Congratulations to Texas Wesleyan University education alumna, Monica Maldonado, who was nominated this past October as the “VIP Teacher” of the month at Hommel Elementary School.

“I always tell people that my parents have taught me how to be a good person and my Wesleyan professors have taught me how to be a great teacher and together I feel like I got the best of both worlds," Maldonado said. "My Wesleyan professors taught me to look at education in an innovative way - they taught me how I could make learning fun, creative, student centered, and maintain the rigor throughout."

Maldonado completed the 5^th year in Education program at Texas Wesleyan earning her Bachelor’s degree in EC-6 and M.Ed. in Second Language and Culture.

“My masters helped me polish everything I had learned and as an undergraduate and helped me gain a deeper understanding of the world of education," Maldonado said. "I can collaborate in PLC's and incorporate research based ideas and concepts to enrich our lesson design.”

She has been a teacher with Everman ISD since 2014 and is currently a Kindergarten Dual Language teacher.

The 5^th year in Education program at Texas Wesleyan allows students who are EC-6, Liberal Studies, or Secondary Certification to earn their Bachelor’s degree and M.Ed. in 5 years. For more information, please visit the 5^th year in Education information page or call 817-531-4930.