STAFF
NEW LIFE
Autobiography:
My name is Tesla Mendez nee Villatoro. I am a humble servant of the Lord in the education ministry. It has been a great blessing to be in the teaching profession for 33 years. Time is just a figure indeed. God has been faithful to me throughout these years as He leads me and opens new doors in serving Him through this ministry. I am presently pursuing my Master’s Degree in Leadership and Immerging Technology.
“The joy of the Lord is my strength,” Nehemiah 8:10. It is with joy in my heart that I welcome every new opportunity as I face the many challenges on my way. Yet, with the assurance that God is in control in every situation, I had reached this far. Now I am happily serving at New Life Presbyterian School located in Orange Walk Town for the past 12 years. This is my second year as the new principal of the school. These two years as the school leader have been of great blessing for my personal and professional life. Every year it enriches me with knowledge and experience. This is so dynamic!
Philosophy:
Teaching is part of my life. I will always be a teacher at heart. I love teaching and enjoy seeing my students moving forward in their lives. It is amazing to have these children close to my heart as they are the ones who inspire me to continue upgrading myself to better serve them and my community. The ongoing life- long learning experience equips me for improvement and innovation in our school system.
I am blessed with my school family and over blessed with my two children ( a son and a daughter) who had been by my side every single step of the way. These two important aspects of my life are complemented with the love of my faithful God. He holds my hands as He leads me in this ministry. It is with this assurance that I press forward in providing the best education to our children as we work together as a team with the great support of my excellent staff. Every one of them is a special factor to the realization of providing our students and school community a quality education.
A quality education which represents us as great servants of the Lord in equipping our children for this life on earth and for eternity through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is so wonderful to educate our children holistically knowing the truth that the chief end of man is to glorify and enjoy Him forever. This is the main reason for me to be serving the Lord in this capacity. Thank you Lord!
One of the short term goal of our school is to provide continuous staff development in areas of concern during this pandemic times we are challenged with. Also to complete the bathroom facilities for our preschool children this new school year of 2021-2022. Praying this will be an accomplishment for this school year. Interestingly, our community has been displaying the need for more student’s admission every year. Again with the Lord’s guidance and approval, our long term goal is to grow in enrollment at least 5% yearly for five consecutive years and build a school auditorium which will provide facility for social and sport events. I can surely say that everything is possible with God’s mighty power. To Him be the glory and honor.
My name is Vanessa Ramirez, I was born in 1984 and grew up in the beautiful village of San Lazaro in Orange Walk, Belize. God blessed me with a God-fearing mother and a father whom He saved and transformed before my eyes. Having both parents being Christian, provided for a strong foundation in the early development of my faith. Through God’s providence and my parents’ efforts I was able to attend Muffles College High School and Junior College. I then was able to graduate from the University of Belize and later in my adulthood was able to also obtain a Certificate in Early Childhood Education. I am happily married and have been blessed with two handsome young boys and am currently teaching at New Life Presbyterian School at the preschool level.
The foundation on which my life is built is to fulfill the reason for my existence: to honor and glorify God in all that I do. I hold very dear to my heart and try to make a maxim in my life the words of two Moravian missionaries, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.” This quote guides me in every aspect of my life including my teaching profession. My major goal as an educator is that my students will be able to get to know and learn about the amazing God who created them and His Son Jesus whom he gave up for their salvation as a confirmation of His great love and mercy. I believe that children at this early age have tremendous capabilities to learn if they are guided and instructed well. At this age, children learn while playing; therefore, my goal is to make lessons fun and interactive, filled with hands-on experiences. In addition, as an early childhood educator, I aim to help students develop holistically (social, emotional, cognitive, communicative, and physically) to help build in them a foundation that will cater for lifelong wellbeing of each one of them. Above all, To God be the glory in all things.
Mrs. Mendoza – Infant 1 teacher
I am currently a teacher at New Life Presbyterian School. I have been teaching in this wonderful Christian school for the past 14 years. I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing me to be in a Christian school because it enables me to share God’s word and teaching to my students. I am so blessed to be able to share God’s word and also sing and praise God along with my students and colleagues. It is so great to be an example and good role model to my students, parents and community as a whole.
My goals as a teacher is to firstly, be a woman that fears God and therefore be a good role model to my students, share God’s word with them, and teach them the academics, through the implementation of diverse teaching strategies they need to learn from a Christian perspective. I believe that if we plant God’s seed in their hearts from when they are small God will work in their lives as they grow older.
Hello Mrs. Maugri L Chan here!
I have been in the teaching profession for the past 12 years. I have a passion to teach the little ones and to provide them with, life skills and knowledge necessary to face life as it unfolds for them. The most valuable part is ensuring students get to know who God is as they learn about the world in which they live. My commitment is not only for students to learn the pillars of learning in our curriculum but to understand their place in God’s story.
Autobiography:
My name is Maria Angelica Patt and presently, I am an upper division teacher at New Life Presbyterian Primary School in the Orange Walk District, Belize. I have a Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education from Galen University, an Associate Degree in Business/Accounting, and presently perusing a Master Degree in Education and a Certificate in Christian Education from Merida Yucatan, Mexico.
I am 37 years old and proud mother of two daughters: Stephanie and Joanna Patt of ages 14 and 7 and married to Rev. Juan Yradiel Patt for 15 years. My family and I are presently ministering Prince of Peace Presbyterian Church in the Corozal District which is forty-five minutes away from where I teach. I thank God for accepting and forgiving me since I was 14 years old at New Life Presbyterian Church where presently I am a teacher there. Since that age, my heart and desire has been not only been to serve God but to help children get to know him and have a personal relationship.
Wow! It’s amazing to reflect and say I am whom I am because of Him. I consider myself not only a teacher but an instrument who God is using to fulfill his mission. To God be the glory and praise for all what he has been doing in my life. His love and promises are evident every day.
My Philosophy
My calling to be an educator goes beyond than just teaching because I see children as God’s wonderful creations. They are special and unique for they are beautifully and wonderfully made in God’s image and likeness whom I will form, mold, prepare, and influence for life as what God demands from me. As God’s little stewards and valuable assets and jewels of our country’s, I am responsible to stimulate their learning, creativity, and curiosity in a welcoming and caring atmosphere where they will mature and grow academically, emotionally, intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.
One of my desires as an educator is to help children meet their fullest potential as an individual because each child is unique and special. Hence, I focus on teaching knowledge and skills to our students derived from the curriculum, real life experience, the environment (nature) and standards for them to survive on the expected and unexpected road of life. I also intentionally engage them in meaningful activities and learning by doing, enhance critical thinking through problems solving questions.
Understanding and viewing our children as leaders of our society and present world, I am to foster the right character traits: unselfishness, helpfulness, individual initiatives, critical intelligence, and most important a godly attitude (fruit of the spirit). As an educator, it is my responsibility to equip students with all the necessary tools and skills in order for them to face and challenge a world that is drastically changing by helping them reach their fullest potential as intelligent human beings and to trust in God more than ever.
Being a teacher is a special calling and I am thankful God chose me for such a monumental task and has been faithful in guiding me through. I believe that each student is a gift from God, given to us to nourish in His Word. It is my constant prayer that God would allow me many more years to continue planting the seed of truth to as many as is His will.
My name is Mirna Yanett Castillo, I was born on September 15th 1982, in El Salvador but due to the war God opened a door and my parents were guided by God to come and bring us to this beautiful, peaceful and welcoming country Belize, to live in the quiet and lovely village of Trial Farm in Orange Walk District. God blessed me with the opportunity to have my parents, three brothers and a sister coming along with me. Here we were able to see how God provided, took care of us but most of all transformed my family by saving us. Ever since I remember I have been blessed by having God fearing people surrounding me, guiding me to become a servant of the Lord, one who was created to honor Him, serve Him and glorify God.
I am so thankful to our Lord for always providing for my parents to be able to send me to school. Thanks to God and my family I was able to graduate from Trial Farm Primary School. God provided for me to attend and graduate from Orange Walk Technical
High School and Corozal Junior College with and associate degree in Primary Education. Since 2007
I have been happily married to Facundo Noel Castillo and was blessed by God to become part of the New Life Presbyterian School Staff where I am currently still teaching. Thanks to God who guides me and fill me with His wisdom, I have had the privilege to teach in the Lower and Middle Division.
As a daughter of the Living God, our Lord and Savior, I have been created in God’s own image to fulfil the plans and purpose for which He created me. My #1 aim is to Honor God, Glorify Him and serve Him forever. I always look at two of many verses which motivates me every day of my life. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him James 1:5.” This verse always reminds me that He is my Father and that nothing is impossible for Him. The second verse is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13. The word “ALL” leaves nothing out. My goals as a servant of our Lord and as an educator are: To guide all students that God place in my care to get to know and learn about our powerful God who chose each one of them and created them in His own image and for whom God gave His only Son to die on the cross to give them salvation showing them His love for them and their love ones. Each students is filled with God’s wisdom to learn and be equipped with God’s help and guidance. We all know that children are unique and each has their own learning skills. Many children learn by touching, moving, manipulating and playing. This is why my goal, with God’s help, is to develop my lesson plans in a way that will allow students to be engaged while exploring, following, experimenting, developing and learning in a more fun way using hands on activities and interactive games. In conclusion, I hope to work hand in hand with parents so as to develop wellrounded students: physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally and cognitively. To help them become community builders. Knowing that their talents are a gift from God which He provides and requires us to use as faithful stewards to the best of the ability He has given us. Our talents ought to be developed so that we can become contributing members to society, realizing our need to serve others, and doing all for the honor and glory of God’s name.
Autobiography
Becoming a teacher can both be an exciting and challenging endeavor. For a long time, I contemplated the idea to become a teacher. The desire has been felt while babysitting, teaching at Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and church youth groups. A couple of my friends, who are teachers, encouraged me to go back to finish college and make what seemed like an unattainable dream into reality. I always enjoyed teaching children; they are all so unique and interesting. Having the opportunity at New Life School to help in children’s classrooms has been very instrumental to me even greater helping others as a reading tutor. Many excellent teachers have also been role models to me. When I was a student, they were patient, explaining things clearly, and making learning enjoyable! All these things have brought hope to instill the same types of learning that I experienced when I was young.
My goal is to help each student learn by whatever method he or she learns best. I also want them to be so excited about learning and the desire to learn more. At this stage they are like a dry sponge absorbing water. Teaching is stimulating and demanding, but most of all it is extremely rewarding and self-fulfilling, we learn from the students too. As a Christian teacher sharing the values and serving as a role model for our children, we provide strong Christ-like examples for him or her. Being in a Christian school setting, I can openly teach the truths of Scripture praising and rejoicing God’s name for He is our mediator forever. Although we had many struggles and challenges our children continued with their education through distance learning from home.
Name: Didier Pott
Class teacher: Standard 3
My philosophy about goals is that for everything that we want to accomplish we need to have steps that will be of guide for our journey. But most important is the have our Lord in every single area of our lives, whether at home, at work, or travelling. Have a clear goal with our Jesus Christ being the pillar to help us and our students with their academic studies and spiritual life.
