{"id":952,"date":"2018-07-26T12:08:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T19:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=952"},"modified":"2024-04-02T14:16:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T21:16:22","slug":"brenda-contreras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/brenda-contreras\/","title":{"rendered":"Opportunities in action"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Brenda

As part of the Master of Arts in Teaching program in clinically based elementary, Brenda Contreras spends her days immersed in classrooms, gaining hands-on teaching experience.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Cody Bowie<\/em>
\nJuly 26, 2018<\/em><\/p>\n

If you ask Brenda Contreras what her time at Oregon State has provided her, she\u2019ll answer in one word: opportunities.<\/p>\n

Opportunities such as scholarships, a chance to teach near her hometown and experience in a dual-language classroom.<\/p>\n

The Oregon State psychology graduate is now finishing her first year in the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program in clinically based elementary<\/a>. The two-year master\u2019s degree program features courses delivered online through Oregon State Ecampus and in-person co-teaching experience in the Beaverton School District near Portland.<\/p>\n

As part of the program, Brenda spends her days immersed in classrooms, gaining hands-on teaching experience. Each morning she looks forward to the start of the school day. \u201cGreeting them at the door and setting up for the school day, that\u2019s my favorite time,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"Brenda

Brenda didn\u2019t originally envision herself as a teacher, but a part-time job at a child care facility and her own positive experiences in her education helped her realize her love for working with children.<\/p><\/div>\n

Brenda didn\u2019t originally envision herself as a teacher, but a part-time job at a child care facility and her own positive experiences in her education helped her realize her love for working with children.<\/p>\n

As a psychology major, Brenda considered herself to be \u201cout of the loop\u201d when it came to the many opportunities the OSU College of Education offers its students.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until after I started working in child care that someone told me OSU had a really great teaching program,\u201d she says. \u201cI would go to restaurants in Corvallis and run into people who would tell me about the program.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it was more than strong community support that inspired Brenda to apply to the M.A.T. program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I learned Oregon State had a partnership with Beaverton School District, I was sold because it\u2019s so close to home,\u201d she says. Now, Brenda teaches in classrooms fewer than 10 miles from her hometown.<\/p>\n

“<\/span>People [from Oregon State] are getting hired. People are making those connections in the school district and so many of them I know already have jobs.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Her favorite subject to teach is math, although she also enjoys teaching reading, writing, art and science, spending time in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) classrooms.<\/p>\n

Since one of the schools she teaches at also features Spanish dual-language immersion classes, where students are instructed in both Spanish and English, Brenda \u2013 and the students she teaches \u2013 gain an additional layer of opportunities to explore.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of research that shows this dual-language model helps ELL (English Language Learner) students,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The ELL students benefit from learning in their native language while also learning English slowly over the course of their elementary education.<\/p>\n

\"Brenda

\u201cWhen I learned Oregon State had a partnership with Beaverton School District, I was sold because it\u2019s so close to home,\u201d Brenda says. Now, Brenda teaches in classrooms less than ten miles from her hometown.<\/p><\/div>\n

The dual language model also benefits students those who aren\u2019t considered ELL. \u201cThey learn to read and write in Spanish,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s also more likely they will be bilingual growing up and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ELL program model at Brenda\u2019s school begins in kindergarten with classes taught completely in Spanish, tapering off to 80 percent Spanish instruction in first and second grades, and finally settling into half Spanish and half English instruction in third grade.<\/p>\n

Brenda is grateful for the many opportunities Oregon State has provided her, especially the partnership Oregon State has with local school districts.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople [from Oregon State] are getting hired. People are making those connections in the school district and so many of them I know already have jobs,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She appreciates the diverse classrooms she\u2019s been able to work in and the wealth of experience the M.A.T. program has already provided her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get to work at just one school, I\u2019ve worked at multiple schools at the district where I\u2019ve seen different demographics and different school cultures,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve made a lot of connections at all these schools, and it\u2019s because of Oregon State.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Cody Bowie is a communications student employee with the OSU College of Education<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 4<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>By Cody Bowie July 26, 2018 If you ask Brenda Contreras what her time at Oregon State has provided her, she\u2019ll answer in one word: opportunities. Opportunities such as scholarships, a chance to teach near her hometown and experience in a dual-language classroom. The Oregon State psychology graduate is now finishing her first year in … Opportunities in action<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[180,26,80,25,24,633],"class_list":["post-952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-education","tag-distance-education","tag-master-of-arts-in-teaching","tag-online-education","tag-online-learning","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Brenda-Contreras-Main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-fm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":109,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/mat-beaverton-school-district\/","url_meta":{"origin":952,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State, Beaverton School District to deliver new hybrid teacher licensure program","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"April 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Master of Arts in Teaching with an option in Clinically Based Elementary program is a two-year, full-time master\u2019s degree program that immerses students in the classroom from day one, where they will co-teach and work side by side with experienced Beaverton School District educators.","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A teacher works with four students in the Beaverton School District. 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A newly-launched, graduate program is doing this, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A teacher sits at a long table while four elementary-age students stand in pairs on either side.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/graduate-master-teaching-main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/graduate-master-teaching-main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/graduate-master-teaching-main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2738,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/esteban-contreras-upcea-student-award\/","url_meta":{"origin":952,"position":2},"title":"Student’s sacrifices lead to a ‘deeply rewarding’ experience \u2014\u00a0and a national award","author":"Esteban Contreras","date":"March 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Family support, perseverance and student club engagement have helped Esteban Contreras thrive while pursuing his environmental sciences degree online Editor's note: In March 2025, Oregon State University's Esteban Contreras received the outstanding student national award from UPCEA in honor of his achievement of excellence in pursuit of an education. 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ANNAPOLIS, Md. \u2014 Quality Matters (QM), the international leader for quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments, announces its endorsement of the Oregon State\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A person uses a laptop while writing with a pen in a notepad.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/note-taking-laptop.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/note-taking-laptop.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/note-taking-laptop.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/note-taking-laptop.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1709,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-teaching-principles\/","url_meta":{"origin":952,"position":4},"title":"Adopt these 10 Online Teaching Principles from Oregon State Ecampus","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"December 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Quality online education happens when courses are well-designed and well-facilitated. 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