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Can you tell us about yourself? 

Erica Moreno. And I am a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Coleman Elementary in Cleburne, Texas. And I have been at Coleman for three years. 

Why did you start a career in education?

I started a career in education because I just really liked working with kids. And I liked being a positive role model in some students' lives that sometimes didn't have that. I

If you could have any other job what would it be and why?

If I could have any other job, the only other job I could think that I would want to do is work for an airline because I really love traveling.

How are kids different now than 30 years ago?

Kids are different now from 30 years ago because there's a lot of technology available now to kids at home and in the classroom that was not even available 30 years ago anywhere. So kids are definitely a lot different now than 30 years ago. 

How is teaching different now than 30 years ago?

I would also say that teaching is a lot different from 30 years ago because there are a lot more resources than we can use that we can pull into the classroom, um, videos and things, um, games that we can have them play interactive things that the whole class plays. So that the technology part has changed teaching as well. 

What would you tell someone who wants to become a teacher?

If someone was gonna come, or if someone was thinking about becoming a teacher, now, what I would tell them is that it's a lot of hard work. But in the end, it's, it's worth it. When you see that student, um, get something that you've been working hard to try to get them to, to understand, and they finally get it. It's like, wow, that, that feels good. And so it's great to be a part of a student's life in that way. 

What would you change to help kids learn better?

What is one thing I've changed to help kids learn better? If I could change one thing, I would probably change the class sizes just so that there would be a lot more opportunities for one-on-one work with students. Um, because that would, that that really makes a difference. And so if I could change anything, I would just make smaller class sizes.