Ethnic studies teacher Gloria Quintero was recently welcomed onto SCHS campus. With a deep commitment to education, she hopes to share her passion and warmth with students and colleagues.
Before joining SCHS, Quintero spent six years teaching social science at Escuela Popular, a dual-language charter school in East San Jose, an experience that has helped shape her approach to teaching.
“The school, their founder, her name was Sylvia Reganin back at Escuela Popular. She met Paulo Freire and developed a methodology for liberation,” Quintero said.
Quintero showed her admiration for Reganin’s beliefs, agreeing that students learn best when lessons reflect their lives.
“Her idea was that students learn by seeing themselves reflected in curriculum, through dialogue, through sharing their experiences and having curriculum that’s relevant to their lives and active. That’s something I always try,” Quintero said.
Quintero’s drive to educate and empower students is also rooted in her family’s own history. Both of her parents, who worked in agricultural fields, had limited access to formal education and were forced to take alternative routes to learning. Quintero learned to see education not just as a requirement but as a tool for creating change within communities.
“They both attended night school. They both valued seeking education as a way out of poverty and the difficult work they had to do,” Quintero said. “They instilled a deep value for education, and that’s what was ingrained in me.”
Quintero recalled a powerful moment from her time at Escuela Popular when she took her students to San Francisco State University to participate in a class project. Looking back, she called it one of the highlights of her teaching career and a reminder of the meaningful impacts she made.
“We participated in a class at San Francisco State where they created a story arc of their lives, and then we shared it with graduate students,” Quintero said. “They were so appreciative of being within the walls of a university classroom. They were inspired and hopeful to pursue post-secondary education. One of my students, because of that, registered for college when she wasn’t originally applying to.”
With her blend of personal experience, educational expertise and genuine care for her students, Quintero looks forward to continuing to build strong relationships and contribute to the school’s diverse and inclusive learning environment.
“(The) youth here, they’re truly kind, insightful and very competent learners. It really inspires me with hope for the future because the environment at Santa Clara is kind,” Quintero said. “Really, I’m in admiration of the school climate of Santa Clara and the students that I work with.”