Diana Cantu is an ELL specialist who has been teaching for sixteen years. She is currently teaching second grade, her favorite thus far. “They’re not quite grown up,” she says. “They still love you and hug you!”

Cantu knew that she wanted to be a teacher when she was in second grade, but she describes it as a pipe dream. She grew up in a farming community where children didn’t often pursue advanced studies. “Because of affirmative action, though, I was able to get into college,” she says. After years of study, her dream came true.

Cantu gravitates to students who are underdogs or possibly not fully understood by their teachers. She recalls working with a little boy who was considered a “problem child.” The school transferred him right when she had a breakthrough with him and said she “was sad to see him go when the other teachers were celebrating. I identified with him.”

Cantu believes that parents often feel that they can talk to her because she’s bilingual and works to develop a high level of trust with parents. “Some of the parents need help, and it’s a trust level where I won’t judge them for their questions or status. I speak to them about what’s important for their child.”

Cantu is a member of the Clark County Education Association, which represents educators in Las Vegas and surrounding areas of Nevada.

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