I'm about to start my 5th year of teaching at McKinley. I take a photo every year on the first day of school of myself and my students to see how much we change from the first to the last day!
My name is Bethany Gonzales and I was originally born in Visalia, CA but grew up in Bakersfield. Although I am going in to my 7th year of teaching, I have worked for BCSD since I graduated high school in 2008. I have been an aide in RSP, Autism, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing classes. I have received an AA in American Sign Language, BA in Liberal Studies, and a MA in Curriculum and Instruction.
I grew up with a very strong single mom who went on to become a teacher herself when I was in elementary school. I am very close to my family and enjoy spending time with them. Although I am an only child, I am very close with my cousins and extended family members.
My cousin Jeremy who I was raised with
My grandad, mom, and myself
I take pride in being a teacher and treating all of my students with respect. I am not one to ever raise my voice, but I do hold very high expectations of my students. They are capable of so much, even if they don't know it yet. I've been told by many students that "Ms. Gonzales is nice, but she don't play." I use loads of technology in class and teach my students skills they can use to build a 21 st century career.
I model my teaching style after my Tío Raymond who went on to be Kern County's first Latino assemblyman, earn a doctorate in Chicano Studies and pioneer the program at CSUB, become a BCSD board member ,and always do what was right and best for the people.
