Eleonora Villegas-Reimers
Associate Professor at Wheelock College in Boston
I am currently an Associate Professor at Wheelock College in Boston, where I work in the preparation of teachers, both the undergraduate and graduate levels. I joined the faculty of Wheelock College in 1988 as Assistant Professor, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1995. In 2004, I was appointed Acting Dean of the Child and Family Studies Division after having served as the Coordinator for the Child Development and Early Childhood Program, and the Child Development Studies program since 1998. In 2006 I was appointed Dean of the School of Education and Child Life, and in 2009, I was named Chair of the Elementary Education Department. Prior to coming to Wheelock, I was a high-school teacher and an Assistant Principal in a private K-12 school in my country of origin, Venezuela. I started teaching during my first year of college; the country was in need of prepared teachers, and college students in teacher preparation programs were able to have their own classrooms. I started teaching pre-schoolers, but soon moved to teaching 7th, 8th and 12th graders. I focused on social studies and citizenship education with the younger grades, and on sociology with the seniors. After 6 years in the classroom and now with a bachelor’s degree (and a teaching license) in hand, I came to the U.S. to do my master’s and doctoral degrees in Education at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. While studying about moral education and working as a teaching fellow, I developed a passion for teaching teachers. I realized that I could contribute to the education of children quite effectively if I prepared the teachers who work with them. I love working with new college students who have dreamed all their lives of becoming teachers; I also love working with those who have been teaching in the field and come to graduate school for more education. Educating teaching candidates about how to work effectively with all children, including Latino children, immigrant children, and ELLs in particular is something I think of as a mission. I am convinced that teachers have the highest influence on children after their families.
Aside from the work I do with teachers in preparation at Wheelock, I also do other work that benefits teachers and schools: I serve as a Board member to the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, as an advisor in a number of workgroups and taskforces of the Boston Public Schools, and have worked as consultant and advisor to a number of international organizations such as UNESCO, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Board on International Comparative Studies of the National Research Council, and the Academy for Educational Development on matters related to education, teacher preparation and development, education for democracy, and values education.
Why do you teach? I teach because I believe that the best way to effect social change is by educating individuals who can think critically, solve problems, develop a sense of responsibility to get involved, and ultimately change their own lives, that of their families and their communities.
What do you love about teaching? I love engaging with students in a deep way that allows them to learn and truly understand their role as educators, community members and citizens of the world. I love seeing a student’s face when they have understood something for the first time, when they have accomplished a major goal, and when they have experienced the exhilarating moment of seeing a child learn something new, from reading for the first time, to something about their community.
When you were a student, was there a great teacher who inspired you? I was very lucky with ALL of my teachers; in one way or another, I have learned from all my teachers. They inspired me when I was in their classes, and they continue to inspire me to do my best so that other children can be as fortunate as I was with such caring, dedicated, knowledgeable and expert professional educators! I am grateful to all my teachers.
