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We are excited to introduce our newest monthly regular blog post, “Featured Teacher.” Each month we will highlight a teacher from one of our schools, giving you the chance to get to know our staff better, and to see how they make each Country Home location special. This month, we fittingly begin our Featured Teacher series at our N.W. Military Hwy. location in San Antonio. This is the very first Country Home location that ever opened; it began operating 30 years ago.
Brandi Rubalcava, the director at our N.W. Military Hwy. location, has been with Country Home for 14 years. Over the years she has witnessed first-hand what makes Country Home such a successful and loving place — the teachers! When Ms. Brandi and Assistant Director Teresa Gomez were asked to select one teacher to be featured on the monthly blog post, Ms. Brandi replied, “The team is what makes the success, not one individual.” Brandi sees her school as a whole, and both she and Ms. Teresa feel fortunate to be part of such an “awesome team.” This is why the first month of Our Featured Teacher blog post features all of the amazing teachers at Country Home Learning Center’s N.W. Military Hwy. location.
Ms. Teresa explains that a top priority is, “always have a loving staff for the children – it’s all about the kids.” This is what she and Ms. Brandi focus on when working with their staff. The result is amazing efforts by their teachers every day in working with children’s educational, emotional, and physical development.
We sat down with all of these amazing teachers to get to know more about them personally, and they repeatedly expressed their attachment to this wonderful place that they say is “like family.” When looked at as a whole, the staff at this location has over 155 years of experience with Country Home. In addition, many of the teachers carry certifications such as degrees in child development and psychology, as well as newborn nursing. Their background alone shows the strength, credibility, and experience that these exceptional teachers possess.
The majority of N.W. Military Hwy.’s teachers came to Country Home for employment after witnessing their own children’s successes as students. Ms. Angelica, an infant teacher, explained that, “Country Home definitely helped my (daughter) prepare for public school. It prepared her. This place is family. I know a lot of teachers who have been here forever, so I trust them.”
Ms. Shelia is one of those “forever” teachers. Hired in 1999, she explains that she still enjoys “getting up every day and knowing that I’m contributing to somebody’s life. I love the kids in my class; they are who really keep me going every day.” Her conviction is one that many teachers at this school share, and this attitude is what makes Country Home such a trustworthy, unique, and extraordinary program.
Ms. April, a toddler teacher, states her “favorite part of working at Country Home is the interaction with the toddlers. They start learning your name and how to talk with you. That’s the age when they start to remember everything you say.”
The focus on development is extremely important at Country Home, and a fully accredited curriculum helps children master skills as they grow. Ms. Linda, the location’s curriculum coordinator, assists the teachers daily to ensure the children experience the exceptional educational tools associated with our program.
Country Home’s priority is providing exceptional care to children, but when you come through the doors at our San Antonio N.W. Military Hwy. location, you feel much more than a safe and educational environment. You feel like you are walking into a family — a family where teachers have named their own children after their co-teacher; a family where people have been there “forever,” a family that believes succeeds together not as individuals, and a family that shares the common bond of  loving what they do each day. In the words of Ms. Mary Jane, a preschool teacher, “this is being honest, I love Country Home!”
We are very thankful to all of the teachers at the N.W. Military Hwy. location in San Antonio and their incredible directors, Ms. Brandi and Ms. Teresa, who chose to feature their amazing team!