DeVear Peters

What made you want to pursue teaching?

I have had so many ideas, like getting a Ph.D., or thinking about opening a charter. But I wanted to make sure that I have been on the ground and that my work in the classroom informs where my ideas are coming from.

What made you choose UChicago UTEP?

What I liked about UTEP was the idea of going through residency—to be actually in two different classrooms and get a feel for it. UTEP wants you to be engulfed in education. Whatever that involves, you need to understand all of it. I was like 'yeah' I can do that, I love it.

What have you carried form UTEP throughout your career?

The main thing is reflection. When I feel frustrated, if I feel like something didn't go right, me sitting down and saying 'okay, let's talk about the day, let's talk about this particular class and how things went.' Reflection lets me take a moment to kind of reset and think. 'How do I make this change tomorrow?' 'What does this look like across the entire year?'