Woodland School District 50

Teacher Feature: Airon Giron, 4th Grade Teacher at Woodland Intermediate
Maestro Giron is a 4th Grade Dual Language Teacher at Woodland Intermediate. He credits his success in becoming a teacher with support from the Grow Your Own (GYO) organization. GYO supports and encourages individuals who are ready to share their wisdom as teachers and mentors, with the goal of diversifying the Illinois teaching population to reflect the rich racial diversity of students. Maestro Giron was part of an initiative to support minorities interested in entering the teaching profession by removing obstacles, and providing academic, financial, and social-emotional support. As part of the program, GYO helps bring participants together to build community and fellowship, creating a network of support so that nobody feels like they are doing this alone. This was especially helpful to Maestro Giron who moved to the United States from Guatemala in 2003. Maestro Giron has been teaching at Woodland for five years.