Bernice Cervantes-Perez is a strong and patient woman who has more intelligence than a next-gen robot. Ms. Cervantes, one of the first graduates of UC Merced’s teaching program, has an angelic voice that will instantly grab the attention of anyone in her vicinity. Ms. Cervantes is living a wonderful life but in a rare moment of vulnerability, Ms. Cervantes opened up about an experience from her teenage years that she has told no one. The conversation got emotional for Ms. Cervantes, but her strength pulled her through this exclusive interview. Despite the hard times Ms. Cervantes has been through, she makes everyone feel welcome in Room 46, no matter their shape, size, color, or sexual orientation. With a kind smile and warm heart, Ms. Cervantes supports her students. In an exclusive interview, I had the unique opportunity to interview Ms. Cervantes who spoke about her thoughts on the LGBTQ+ community as well as how the school treats their staff and finally her adversity as a youth. 

Q: What was your biggest adversity?  

A:  Believe it or not my little brother was diagnosed with lymphoma when I was in high school and beat it. Then my senior year of high school he got it again, and my parents would be gone a lot and it was me and my sister for a long time.

Q: Do you think students could run a classroom for a day?  

A: I think students can run a classroom for a day if they are prepared, but if it was just thrown at them the day of they would not be able to do it.

Q: What are some flaws the school has?  

A: Sierra is nice, and I do not think Sierra has any flaws.

Q: Does the school treat staff the way they should be in your opinion?  

A: I do I think that the school does make the staff a priority and we are all treated fairly.

Q: What are your thoughts on the LGBTQ+ community?  

A: I think everyone should be treated equally and it hurts my heart to see that some places in the world don’t, but I think Sierra does do a great job of being inclusive of everyone.

Q: Do you think the school is fair in treating its students?  

A: Yeah, I do I think Sierra has high expectations for its students and students know that if they don’t meet those expectations there will be consequences and the consequences are the same for everybody.

Q: What made you want to become a teacher?  

A: I wanted to become a teacher so I could build positive relationships with students so that they are confident to learn inside and outside of my classroom.

Q: What is your teaching philosophy? 

A: My teaching philosophy is that all students are able to learn math and any other subject the just need a little push to feel confident in in doing so.

Q: How much do you want to know about your students in order to be most helpful to them?  

A: I think it’s good to know a lot about our students especially with their home life, and what their hobbies or if they play sports or are in any clubs.

Q: What do find most frustrating about teaching?  

A: Class sizes. I think that if all classroom sizes were only 20-25 students we could accomplish more.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  

A: I hope I am still teaching if I am not, I would go back to school and learn more about school counseling or psychology.

Q: What are your strengths as a teacher?  

A: My biggest strength is that I am very patient and very understanding.

Q: What is your biggest weakness as a teacher? 

A:  My biggest weakness is I think I am to nice.

Q: What do you think the culture is like at Sierra High?  

A: I think the school culture at Sierra High is like a big family.

Q: What is the biggest challenge students face today?  

A:  I think the biggest challenge that students face today is the uncertainty of not knowing when everything will go back to normal.

About the Author

Adrian Santos Corona is a junior at Sierra High School, who is studying Communication by Design. Adrian plans to attend UC San Diego after graduating Sierra High School. As a current student, Adrian is very busy, but in his free time he enjoys going on walks, hanging out with friends and family, and the occasional shopping trip. One of Adrian’s favorite cars is a 1960 Chevy Impala. In the future, Adrian hopes to buy one of these classic cars himself and cruise along the coast.