Anthony Landaverde: When the Student Becomes the Teacher
“Ms. Thompson in pre-kindergarten…Ms. P in first grade…Mr. Labbar in sixth grade.” Anthony Landaverde can easily name the teachers in his life who made a significant difference in his educational journey. Today, Anthony is intentional about incorporating the attributes of these early role models into his own identity as a young teacher.
A rising senior at Baltimore’s Towson University, Anthony is blazing an unusual path as a Latino male in a predominately white and female profession. About 2% of teachers are Hispanic men, and these educators are infrequently found in elementary schools. Anthony’s choice to pursue teacher licensure in early childhood (pre-K - 3rd grade) education, special education, and English as a Second Language (ESL) positions him to impact three areas that carry deep personal meaning.
A Riverdale, Maryland native, Anthony was the first in his family born in the United States. His parents are from rural El Salvador, and while they exclusively spoke Spanish at home, Anthony started school unable to speak Spanish or English. Speech intervention allowed him to make fast progress in his verbal skills, though he remained in an English as a Second Language classroom through fifth grade. In addition to his delay with spoken language, Anthony had challenges in other academic subjects that prompted school staff to recommend an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) so that he could receive additional support.
Too often we hear about boys of color who are unnecessarily placed in special education classrooms, or who face low expectations due to their IEP designation or their status as a multilingual learner. Fortunately, Anthony enjoyed a very different experience, and values his learning both in general education classrooms and in his resource classes. “My special education and ESL teachers were fun. Their support was very helpful and I felt like they really cared about me, which made me feel warm inside. When I got pulled out of the classroom [for extra help], I didn’t see anything wrong with it at all.”
A major contributing factor to the wraparound support that Anthony received during his early schooling was an active partnership between home and school. Though her engagement in her son’s IEP meetings required a translator, it did not deter Anthony’s mother from digging into his testing data, asking questions, and ensuring that he received the services he needed. “My mom worked at a daycare for eleven years. She always wanted to be a teacher, and now I can be one, like she always wanted to be.”
After a key conversation with his high school English teacher about his future goals, Anthony applied to college with an eye on a career in education. Following in the footsteps of his older cousin, he excitedly enrolled at Towson in the fall of 2020. He had only been on campus a few weeks before everyone was sent home due to COVID outbreaks. Though the remainder of his freshman year was remote, he built networks through the SAGE mentoring program and through Latin American Student Organization (LASO) virtual meetings.
Back on campus sophomore year, Anthony finished up his core requirements and excitedly anticipated his junior year, where he would begin internship experiences in Baltimore City schools two days per week. He loved the exposure to diverse settings through his placement at Vincent Farms Elementary School alongside a winter break work experience at Sheppard Pratt School, which exclusively served students with disabilities.
At Vincent Farms Elementary, though Anthony was nervous at the beginning of the semester, he soon settled into his “calm, relaxed, and silly” self with the kids. “I was more myself, honestly, and the kids loved my energy. I tried to give effective praise throughout and I made a point to have conversations with them. They were so excited to find out I play Roblox!” he laughed.
His multilingual students were particularly attached to Anthony. “I would speak to them in English and Spanish and highlight certain words. One student always wanted to hold my hand whenever we walked through the hallways,” he reminisced fondly. Committed to making the classroom a safe space for students who were often hesitant to speak, Anthony sought to instill in the students that “making a mistake isn’t wrong. I would say, ‘Give your brain a kiss. Your brain is growing!’”
While Anthony’s teaching experiences have been overwhelmingly positive thus far, he is well aware that a strong network is essential to ensuring success. His on-campus activities in groups such as Latinx Educators Organization (LEO) have not only provided him a space to connect with other students interested in working with young people, but have also allowed him to encourage others to get involved in local schools. Partnering with Towson’s student government, he helped to launch the BRIDGE program, which places undergraduates in Baltimore City district and charter schools to provide tutoring.
His advice to peers is to take risks in education. “Get out of your comfort zone. Do things that aren’t your norm.” For Anthony, that means ensuring that his career provides him a rich set of perspectives through diverse work experiences. He seeks different types of classroom positions in the coming years in order to learn best practices and to examine how instruction and culture differ in various school settings. “Later, I want to get my masters in education policy to identify ways to bring teachers more support and to increase diversity in schools. Students need representation in their classrooms.”
Confident that he has found his calling, Anthony is motivated by the impact he can have on students who remind him of his younger self. “We need more teachers to advocate for students who may be scared. To help them grow, to serve as stepping stones in their development and help them blossom into the person they can become.” There is no doubt that years from now, when young adults in the Baltimore area are asked to list the adults who made a lasting impression, Mr. Landaverde will be a name frequently spoken.
