Betsy Castellanos

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what have you been up to since graduating?
After graduating, I accepted a position as the Lead preschool teacher at a headstart on the south side of Chicago. This was my first teaching experience with my license and I learned a lot in my three years there. I also got married at the end of 2016.

Where are you now? Tell us a bit about your current job.
I work at a CPS school in the Austin Irving neighborhood. I teach Prek 4 and I really enjoy working there. I get to collaborate with two other great preschool teachers and the families and students are great. This is my third year at the school.

How did you first become interested in the ECE field?
I was undecided as an undergrad and was taking courses across many subjects. One of the random courses I took was Child Development 101. I found everything, from birth to 8 years old fascinating. I loved the class so much that I decided to major in child development. I mainly worked with infants and toddlers after graduating. One year I moved up with my toddlers all the way to Prek. I found it challenging because I had many students with special needs or challenging behaviors and it was my first time with 3-5 year olds. I enjoyed working with preschool, but I felt like there was much more I needed to learn. That is what led me to apply to the ECE program at UIC.

What do you enjoy the most about this field and your career?
Everyday there is a student or moment that brings me joy. It could be a student learning something new or saying or doing something that makes you laugh. I think it’s great that my career involves having fun everyday.

What advice would you give other alumni, current or prospective students who aspire to pursue a similar career path?
Everyone says you need patience to be a good teacher, especially if you are teaching young children, but I disagree. I think it’s most important to have a solid understanding of child development and what children need. The classes you take about development and theory will help you handle whatever comes your way when you teach. Also, being a teacher is a demanding job that requires you to juggle multiple tasks. Reflect on what you want and make sure you truly love being around children. Those with a love and understanding of the field make the best teachers.

How has the UIC ECE program impacted your career or the type of educator you are today? OR How has the UIC ECE program prepared you for your career and the type of educator you are today?
I mentioned that I did not feel prepared the first time I taught preschool. After completing UIC’s program, I felt more competent at differentiating instruction and planning interventions for my students. Even though I work in a Gen Ed classroom, I still have five students with IEP’s and this is the case every year. UIC’s program helped me learn how to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of all of my students.

Please share a favorite story about your time in the ECE UIC program.
I completed the program with my co-teacher at the time. We worked together in a daycare. We enjoyed learning in class together and then practicing the new strategies we had learned with our students. It is still to this day one of my favorite teaching/learning experiences.

What do you enjoy doing with your free time? Family? Hobbies? Interests?
Spending time with family and friends and eating good food is my favorite way to spend the day. I also enjoy playing with my puppy. He’s a cute cavapoo!