The Viking Family is constantly growing and changing through the years, and the staff who work hard for our education are always happy to welcome a new member to our school. This year Pleasant Valley welcomes Bethany Gonzalez, who is joining the Math department as an IM1 & IM2 Teacher. Mrs. Gonzalez is an enthusiastic teacher, with an amazing bond with her classes, and who is just as happy to be a part of our school as we are. She enjoys taking part in many events and activities in our school and town. She will commonly go to school sporting events, something quite popular and exciting to many students and staff alike.
As fun as sports are to attend, there are many more ways Mrs. Gonzalez has contributed to the Viking family. With her experience in music, being both a singer and talented pianist, it is no surprise Mrs. Gonzalez joined a teacher band by the name of ‘Staff Infections.’ She plays with a series of other teachers, with her role being as the main singer. As a fan of both sports and music, many of her students find common interests with Mrs. Gonzalez, allowing her the crucial bond that lots of them need.
People will find many different ways to work or practice schoolwork, and one unique tip that has helped Mrs Gonzalez with her work is to have TV on in the background, usually Netflix. She said that this has been so useful with her that she will always have something on whenever she wants to hunker down on work. She also enjoys using stories and other methods to help her students understand the work on a deeper level. By relating with the students and changing her perspective, Mrs. Gonzalez does everything she can to make sure everyone is following along, while still having fun.
Though this is her first time as an official teacher, it was a surprise to learn that Mrs. Gonzalez’s past with PV goes much longer than just this. Her first experience in PV had been as a student, and she had eventually graduated from PV, the start to her teaching career. Even after highschool, Mrs. Gonzalez found a student teaching position here at PV while in college. Once graduating as a teacher, she had started teaching at Core Butte, a charter school in Chico, where she taught up until this last year when she switched to PV, now with us for her 9th year as a teacher.
Mrs. Gonzalez is very close with her students, welcoming each and every one of them. While some only see her in class, other students will spend their lunch in her class. Whether it’s to get help with homework or just to socialize, her classroom is the center of a lot of attention. One of Mrs. Gonzalez’s many students is Emily Rangel, an IM1 student who likes how Mrs Gonzalez “goes over [Classwork] and the example[s] she uses to make sure [they] understand.” Understanding students is something many people enjoy about Mrs. Gonzalez, letting them learn the curriculum better and in a more interesting way. Emily also finds Mrs. Gonzalez more trusting due to how she is “kind and very sweet and very understandable to her students” which lets her students grow an even greater bond with her.
Students believe that it is not just Mrs. Gonzalez, but the whole energy of her class that makes it feel so welcoming and inclusive to them. Emily Rangel stated how Mrs. Gonzalez’s class “makes [her] feel equal and understood if [she] ever struggle[s]” and she is one of many to think that. Mrs. Gonzalez herself said she would describe herself as “Outgoing, energetic, and talkative” all of which were strongly agreed with by her students. Milani Huerta, another student interviewed about Mrs. Gonzalez, also was asked about how she feels about her teacher and class. She talked about how “it’s a nice class and everyone feels comfortable and [she is] a part of the class.” Milani also enjoyed the way Mrs. Gonzalez presents things to the class, especially how the way she teaches is “very expressive” and “she tells the class how she feels.”
As the newest addition to PV’s staff, there couldn’t have been a better person than Mrs Gonzalez. She has an incredible bond with her students, being expressive and understandable to help them learn their best. She has past experiences with PV, meaning even though this is her first time as a teacher, she knows of our community and Viking culture. PV is a large Viking Family, and is a family that is glad to have Mrs. Gonzalez as one of our many amazing teachers and staff.
