Professor of Spanish Tammy Perez stands in front of national flags Thursday in Oppenheimer. Her advice to her successor as chair of languange, philosophy and culture is “don’t lose yourself in the position. Enjoy it.” Photo by Daniel Carde
Chair plans to focus on Hispanic student success for her degree.
M.J. Callahan
Tammy Perez has served as chair of language, philosophy and culture since 2011 and is now going back to teaching at this college while she pursues her doctorate in higher education leadership from Walden University.
“I loved being chair, the ability to help people, to help students. That’s why you become a teacher,” Perez said.
“Part of my doctoral degree says that if I am doing a project study at my own institution, you can’t be in a supervisory capacity over any students that I could possibly study,” Perez said.
“I made a decision that I had done things for others for a very long time and that it was time for me to do something for myself,” Perez said about finishing her doctorate degree.
“I love being chair — the ability to help people solve problems, to help students. You know, that is what I did this job for. That is why you are a teacher, to help students. And the chair position, it multiplies not only helping students in your own program but to help students across your department, college, district,” Perez said.
Perez is now taking her last two classes for her degree and will be in the dissertation writing phase of her doctorate in the spring through Walden’s online program.
“My writing has to take in several areas for my higher education leadership degree. I have to do something with higher education systems or courses, or programs, for my position that I was hired for. It has to have something to do with Spanish because that is my content area so I am going to focus on Hispanic students.
“I am also certified but haven’t taught English as a second language so my thoughts are to focus on the Hispanic students going through our ESL program and where it takes them,” Perez said.
“My interest lies in increasing Hispanic student success,” Perez said.
This semester Perez is teaching two online sections of Spanish 1411, two courses for Travis Early High School students and a Flex 2 session of Spanish 1412.
