Congratulations to our first Teacher of the Month in the new year, Mr. Frank Lara! Mr. Lara, or Maestro Frank, as he is known to his students, is a fourth-grade teacher at Buena Vista Horace Mann School, a bilingual K-8 school in the Mission.
Maestro Frank has consistently shown his commitment to helping allof his students achieve, regardless of background or previous educational experiences. An activist and an educator, Maestro Frank teaches his fourth graders not only how to read and write critically, but also how to take pride in their identities and communities.
Frank’s commitment to students is no secret within the BVHM community. His students describe him as “ really nice,” “helpful,” and always willing to “give hugs to people.” He consistently creates lesson plans that challenge and support his students. For example, as one teacher notes, “students know their reading goals and are grouped so that they can make growth to achieve grade-level proficiency.”
Finally, Maestro Frank’s commitment to social justice and activism inspires his students to see themselves as valuable members of their communities. As one colleague noted, Frank cultivates a sense of pride in his students, and “this self-confidence is a direct result of Frank’s own sense of limitless possibilities.” Because BVHM is a bilingual school, Maestro Frank is skilled at purposefully “weaving the two languages together throughout the day” in a way that encourages his students to see their multilingualism as asset, not weakness. Maestro Frank instills a sense of respect in and commitment to self, community, and culture within his students, and in doing so he demonstrates how educators can have huge impacts outside of the classroom. Bravo, Maestro!
Read more about our Teacher of the Month program.