Pacific Index

Education major, Shania Pacheco sheds a light on student teaching and her journey getting where she’s at

   Huddled in an echoey Stoller staircase in between practices for Lū‘au and Hō‘ike, senior Shania Pacheco tells the story of her journey at Pacific. “For me, I am a completely different person that who I was,” she says earnestly, referring to the girl she was when she first stepped foot on Pacific’s manicured lawns. “And that is fully attributed to my faith and relationship with God…God just changed my perspective and started building me into the person I am today, which is somebody who loves people more deeply, who is more compassionate, caring, kind, and a lot more wise.” 

   Pacheco has known for quite some time what she wanted to do career wise, but the journey to finding who she truly was took a bit more time. “I knew that I thrive with children because I volunteered in my church’s children’s ministry, which kind of showed me what I’m good at and what I love to do,” she explains, hinting to the career path she chose. “And so, teaching was kind of the more obvious choice for me. So, I decided to pursue it with the help of teachers from my high school supporting me in that pathway, and I just stuck to it, and I hit it right on the nose.” 

   An education major with an elementary multiple subject endorsement, Pacheco is set to be entirely prepared to teach full-time shortly after graduation. As part of her major requirements, she has been participating in student teaching, working full days, five days a week, for the past several months. “It’s been fully immersive,” she describes. “I feel like being in the classroom setting as their teacher has given me the most experience, but it’s very tiring, and it’s taxing, and it’s different from most seniors because we don’t have classes because we’re required to be at school all day.” 

   Truly, education majors like Pacheco are sent straight from lax college course schedules to full-time jobs—and all without pay of course. “I explained to my students that I am also a student, so they know that learning never stops and it’s something that, even the people that they’re looking up to in a classroom, still continue to do,” she expresses, sharing a bit of her teaching wisdom. “My students have watched me from the beginning of my student teaching…and one student in particular said, ‘Miss. SJ, you’re doing such a good job at being a teacher.’ And it really just warmed my heart because it confirmed that I’m doing good work and that I’m where I’m supposed to be.”      

   With such a warm and open presence, it’s clear why Pacheco has bonded so seamlessly with her students. “My favorite part has been building relationships and rapport with the students because they are the reason why I wanted to go into teaching,” she shares with a smile. “I love being around children— it makes me happy and I feel like I thrive in that environment. And my student teaching has shown me that I made the right choice.”

   While student teaching is one of the main requirements for graduation, it’s not the only one. Pacheco is also working on a thick portfolio that will demonstrate all the work she’s done and all that she’s learned. She’s also responsible for constructing a poster presentation that demonstrates her experience with student teaching which she will share with Pacific just before graduation. Additionally, she’s also performing in her very last Lū‘au and Hō‘ike, heading straight from her student teaching to Stoller for rehearsal practices that stretch late into the night. Pacheco is the definition of busy, but she says, “I know that once I start teaching full-time, without the responsibility of school, I’ll be able to create a very good work-life balance.” 

   Understandably, Pacheco is eager to graduate and be free from all the hassle of college curriculum, but there’s also a twinge of loss in the brightness of the future. “The best moments I’ve had at Pacific is meeting my friends who are becoming like family,” she shares with a thoughtful look. “Given that I’m moving back home, which is so far away from all the people that I’ve grown to love— it can be very sad… and I think back to the times we spent building our friendships, and all the fun things we did, and those are very fond memories that I keep close to my heart…” 

   Pacheco grew up on the Hilo side of Big Island, which is where she’ll be returning to after graduation. The distance from her Pacific friends will admittedly be a struggle, but she’s eager to begin the next phase of her life. “I was adopted by my grandparents, and they raised me from when I was very young, so my plan is to live with them and support them,” Pacheco shares with transparent love and appreciation. “And I plan on teaching elementary in my hometown and giving back to the community that invested in me in my younger years.” 

   “I do have hard times,” Pacheco admits candidly, adding a bit of reality to the work she’s currently doing and the work she’ll ultimately do in the future. “But what really helps me is my faith and my foundation in God and in Jesus…and through that, my life has really just unfolded in a perfect way.”