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Guam - Melissa Camacho is an 8th grade reading and language arts teacher at Jose Rios Middle School and what is interesting is that 8th grade is the only grade level that infuses reading and language arts together. According to Camacho, the idea behind it is to prepare students for high school.


Camacho, who has been teaching for five years now, says that it was a middle school teacher who influenced her to want to become an educator. "She's my godmother for confirmation, she teaches band and her Mrs. Carol Flores," she explained. "She was the very first teacher who I had been a student for who showed passion for what she does. Man, if I could do something like that, then I'm doing something right."


She considers herself an interactive teacher utilizing her creativity, thinking outside the box. "I'm very fortunate to have a pernithium board in our classroom. And we have Internet, we have a world of resources at our fingertips, I like to have a lot of discussions and movement and Q&A, so there isn't really a time you see the students sitting down and being quiet."


Camacho, like many other teachers, says one of the biggest hurdles for her is a lack of parental involvement. "Its really difficult to get parents to see how important it is to lend a hand in the teaching of their kids. A lot of parents tend to feel it may just be the teacher's job, and it's not. If they see what is going on at school the kids may be more inclined to do what they need to do," she explained.


Ultimately, for this reading and language arts teachers she hopes that all her students find their voice. She said, "If you can articulate your thoughts in front of others share what's on your mind, so I hope that when they leave they take those skills and use it for everything."