TAFE Regional Conference Coming Up

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T.A.F.E. Competitions COMING UP!

 

T.A.F.E. Club members are having a Regional’s Competition coming up on November 16th, and they are getting ready for it.

 

“The Region 1 Regional Conference is an opportunity for students to show their talents as future educators, and also to collaborate with their peers around the region,” says Vanessa Brown, sponsor of the T.A.F.E. Club. 

 

The Regional Conference will be holding a talent show, in which at least one student from every school has to join. Carter already has two juniors who are planning on representing their school by singing a duo. 

 

“This competition will host schools from Laredo to Brownsville and include awarding a scholarship for the TAFE Student of the year.  Glenda Moreno and Ailyn Lucero of Carter TAFE are nominated for this recognition, ” said Brown. Both Glenda and Ailyn are siked about it.

 

“It feels really good, especially because it’s really nice that Mrs. Brown thought about us,” said Ailyn Lucero. 

 

However, what about their events?

 

On September 28, Saturday, the T.A.F.E. club attended a Leadership Workshop at Vanguard Academy in Pharr,  which consisted of breakout sessions about the competitions and guidelines. They were taught about the dress code, and what the events for the competitions required. Based on what they were told, they began working on their events a week later.

 

“To prepare, students are studying the history of education, as well as their specific topics, such as ethical dilemma, which this year deals with teachers changing grades for athletes. Reading, studying, and planning all come into play as students prepare for their events, but there are opportunities for students to be creative and show their fun side in events like TRAFLES and bulletin board,” Brown adds in.

 

The president of the T.A.F.E. club said, “It’s been very stressful. We’ve been meeting up once every two days to check up on our status, and we pretty much have it all set up. Lots of preparation is needed for these kinds of things, and we only have a month left. I’m hoping we all feel ready by the time the competition gets here.”

Susan S.

As her Mother turned 33, Susan’s mom was stuck celebrating this huge day at the hospital as she had her. Not usual for us Hispanics to celebrate birthdays there, we normally do a huge barbecue-party.. but then and there, that had to do. Her family carried her around like a trophy, noting that she had blue eyes, everyone wanted to see them for themselves. So much for blue eyes, her eyes ended up being green. Four years later, her parents decided they made a mistake having a girl, too complicated to deal with her, she supposes, knowing they couldn't go back in time, they decided to go ahead and have a baby boy. “My two siblings are and have always been my soul, I would do anything for them,” she says. Throughout her “kid days,'' she says, everyday seemed to pass by like a flash, a blur. Before she knew it, she was 5 years old attending Perez Elementary, wishing she could take Bunny God (She used to think God was a white life-size bunny with a big beard) to Show and Tell,  and prove to everyone he exists. Being five brought many revelations to her and her imagination, but especially, separated her from her best friend. Due to the lack of security in the neighborhood, she had to leave. The last memory she had of her engraved in her mind was her holding her mom’s hand while they walked to the office to sign her out. Susan being naive, she still came over to her house to ask for her but no good news. She even tried telling herself she was probably on a long trip, and she fell for it every time, so she kept asking everyday. “How couldn’t I? I sang all my made up songs with her, I did my first cartwheel with her, which at the time was only me crouching and moving my arms to another direction. I had to keep insisting...but… one day I just gave up.” She said. She made new friends, and she moved on. Little did she know that six years later, as she attended Ann Richards Middle School, she would come back. They picked it up where they left off, and they continued being best friends; she became her go-to person as Susan had conflicts.  As Susan entered high school though, she says she could feel all the pieces of advice that her best friend had ever given her about life, fall down on her as she experienced her own teenage moments. She didn’t warn Susan about it, maybe cause she couldn’t, they were going through the same. From being bullied, to heartbreaks, to any other little thing that affected Susan emotionally, she felt it all. Sophomore year, she says, was the year she made a decision. She went through such a mental-turmoil, she couldn’t focus. Until one day… she had to tell herself “They’re just bad days, and if bad exists, that means good does, too. You need to focus on your career path; becoming a teacher. Teach every student what you wish you knew when you were their age. Teach people that there is such thing as ‘teachers who care’ and that’ll be me. Ever since, the days that pass by have been pleasant. Something to hold onto as I continue this journey called Life, especially if I want to be an example to others.”