Nayely Vargas Ramos is a music education senior, but at three different Oklahoma locations, she’s the one teaching.
Ramos teaches at several different locations in Oklahoma as part of her graduation credit. Ramos began student teaching at the beginning of the spring semester.
“I’m currently student teaching at Edmond Santa Fe and Summit Middle School,” Ramos said.
Ramos works alongside Christy Fine, orchestra director at Santa Fe High School in Edmond, as a student teacher.
Ramos’s primary instrument is cello, but she assists in teaching entire orchestras, as well as giving individual lessons.
“It’s been fantastic,” she said. “There’s a lot of learning to be had.”
Ramos also teaches for El Sistema Oklahoma, an after-school program for music education. Ramos said El Sistema is different because of how many other music teachers work there.
“In a public school, I could be the only music teacher, and that can be really isolating, but at El Sistema I get to work with an awesome team of string teachers under a great team leader,” she said.
Ramos said she also gets experience working with students of all different ages.
“Although we do have some high schoolers at El Sistema, my work is with those who just joined, which is late elementary and early middle schoolers,” she said.
Ramos said making connections is important for success in one’s career.
“Having a sunny disposition really does help when establishing connections,” she said.
Ramos said she plans to teach after graduation and is meeting as many orchestra directors as she can.
Cass King, music education sophomore, said Ramos uses her background to connect with her students at El Sistema.
“She connects with her students really well,” King said. “She just loves working with kids.”
Tomasz Zieba, instructor of cello and chamber music, said Ramos is sincere and hardworking.
“I met her in her senior year of high school, and since the very beginning, I was really impressed with her maturity level and her seriousness about becoming a teacher,” Zieba said. “She likes to accomplish goals that she sets for herself every semester. She’s really passionate about her work, and it shows.”
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