LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Carlos Baez was nominated by his principal, Alison Hanks-Sloan.

Look at International High School at Largo's Twitter account, and you'll find award-winning tweets keeping the school community up to date and sharing great news to the world. On YouTube, you can catch the school's new Sea Turtle Live, which is student-centered and generated. Behind the scenes of anything technology related is Mr. Baez. He is finding new ways to motivate students to learn, use their voice, and develop their English-speaking skills, as all of his students are English Language Learners.

Mr. Baez, whose first language is Spanish, started his career in Puerto Rico as a music teacher. He wanted to become a musician, but his mother and love got him into education. He is as passionate about teaching his students as he is about his saxophone and his family. Mr. Baez is also compelled to find a way to connect students to each other and their school through forms of media. He collaborated with a team of colleagues to create a virtual prom, virtual awards assemblies, virtual platforms/schedules for the unplanned spring schedule during the COVID-19 shutdown, and virtual end of the year celebrations. All of these events kept the students and staff connected to each other through clear communication, coherent messages, and heartfelt ways.

"We had the pleasure of meeting Carlos when he interviewed at International High School at Largo four years ago before our second year," said Hanks-Sloan. "He was eager to work specifically with an English Language Learner population. He talked about wanting to start a school news program through the Internet. Carlos shared ways to engage families and a variety of ways. All of his own children attended PGCPS, and he gave insightful and innovative ways to help ELL parents navigate our system. At the end of the interview, when he asked us questions, we learned even more about him and ourselves. His questions went beyond the traditional ones. He asked about our school’s values and how we communicate to our students and each other. He showed a level of compassion and commitment that we were fortunate to experience each and every day after he joined the team."

The students and staff say it best about Mr. Baez:

• Mr. Baez saw his ability in my homework more than anyone else. Whenever I ask him a question or ask for his help, he can explain.  

• Mr. Baez is a very special person. He has supported me with my work and other areas.

• Mr. Baez is the best teacher I have. He cares about me and my work. He is there when my mom has meetings. Mr. Baez outstanding and he talks to all of my family.

• We learn so many things in here. He is really good at teaching his class.

• I like his classes, and he is really funny. He helps us pronounce the words in English.

• He is a teacher who teaches. He has supported me by helping me and explaining how to do the work.

• He is always teaching things and being a friend. He knows the most about technology.

• He makes us laugh, and he cares about the work I do. He supports my family by giving advice.

• He is a musician like me. He motivates me and the other students. 

• During parent conferences, he gives my dad tips on how to help me be a good student.

• He provides technical support to the students and our families. He helps my family by giving advice.

• He helps other teachers learn how to use their computers. He also gives them tips about how to improve the way they teach their students.

At his school, Mr. Baez is nominated again and again as Teacher of the Month by staff and students. He exudes positivity and integrity day in and day out. All of his students are building confidence in expressing themselves in English, and all his students are empowered to use technology thanks to his class and his mini-lessons to help students access their Chromebooks. From the first day, his students learn his name and establish a rapport with him.

Walking into his class, you become immediately engaged in what is happening. Whether students are working in small groups or independently, everyone is focused on a project or activity. He creates a learning environment in which students are challenged through project-based learning. Students might be developing their hypothesis or building their models to test their findings. His investment is evident through the growing love of technology, problem-solving, and project completion in his class. Students might be creating a game, rewriting a technical description of their invention, developing a marketing campaign, or designing slogans for a public interest campaign in the school.

Another class Mr. Baez teaches is television production. He has created a media savvy team that can be trusted to use their press passes appropriately and create stories for the bi-weekly school production: STL News (Sea Turtle Live). Students are using the equipment, writing scripts, and editing stories. From Census 2020 to celebrating diversity, the news stories have won awards from the Internationals Network and at local film festivals. Students wear their Media Day shirts from the PGCC county-wide event with great pride.

"Carlos inspires us as a school team to take action and move beyond words," said Hanks-Sloan. "He helps us be deliberate and intentional in our decisions. He leverages our strengths by being both a visionary and critical thinker who takes us through the necessary steps to create, implement, monitor, and reflect on the structures and programs we put into place as we continue to design and define our school, which is still developing. Carlos is a star executor who helps shift us from discussion to action steps. His class has won awards for their productions."

Mr. Baez is a natural leader who emerged among the team. His peers nominated him to be team leader. He is a part of the weekly leadership team and guides the tenth grade staff. Mr. Baez sets high standards and clear expectations, which he implements with consistency and fairness. He is an effective communicator and a problem solver. His team meets weekly, and he facilitates the dialogues. They have kid talks every Tuesday (even during distance learning) and use a protocol with data to celebrate or troubleshoot different students on their team. His tenth grade team trusts him and shares concerns to resolve together. They strategize how to support their at-risk students and how to celebrate their high performing ones. He keeps the other team leaders on a timeline, reminding them to submit their student of the month and highlighting it on the school news.

Three years ago, Mr. Baez was trained in using restorative justice (RJ) circles/practices. He has led conflict and community circles for students and staff, including weekly dialogues and problem-solving situations. He has also been involved in the discipline process and decision-making. His abilities to maintain a calm presence and think quickly and swiftly with integrity and logic exemplify his ability to handle challenging situations. In his classroom, students have embraced the RJ practices and will use restorative words when describing problems. The student agency in his class is commendable.

Mr. Baez is an exemplary educator who inspires both staff and students. That inspiration was encapsulated when he performed Wind Beneath My Wings on his saxophone at his school's first graduation last May. There wasn’t a dry eye in the auditorium! His genuine love for students and commitment to help them are traits he possesses. His words of wisdom and rapport with students have kept many students who get frustrated throughout high school to stay in school and keep their graduation as the goal for both themselves and their promise to him.