• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Saturday, February 4, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

In a System Without Much STEM Support for the Most Vulnerable, it’s Up to a Teacher Willing to go a Step Beyond

To Teach His Students, South Florida Teacher Mark Godinez Learned To Code Himself 

by Skyler Rossi
March 2, 2022
in Ecosystem
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Man in black standing in a technology classroom
Mark Godinez

This is one of a series of stories about Times of E’s reporting trip to Miami, Fla. Read others here: A Request Went Out to the Tech Community for a Principal for the Day. Only One Person Responded, here: A Historically Black Community Helped a Small Business Survive, and here: Miami is Mostly Talk When it Comes to Diversity

It was the last day of school before winter break at South Dade Senior High, and students were filtering out. But some stayed behind, buzzing with a different kind of energy. 

Overnight, they would transform the gym into a field for a robotics competition the next day. The students had been working on the robots since August, said one student, excitedly. One of the school’s classrooms had been given over to space for a huge table where the robots practiced.

That the competition and the equipment are here at all is thanks to the students’ teacher, Mark Godinez. A teacher for the past 16 years, Godinez has become increasingly aware that if he doesn’t expose his students to STEM careers, it’s not going to happen at all.

Homestead is tantalizingly close to Miami, which is buzzing with new tech energy. But in other ways, it’s an entire universe away. Many of the students in this robotics competition are children of migrants from El Salvador and Mexico who work in agriculture. Some are likely undocumented.

So many students never come across tech classes. Without exposure, students wouldn’t be likely to enter a tech field. “They just see whatever they see,” said Godinez.

“I want to make sure that they have those options. That’s important for us.”

 Four years ago, Godinez, who teaches game design and digital information during the day, volunteered to learn coding so he could teach it to his students. Now, the program he leads after school and over the summer focuses on reading, writing and coding. Over the last four years, he’s also advocated with the school district for students to get access to technology – now his classroom is filled with dual monitors, 3D printers and VR headsets.

The school system has come through with some funding, but that’s only a part of what it takes — the students also raise funds, and “they need somebody like me that networks around the community outside of the school,” he said. “…That’s what keeps me going.”

Connections in the community that have been key, he said. A group called Deaf Kids Code is visiting the district soon to try to get more students with disabilities interested. Some of his high schoolers will enroll in a cybersecurity course at Miami college this semester, thanks to a partnership with the school, Godinez said.

“He has really made a lot with nothing,” said Carlos Vazquez, the founder of Miami Edtech and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools STEM vice-chair. “He moves mountains for his kids over there.”

Vazquez noted that Godinez has been able to avoid one trap that talented teachers of color sometimes face within public school systems. “If they’re really good at classroom management, they get pigeonholed.”  In other words, they’re asked to work with troubled students, without getting access to advanced skills training that make any job more satisfying and rewarding. “It’s a vicious cycle on that front.”

Overcoming the Fear

Godinez, who’s also a single dad of two, said he realized the importance of his own presence as a role model. If he could show students that people of color can code, they might be able to picture themselves in those jobs. His fellow teacher, Shawn Waring, who used to teach woodworking at the high school before he shifted to robotics, decided to learn coding so he could teach his students, too.

It felt like a leap to both of them. The greatest barrier to learning the language was fear, he said. “I was scared,” Godinez said. “I couldn’t do it alone. So I made networking partnerships within the computer science teacher association in Miami. And that’s why I’m here now.” 

The two learned as they were teaching their students. In the early days, before Godinez had the classroom full of screens and monitors, he used plants to teach coding – starting with a seed and watching it grow. 

The technology changes every few years, so the fundraising needs are constant. Godinez and other teachers have worked to build a circular program. His robotics students do a lot of outreach, talking to nearby elementary and middle school students about why they joined robotics and how to get involved.

He’s especially focused on getting more girls and people with disabilities involved, he said. He’s already seen some impact. When he started the program, he had no girls involved. Now, there’s 22. Not enough, he admits, but still a larger number than most coding competitions. 

He’s seen the impact it can have. One student, whom Godinez didn’t name for privacy reasons, got into college thanks to her robotics accomplishments. She began the program at the start of high school. Now she’s encouraging other girls to get involved.

“Even though she’s leaving, she’s already mentoring other female students,” Godinez said. “So it continues.” 



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Tags: Carlos VazquezMark GodinezMiami EdTechSTEM education
Skyler Rossi

Skyler Rossi

Related Posts

Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

by Elizabeth Macbride
January 27, 2023
0

GET Champions: Tech Leadership in Miami Forward-thinking Miami tech industry leaders are invited to apply for GET Champions Miami. The program will...

A $350 Billion U.S. Chip Manufacturing Boom

A $350 Billion U.S. Chip Manufacturing Boom

by Elizabeth MacBride
January 6, 2023
0

The $350 billion chip manufacturing boom in the U.S. As I journalist, I’ve learned to ask myself: What are the...

Real Estate Entrepreneur Offers an Alternative to the American Dream of Homeownership

Real Estate Entrepreneur Offers an Alternative to the American Dream of Homeownership

by Lori Ioannou
December 8, 2022
0

Mark Wolf of AHV Communities is a pioneer in the build-for-rent real estate sector. Unlike many entrepreneurs who’ve made their...

A New Manufacturing Boom Could Come To Pittsburgh, But It’s Not Steel

A New Manufacturing Boom Could Come To Pittsburgh, But It’s Not Steel

by Elizabeth Macbride
November 4, 2022
0

Mill 19 within Hazelwood Green. Photo: courtesy of RIDC Times of E’s series: Deep Dives into Secondary Cities was sponsored...

photo of a mural of eyes

The New Capitals of American Business

by Elizabeth Macbride
March 30, 2022
0

A mural in the Wynwood district, a rising tech and arts neighborhood, in Miami It was a hot day in...

White man in checked shirt

A UVa Startup with Machine-Learning Inventory Management Aims to Reduce Medical Waste

by Shirly Piperno
February 22, 2022
0

Co-founder Matthew Meyer For our Startup Spotlights, Times of Entrepreneurship scouted the most successful startups that spun out of top...

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

January 27, 2023
Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

January 26, 2023
Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

January 25, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
Options about your Options – How to think through your company’s option program

5M People Became Entrepreneurs in 2021, a 20-Year-Record

1 year ago
Two girls texting

Changemakers: MPOWER, a B Corp, Starts to Separate from the Pack in International Student Lending

1 year ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?