“Daring to Do Things Differently”

Increasing Teacher Confidence & Motivation in Yucatán

In 2022, TeachUNITED partnered with the Yucatán government’s education department to address the increasing inequity caused by the pandemic in rural communities. After a successful pilot, government officials requested state-wide implementation of our program to improve educational quality and to support the adoption of national policy. Together, we are working to increase the supply of effective teachers to improve learning outcomes for 400,000+ students.

TeachUNITED recently interviewed a couple of participants one year into the training program to learn more about its early impact on instructional coaches, teachers, students, and the community at large.

After receiving on-the-job coaching through TeachUNITED, teacher Cotty Trujillo has seen improvements in her students after applying topics like growth mindset, engagement, data-driven instruction, and personalized learning. She says, “With the activities we carry out and the learning we had in TeachUNITED, it not only helped me as a teacher improve my educational practice but also the students. My children are around four or five years old. The fact that they themselves help each other improve and provide feedback to each other was very significant to me.” 

The caregivers of Cotty’s students have even taken notice of their growth, and it’s helped to motivate her further. “The fact that parents noticed this change in preschool children is important. When I implemented TeachUNITED activities, [parents] became aware of the progress they saw in their children. Really, that motivates me to continue researching and implementing.”

Multiplying Program Impact by Training Trainers

Pedagogy Advisor and TeachUNITED participant Karina shares how the program has made her a more effective and engaging teacher coach. She notes: “Personally, TeachUNITED has had an impact on me because it has allowed me to see my advisory role in a new way. Many times, I thought things had to be done the way I had already planned, without allowing myself the opportunity to get to know the teacher I was advising. [Before,] I focused more on identifying their areas for improvement rather than highlighting their strengths. I have [since] seen significant changes in how things are perceived.

Previously, it was like, ‘Here comes the advisor. I want everything to be perfect and the kids to be well-behaved.’ But now, they actually tell me, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’ Now when [teachers] hand me a freshly-printed lesson plan, they know there will be corrections and edits based on the things we are working on. I can see that mentality that they have already transformed. It shows us that we’re on the right path. They seem more motivated. They feel more interested.”

Karina shares the challenges of upskilling teachers within traditional teacher training programs: “Many times, the Technical Council [principal training] meetings were somewhat tedious or tiring for the principals, because they receive training that they then have to pass on to their teaching teams.”

TeachUNITED’s long-term, customized programming is different. “What change have I seen? At our training sessions, principals are now more interested, more motivated. It’s like they’re now looking forward to what we’re going to present to them, how we’re going to present it to them. Unlike in other times where we only read, share, and present, now, it has been easier, more meaningful. Because [as we model it], they build that knowledge. Now they gather, they move around. I feel that part has had a positive impact,” says Karina.

Developing a Growth Mindset that Boosts Teacher Retention

“I won’t say it’s been easy,” Karina continues. “When you want to introduce something new, there’s this feeling like ‘What if it fails? What if I can’t do it?’ But right now, there really are no obstacles. On the contrary, [principals] are eager to know what we are going to present to them now for them to take to their schools.”

In Latin America, over 90% of TeachUNITED teachers reported improved teaching practices and the ability to engage previously unmotivated students. After participating in TU’s training, this increase in skills and confidence decreased the number of teachers planning to leave the classroom by 36% — critical in a region lacking 3.2 million teachers.

Preschool teacher Cotty has also increased her confidence in implementing new techniques:

“Well, I think the main change is daring to do things differently.”

She goes on to share that “Personalized learning, for example, was something that made me a little fearful due to the children’s age. I thought, ‘Will my classroom be chaotic?’ However, it worked! I think it’s very significant that children can now identify what they can achieve and how they can improve – not only based on what the educator tells them, but also from feedback and observations of their peers. I think this is very significant: the fact that children can reflect on their own process from an early age can help develop critical thinking that will serve them throughout their lives.”

TeachUNITED is greatly inspired by the hardworking advisors, principals, and teachers that drive impact for students every day, and we’re honored to help keep these great educators in the classroom.

“I believe that the TeachUNITED program helps us reconnect with our calling. It’s something that truly motivates us to go back to our origins, to remember what inspired us to teach.”

 – Cotty Trujillo, Teacher & Tutor, Yucatán Secretary of Education, Mexico

TeachUNITED and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Partner with the Secretary of Education to Transform Education for Maya Communities in Yucatán

We are honored to announce our partnership with both the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Secretary of Education of Yucatán, Mexico (SEGEY). With the support of the Kellogg Foundation, we will continue working with the government to improve educational outcomes in rural Maya communities in Mexico. 

In Mexico, children in Indigenous schools have the lowest achievement levels: one in four Indigenous 15-year-olds cannot read or write – four times the general illiteracy rate. In Yaxcabá, Yucatán, just 14% of students complete secondary school. A root cause of these poor academic outcomes is the lack of proper training for teachers in Indigenous communities. In addition, education systems are not designed with Indigenous culture or language in mind, making it difficult for students to experience a learning environment that meets their needs.

SEGEY, Kellogg Foundation, and TeachUNITED are eager to partner together for a new project to reach an important subset of their population: Indigenous Maya. Building on a successful state-wide implementation of our teacher training program in Yucatán, we are working to improve learning outcomes for over 400,000 students.

Learn more about our work in Yucatán thus far from a Pedagogy Advisor.

Improving Access to Quality Education for Indigenous Learners

In partnership with the local government, we are working to expand to the Yaxcabá Municipality of Yucatán to support educators there with sustainable, Mayan-language and context-relevant solutions to the challenges that they face every day in the classroom. By empowering teachers in Yaxcabá, Yucatán, we can substantially improve access to quality education for Indigenous learners and promote teaching in students’ native language. 

The Kellogg Foundation’s support will enable us to work together to:

• Increase the supply of effective teachers in Yaxcabá, 
• Promote teaching in Mayan to reduce the disproportionate impact of the learning crisis on Indigenous children and educators, and
• Improve academic achievement and educational well-being of Indigenous students. 

We are proud that this partnership with the Kellogg Foundation will enable us to support educators as they improve outcomes for students in rural Mexico. We’re looking forward to sharing more about our progress.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States.

Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

TeachUNITED works with school, district, government, and NGO partners in 14 countries. Hear from other TeachUNITED partners here.