Couple dedicated to teaching bilingual education at Plainfield school

A couple who teaches at the same elementary school in Plainfield are together on purpose – and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Juan Figueroa is a bilingual education teacher at Creekside Elementary School, which is part of Plainfield School District 202.

His wife, Sandy Figueroa, is a reading specialist for the school, supporting both bilingual and general education students.

And English is not their first language.

Juan said he was born in Puerto Rico. Sandy said her parents left Colombia and came to the U.S. two years before she, their sixth child, was born.

The couple met at Benedictine University in Lisle, where they were studying computer science.

But eventually, they both wound up in education – and at the same school. And Creekside students are benefiting from their talents, dedication and love for education that stemmed from their own childhood experiences.

Tyler Haymond, principal at Creekside, said he is “very grateful” for the work Juan and Sandy do for the students.

“They are great for kids,” Haymond said.

Haymond said both Juan and Sandy are part of the committee that makes sure students are best served wherever needed, including appropriate classroom placement and receiving enrichment and intervention if and when needed.

Juan is always finding “innovative ways to teach in the classroom,” Haymond said. And Sandy has worked with administration to “bring a level library to all of our students,” Haymond said.

A leveled library typically has books that match students’ reading levels.

Haymond said both Juan and Sandy advocate for the student.

“And both of them are willing to go above and beyond for our kids,” Haymond said.

‘Reading was hard for me’

Sandy said her parents didn’t speak much English, and the Catholic school she attended didn’t have English language services.

“School was hard for me,” Sandy said. “Reading was hard for me. Understanding was hard for me.”

After college, Sandy was hired at another school district as a longtime substitute teacher, earned a bilingual endorsement, and then worked as a full-time teacher for four years, she said.

Sandy then came to Creekside as a dual-language kindergarten teacher, and she’s been at the school for 17 years, the last four as a building-wide reading specialist, teaching students in kindergarten through fifth grade, she said.

Through the years, Sandy also earned a master’s degree at Benedictine University, an English as a second language endorsement, and a reading specialist endorsement from National Louis University in Lisle “because she wanted to make an impact on these children,” she said.

A role model for students

Juan recalled a similar lack of support in the classroom for non-English-speaking students after his parents moved to West Chicago when he was in first grade.

Because he didn’t speak English, Juan consequently struggled with school until “a great teacher helped me acquire some of the language,” he said.

“A lot of times I try to explain to people that elementary years were more of a blur because I didn’t really understand what was going on,” Juan said.

After graduating from Benedictine University, Juan worked for a technology company that eventually went through downsizing, he said.

At the same time, he was working long hours and missing the childhood of his two sons, now 21 and 18, he said.

Juan said he wanted a job that allowed him to spend time with his family and make an impact, and he decided to become a bilingual teacher.

“I wanted to be there for those students who move in from different parts of the country and really assist them with that support early on,” Juan said. “That was really important to me.”

Juan said male elementary teachers still are a minority, and he wants to be a role model for his students in that regard.

In his 40s, Juan earned a master’s degree at Benedictine University and a reading specialist endorsement from National Louis University in Lisle.

The same job satisfaction

Both Juan and Sandy talked about the benefits of working at the same school but in different roles.

They drive to and from work together. They share aspects of their workday together, bounce ideas off each other, stay current on trends and brainstorm ways to motivate their students, many of whom have never opened a book until coming to their classrooms.

“We have to find a way to evolve with the students,” Juan said.

“Both of them are willing to go above and beyond for our kids.”

—  Tyler Haymond, principal at Creekside

And, of course, they share the same job satisfaction.

“It’s extremely rewarding being able to have students who don’t even know their letters to leave you as a reader,” Sandy said.