Meet the Bilingual Pre-K Teacher Honoring Her Grandmother's Legacy

Ahead of the 2024 school year, PS's The Educators is spotlighting 24 public school teachers around the country who are making a difference.

Teresa Mendoza is a bilingual pre-K teacher at De Chaumes Elementary School in Houston entering her 10th year of teaching. While she initially studied to become an educational diagnostician — an expert in learning disabilities — she fell in love with working with kids after being placed in a pre-K classroom. She shares her teaching tips, classroom decor, and more on TikTok. Keep reading to get to know her.

What inspired you to be a teacher?
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. However, my grandmother is a big inspiration. She was an educator in a small town in Mexico. When she had a daughter with Down syndrome, she quickly realized there weren't many resources or programs for children with disabilities. She advocated in her small town and fought until programs were created.

What's the most rewarding part of your job?
I love taking a step back and observing my students be fully engaged, seeing how my classroom can run on its own. Each year, students grow; however, in pre-K, that growth is immense. The same students who walk in not being able to hold a pencil correctly are the same students who are walking out being independent writers.

What's your go-to teaching uniform?
I'm definitely a T-shirt and jeans type of teacher. Little chairs and sitting on the carpet all day requires a comfortable outfit.

What are you watching?
"Grey's Anatomy" for like the fifth time. I consider it my medical background to handle all the nosebleeds and paper cuts in the classroom.

What's your fitness routine?
Joining a CrossFit gym was the best decision for me. After long days of making decisions and being in charge of little ones, it's nice to turn my brain off and just work out. I don't have to try and figure out what to do each day. I'm able to show up after work and do the Workout of the Day surrounded by a supportive community.

Yerin Kim is the features editor at PS, where she helps shape the vision for special features and packages across the network. A graduate of Syracuse University's Newhouse School, she has over five years of experience in the pop culture and women's lifestyle spaces. She's passionate about spreading cultural sensitivity through the lenses of lifestyle, entertainment, and style.