Teaching history to the ninth, eleventh, and twelfth grades at Queens Preparatory Academy, Ms. Yajaira Herrera is the new addition to our teacher roster. Raised in Queens, New York with roots in the island of Puerto Rico, she enjoys that our school community creates a sense of togetherness; a place where everyone knows one another.

Ms. Herrera has been a teacher for almost twenty-two years, and having worked at two small schools in the past she finds that overall, smaller schools are easier to work with. QPA junior Ayanna Barrington who is also Ms. Herrera’s student agrees. “Queens Prep is a small school,” she said. “But this allows our school community to be stronger.”

Ms. Herrera has had a passion for teaching from a young age, and claims the best part of her job is being able to help kids learn something new, interesting and exciting every day. Ms. Herrera’s students enjoy her classes because her lessons are interesting and allows students to engage in discussions and share their ideas.

Joshua Andrews, a junior in her history class said, “She explains the work she assigns. I understand the topics and I enjoy her class.”

Junior Thawidul Islam who has Ms. Herrera for both  U.S. History and Government said, “Her classes are interesting and we learn a lot.”

Ms. Herrera shared that if she could change the subject she is currently teaching, she would teach students who have difficulty learning because even though it may be challenging, she feels she would have loved to learn more about it. 

According to Ms. Herrera, one misconception most people have is that teachers have a lot of time off, and this is definitely not true. She admits the schedule for teaching may be different from more traditional jobs, but teachers work for the same amount of time or more. Teachers are always working around the clock, whether they’re in the building or not. One of her most important classroom policies is to respect the learning environment. “We need to respect the classroom,” she said. “Respect your building; this is for you.” 

Ms. Herrera went into teaching as soon as she left college, because she knew it was what she wanted to do. She was influenced to go down this path by a high school teacher she admired, and claims this teacher was vocal about representing different cultures in different environments. She believes despite who you are or where you come from, you should be represented. A quote that stands out most to her would be, “It is what it is.”

Outside of teaching, she’s a hands-on person who loves to build and put things together. She mentioned that refinishing furniture has been something she has always enjoyed doing. One thing she admits she regrets never doing is joining a craftsman’s club that  allows people to build things, work with wood and be creative. 

Ms. Herrera says that everyone at QPA has been welcoming. She also likes that you can see how much everyone cares about students in the school. We welcome Ms. Herrera to QPA with open arms, and hope this article is a great introduction to the new teacher in town!