Teacher of the Month Rachel Baucom, East San Jose ES

Posted December 18, 2017, 5:00 PM. Updated January 28, 2020, 1:36 PM.

Pepsi and the APS Education Foundation recognize some of our outstanding teachers.

Rachel Baucom is the Pepsi/APS Education Foundation’s Teacher of the Month for December. Pepsi and the APS Education Foundation have partnered for the past eight years to recognize a few of the district’s outstanding teachers for their contributions to the classroom, school, and community. In their second year, Flying Star Café is recognizing our teachers by donating a gift card.

The Foundation randomly selects one APS school each month, and that school’s principal or staff chooses a teacher to be honored. The teacher receives a $100 check from Pepsi, a $50 gift card from Flying Star Café and acknowledgment on the APS website, Facebook page and electronic billboards.

They receive a small token of appreciation but represent the many outstanding teachers in Albuquerque Public Schools.

Meet Rachel Baucom:

Transcript

[Music] One of the reasons whyRachel Baucom deserves you know to be acknowledged is because of her, just her passion for teaching you know, not just teaching in general but you know she exemplifies what dual language should look like in teaching. I've always wanted to be a teacher when I was five years old we used to play a game with rocks on the steps and you'd hide rocks behind your back and if you guessed right you got to go to the next grade and if you didn't guessed right you had to go back down a grade, I've always wanted to be a teacher there's nothing else I want to do I love teaching. She inspires anybody, me as an instructional coach I'm in the classroom all the time, classrooms all the time and you just enjoy being there I'm not I'm not the student by enjoy fully you know being you know learning from her expertise. I guess I don't care if they remember me because it's not about me what I care about is can they read did they stay in school are they moving forward in their life in a way that is satisfactory to them both personally and economically because education isn't just about economics it ought to also be about personal satisfaction you're doing a job you love you have hobbies that interest you you're reading books you like or I guess now you're reading more on your Kindle or something else, so I think I want my students to grow up and have a life that is not frustrating, a life that is a life, that they can earn the money they need to earn, they can access our society. [Music]