Her Story
About Daniela
I started my career in advertising in Colombia, but I had really bad experiences with that industry, from sexual harassment to other things, and I was disappointed with that world. I was looking for something more meaningful than just selling people things they don't need. A friend told me I was always really good at telling people what to do and suggested I try teaching. I really like being with kids and teaching, though I found the very young ages physically draining. I started doing substitute teaching and just fell in love with teaching and helping kids - it was heart fulfilling. When the pandemic came, like many other teachers, I got very burnt out. I got pregnant two years after and took a year off. Now I'm working more on the leadership side, helping teachers be better for their students and doing what I wish I had when I was in my first years of teaching - providing more support to help them figure out what to do in the classroom. Because it doesn't matter if you go to college, nobody ever prepares you to be in a room with 26 kids asking you everything. This is my third year in my leadership position as a bilingual instructional coach for the lower grades, working with teachers from Pre-K 3 to 2nd grade. I observe them, review lesson plans, give feedback on observations, and follow up on all my feedback to help teachers grow and be more prepared for class. I work in a charter school where not all the teachers are certified, so having my certification and experience as a classroom teacher myself helps me prepare them to teach better content to students while creating a lovable learning environment.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Daniela
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that every time somebody tells them you are being too much, it's because they cannot handle how much you know about it, how much of an expert you are compared to them. I would have liked to hear that. I would have liked to have the words to turn and say, why am I being too late? You cannot handle what I know. Am I making you feel uncomfortable by being who I am? And that is a you problem, not a me problem. I'm very social and very outspoken. I don't keep my opinions quiet. And even from older women, I got that a lot from women that I used to work with, because education, especially on the elementary side, is mostly women. It's very hurtful that even women are using those kind of comments against others. I always got that comment, like you're too much, you're too much. And back in the day I would be just like, oh, that means I need to be more quiet, that I need to give less opinions. And now I'm like, no. If you don't like my opinion, then you're the person that needs to walk out of the meeting, not me. I'll tell my bosses when they say you have to be politically correct, like what are they gonna do, fire me? Go ahead and fire me. I'll get a job somewhere else, but I'm not gonna be quiet.
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