Ms. Yajaira Morales teaches Spanish 2 and 3. She is most often found with a huge smile on her face as she helps students navigate their pors y paras. Her students love her not only for the many food-based projects in class, but for the energy and attention she pours into each student.   

The Lancer: When you were a student in high school and college, what was your experience like?

Ms. Yajaira Morales: Busy. I was involved in dance. That took up a lot of time.
I did the musicals. I was part of the orchestra. I was president of the French club and the Spanish club. 
I was in a program called Puente, which is kind of like HCA, for first-gen students. I remember doing volunteer service when I could, and just trying to always stay involved.
I was a very busy student. I was sleeping really late, like all of you. I was going to bed at 11, 12, or 1, depending on my homework load and the responsibilities I had for all these clubs I was a part of. I was busy, but it was a lot of fun. That’s where I met most of my friends and the people that I considered family at the time. 

TL: What led you to become a teacher? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do, or more of a gradual realization?

YM: I think what led me to want to be a teacher was an experience I had when I was volunteering at a local YMCA. I was in charge of tutoring the preschoolers, and I really liked doing the coloring activities and thinking of activities to help them with letter recognition or patterns. I was like, maybe this is something I could do full time. I thought of teaching as a profession I could do, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do until I got to college. Once I got to college, I had really great relationships with my professors, and I did some internships where I got to help students learn, and sometimes even, like, older adults learn something; it really sparked my desire to want this to be my vocation.


TL: What makes Saint Francis special to you as an educator, and how do you think that reflects in students’ experiences?

YM: I think what makes Saint
Francis special to me as an educator is the students here. They are some of the kindest, most heartwarming, hardworking students I’ve worked with, and I’ve worked at a lot of different schools. This is one of the places where I feel that students are super involved in everything that they are passionate about, and it makes it really fun to work with people who are busy doing things that they like. 
It ranges from people being involved in athletics, to the arts, to service, to crazy entrepreneurs on campus. Like, sometimes it feels like you’re working with future bosses. To me, you’re all really special.

TL: What is the most rewarding and most taxing part of your job?

YM: Rewarding is seeing you guys understand a concept. When your eyes light up, or you’re like, “yes!” There’s a happy, joyful moment when you understand something. I think the most taxing thing that any teacher would probably agree with is grading. Nobody likes that. It is so boring. Sometimes it’s not fun, because you see the challenges that students are having. You’re like, okay, I have to reteach this, or we gotta cover this again, or, how are they not getting this? I think that can be taxing, and it’s also really hard because of how quickly people want their grades updated. So you’ll get, like, a stack of 100 midterms you have to grade, and everyone expects you to have it done quickly, which I get.

TL: Do you have a grading ritual? 

YM: Ever since becoming a mom, it’s been a hard boundary to only grade at school, and I grade so fast. I work and grade my butt off here. 


TL: What is your teaching philosophy and how do you exemplify it in the classroom?

YM: I think my teaching philosophy stems from one of my professors at Santa Clara University who, during my teaching Master’s degree, taught us that students are going to remember how you made them feel, not what you taught them. So, I think that’s at the heart of everything I do. 
I try to treat every student with respect and love, and a lot of kindness, because I feel that then you can build trust, and then you build a relationship with the student, and then you actually can help them. They might not remember what the preterite and imperfect are, but they will definitely remember how you made them feel. And I can tell you I don’t recall a lot of the things I learned in high school, but I can tell you exactly how each professor and teacher made me feel. 


TL: What do you like to do outside of the classroom?

YM: I’m a dancer, so I love to dance. 
I am on a dance team called Audaz—it’s a ladies-only team, and we do salsa and bachata. A lot of my time is spent on that or mom duties. 
Just being there for both of my young boys and ensuring that they have a happy childhood. 

TL: What is your best piece of advice for students?

YM: My best piece of advice for students is to try new things, to ask questions, and to have fun along the way. High school goes by way too fast.

TL: Now we have some lightning-round questions. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

YM: I would like to make food instantly. 
Like, I would think about it, and then I would make food for all these people, including myself.

TL: What is your favorite food to cook?

YM: My specialty is Mexican food, and I think my favorite that I like to see people eat is enchiladas. 

TL: What is your favorite word in Spanish?

YM: I really like the word amor, which is love. 

TL: What is your favorite time of year?

YM: Fall for sure. I was born in the fall. 

TL: If you had a day with no responsibilities, how would you spend it?

YM: If you asked my husband, he would say I would be doing nothing. I always say that. But actually, I would probably be reading a book. And then I would be listening to music, drinking some coffee, eating some delicious pan. 
I love pan. Oh my gosh. I’d be hanging out with my kids. 
I really like just seeing them be young and little and free.

Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.