Each month, The Mighty Hawk Messenger profiles a Lucas staff member to help our community get to know him or her better. This month, we talked to fifth grade teacher Fatima Razo.
The Mighty Hawk Messenger: What is your role at Lucas, and what did you do before joining us here?
Ms. Razo: I am one of the fifth grade teachers here at Lucas. I just graduated from the University of Iowa in December so I was a full time college student before this. Last semester I student taught at Mann Elementary in a fourth grade classroom.
The Mighty Hawk Messenger: Where did you grow up? Did you always know you wanted to be a teacher, or was that a later decision?
Ms. Razo: I was born in Utah but grew up in Davenport, Iowa. In high school I wanted to be a physical therapist until I realized I had to take so many science courses to do so. I knew I wanted to be a teacher going into college but my parents did not support my decision. I was an open major until the end of my sophomore year when I finally declared my major.
The Mighty Hawk Messenger: You’re in an unusual position, stepping into a classroom mid-year. What have been some of challenges and surprises about taking on this job?
Ms. Razo: Coming in mid-year has been more challenging than I expected. At the start of a school year, the teacher goes over the expectations and routines with the class. In this case though, those were already in place. It was a challenge trying to keep some routines the same for the students’ sake (especially with all the changes they went through) and also trying to implement new ideas that I had for my classroom. I see Mr. Ryan as a great experienced teacher that probably did an awesome job in the classroom so it was also challenging having to remind myself that I couldn’t compare myself to him and that it was okay to struggle especially with this being my first teaching job. I was surprised though by how fast the students warmed up to me. I thought students would compare me to Mr. Ryan but that has not been the case at all.
The Mighty Hawk Messenger: In a world with no financial or practical limitations, where would you take your class for a Spring Break field trip? Why?
Ms. Razo: If I could, I would take my class to my family’s hometown in Mexico. Both my parents are from Mexico and that’s where my grandparents live so we visit often. I would really love to show students more about my culture and have them experience that. I would want to show them not only all the differences in food, environment, music, etc. but also have them see the similarities. I think if I could take my classes it would be such a fun time!
The Mighty Hawk Messenger: What are your real-life Spring Break plans?
Ms. Razo: Unfortunately, I will not be going anywhere fun this year for spring break. I am looking forward though to lounging around, catching up on work, and binge watching shows on both Hulu and Netflix. I also am currently reading Hidden by Helen Frost so I’m hoping to finish that book during spring break.
The Mighty Hawk Messenger: What is something Lucas families might be surprised to learn about you?
Ms. Razo: I don’t know if many know about this (besides my classes) but Spanish is my first language. I didn’t learn English until halfway through kindergarten. I used to have horrible anxiety as a kid because I had to translate everything for my parents from insurance bills, to talking to workers at the stores. Having to translate so much though really helped me with both languages and now I feel comfortable being able to translate anything from Spanish to English and vice versa.
