a 24-year-old lifelong resident of Chocowinity has a clear and unwavering vision of what she wants to do – be a teacher of young children and make a difference in their lives.

“Even when I was little, I loved working with kids,” said Perez. “My very first job was at a daycare, where I worked for two years. After graduating from Southside High School, though, I thought I wanted to be a nurse, but that backfired as I soon learned I could not do all of the needles and that sort of stuff. So, that got me refocused on pursuing my dream of working with kids. The younger, the better, and being a teacher.”

Perez attended Pitt Community College, where she studied early childhood education for two years. Upon graduation, she transferred to East Carolina University to pursue her Birth Kindergarten licensure. During her time at ECU, she had the opportunity to do her student teaching at Bath Elementary School, which, as it turned out, set the course for her to come to Eastern Elementary School in Washington. “I had known Ms. Perez for many years,” said Raul Olivares, assistant principal at Eastern. “I was her Sunday School teacher when she was growing up. When we were looking for a new kindergarten teacher, I approached her as I knew she had been doing her internship at Bath Elementary and had graduated from ECU. She truly impressed us when we brought her in for an interview. We could tell right then she was a gem, and we needed her at Eastern.”

As witnessed by her peers and others, she really hit the ground running in 2022. “I wanted to create a welcoming and nurturing environment for the kids,” said Perez. “I wanted them to come to school every day feeling that they are loved and accepted. I set my expectations for them when they are working, but I also try to make it fun. It all has to be engaging, not just sitting there with a paper and pencil and doing their work and being done for the day, so it doesn’t get boring. I make sure to include group activities so they can interact with each other. This allows me to see what they are learning from me. And we always make time for brain breaks,” she said with a huge smile.

This approach has not gone unnoticed by her superiors and peers. “She makes it welcoming and fun, but at the same time challenging for the students,” said Olivares. “We have seen a lot of growth from the students as a result. Just in her first year, she displayed the same skills that you would see in our veteran teachers who have been in the classroom for five or six years. We even brought in folks from other school districts to observe her during her first year. They couldn’t believe she had only been teaching them for four months.”

Perez also brings a skillset to the classroom that is beneficial in so many other ways. Her parents are from Mexico, and her grandmother was also a teacher and shared her stories of how she wanted to make a difference in the lives of her students. She is also an English second language learner and knows how hard that can be not only for the students but their parents as well. “My mom struggled to help me with my homework as she didn’t understand the directions or how to help me,” said Perez. “Now that I’m in the school system, I have a better understanding of what is going on, and I’m able to not only help the students but provide directions to their parents as well. When the students see I can speak both English and Spanish, they think that is so cool and I gain their trust. When parents come in and can’t speak English, I will get called in to help translate. And when we send out newsletters to our parents, I also create one in Spanish for our Hispanic parents.”

“She is our go-to translator on campus,” said Olivares. “She helps to bridge the communication gap and allows the parents to feel more welcome. And being Hispanic and so young and dynamic, our Hispanic students feel an instant connection with her.”

In only her second year on campus, Perez has also taken on leadership roles on the STEM committee and the Climate and Culture committee, along with helping to lead numerous events at the school. “I just love working here and the support that I get,” said Perez. “I feel like this is a big community here, and I’m part of a family. It has been a fun experience, and I strive each year to learn more and apply that knowledge to see how I can do better the next year.”

“She is just phenomenal in the classroom,” said Olivares. “When observing her classroom you don’t want to leave, as she engages you as an adult into her lessons. We are so proud to have her as a member of our staff.”

Eastern Elementary School is home to 520 Pre-K through 1st grade students ages 4-7.