Unable to find suitable candidates locally, public schools in Elgin and Patagonia are filling teacher vacancies through international recruiting.
“There is a nationwide teacher shortage, worse in Arizona and extreme in rural Arizona,” said Elgin School Principal Mary Faley. For the school year 2023-24, “we had a shortage of qualified candidates, or a lack of candidates altogether, for two vacant positions.”
According to the Arizona Department of Education, there were 2,890 teacher vacancies at the beginning of the last school year, an increase of 30% from the previous year.
Nationally, teachers say they are leaving the profession due to stress, long hours and low pay. This trend is worse in states where pay is low. The National Education Association currently ranks Arizona 44th in the nation for teacher pay.
During her search process for qualified candidates for the two open positions for the 2023-24 school year, Faley was contacted by iDreamAmerica, a Philippines-based agency that recruits international teachers for vacant teaching positions around the world. The company asked if the Elgin School would be interested in its services at no cost to the school. Faley agreed.
Faley and the search committees, one each for the elementary and middle school positions, used Zoom to interview prospective teachers. Mrs. Aisel Gaviola was selected to teach fifth grade. Dr. Jerome Ramirez, currently teaching in Vietnam, will be arriving in December to teach middle school English language arts beginning in the second semester.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to learn about different cultures from highly qualified teachers,” said Foley.
The Patagonia Schools were also looking to fill two positions, one in middle school and one in high school. Zoom eased the process of screening and interviewing qualified candidates. Hima Thanagundla from India was selected to be the middle school math teacher, and Andres Cuevas, from Mexico, was selected to be the high school science teacher.
“Having these highly qualified teachers from two different cultures in our schools is a tremendous opportunity for our students,” said Hayes.
The PRT interviewed each of the new teachers to find out more about their background, their journey to teaching in America and their experiences so far in adjusting to their new workplace and home.
Here’s what they told us.
Hima Thanugundla
Hima Thanugundla, age 46, has taught math at schools in Hyderaba, a city in Southern India, for 23 years. Her major at university was math with minors in physics and statistics, and she was awarded a bachelor’s degree in education.
Her passion for math was encouraged by her father, who, while he was a social sciences teacher, believed that his daughter had a math-oriented mind.
“When I was in fourth grade my father gave me a chess set and taught me to play,” she said. “Because chess is a mind game, he believed it would help develop my math skills.”
The decision to teach math was easy for Thanugundla to make. Many members of her extended family were math teachers, including a special aunt who was her idol from a young age. She knew she wanted to marry one day and have children. A teacher’s schedule and hours would be the same as her future children’s, so they would have a lot of time together.
She has two children, a son and a daughter. Thanugundla’s 23-year-old son is in Ontario, Canada studying to be a doctor. Her 17-year-old daughter is in Guyana also studying to be a doctor. The family’s plan is to someday be in the same area in America.
Last January, Thanugundla’s son asked her to move from India to America to teach, as travel time for visits would be much shorter if she moved. Her son reached out to a company that facilitates people who want to become international teachers. Thanugundla received a phone call from the company asking if she was ready to consider moving. She said yes, and the process was underway.
A few days later on a Friday in April her phone rang. She was told there was an opening in Arizona and that an interview with her potential employers was scheduled for the following Monday. Over the weekend she practiced giving her personal information on a video app on her cell phone.
When she went online on Monday morning there were nine people in front of her on her screen ready for the interview. She was a little nervous at first, but soon relaxed because everyone was so friendly. After the video session the interviewers told her they would let her know in a few days whether or not they would give her an offer of employment.
Thanugundla researched Patagonia online and discovered that the community was in the southern part of Arizona. “I liked the location,” she said, “especially because I have a cousin living in Rio Rico who teaches high school math in Tucson.”
On April 18, the offer came through for the job of middle school math teacher at the Patagonia School. Thanugundla continued teaching in India until the week before she boarded a plane for her 32-hour flight to Tucson where she landed on July 25. School in Patagonia began on July 28.
In just three days, with the help of Patagonia School Principal Kenny Hayes, Department Head Anelie Olivarria, the company that enabled the whole process, and her cousin in Rio Rico, Thanagundla settled into her new home that she rented from the Patagonia School, obtained her Social Security card, opened a bank account, shopped for groceries, got some much needed sleep and prepared for the opening day of school.
“I felt nothing new and have had no difficulty adjusting to teaching here,” she said. “Mrs. Hayes, my colleagues at school, Miss Anelie, and the students are all so helpful.”
In India, class size is generally 50 students, with 45-minute class periods. In Patagonia, Thanagundla has a total of 39 students divided between four periods of 11/2 hours each.“The hour and a half periods are so much better,” she said. “I can spend the first 10 minutes doing recall from the day before and then the next 30 minutes introducing the concept of the day with plenty of time left to work the problems.
“The students here are generally ahead of the students at the same grade level in India, and they are not afraid of their teachers so they ask questions when they don’t understand something.”
Thanagundla continues to love the game of chess and is sharing her passion with her students. Like her father before her, she believes chess improves math skills. After school until 4pm she is happy to teach chess to any of her students and play with them.
“Because of the wonderful kids, I have become confident teaching them here in America,” she said. “My colleagues are so helpful, and I am grateful for them. I am happy to be here.”
Andres Cuevas
Andres Cuevas from Mexico City is the new high school science teacher at PUHS. Born and raised in Cuba, Cuevas became passionate about science at the age of 15.
“I attended a career fair and made my decision to become a science teacher,” Cuevas said. He studied biology in pre-university courses, and became a science teacher in 2008.
Seeking new opportunities, Cuevas moved to Mexico City in 2012 and became a Mexican citizen. At university he studied biology, chemistry and physics, specializing in molecular biology and specifically the study of cactus and the role of seeds in the growth of cactus.
Cuevas did postgraduate studies in molecular biology and received a master of science degree in education in addition to the MS in molecular biology. He is currently a doctoral candidate and will make his presentation for his PhD in December this year. While studying for his degrees, he continued teaching at a private bilingual school in Mexico City.
In 2021 Cuevas decided to seek a teaching position in the United States. He was interested in moving to the Pacific Northwest, until he discovered how cold and rainy it was there. He changed focus and began looking at the southern states.
He applied for a visa which he didn’t receive until 18 months later, too late to accept a job offer from a school in San Antonio, Texas.
When the visa was approved in 2023, Cuevas renewed his search for a suitable teaching position in the U.S. He received offers from PUHS and a school in San Francisco.
Although the San Francisco school offered $40,000 more per year, Cuevas’ company sponsor recommended Patagonia. She knew the community and thought Cuevas would enjoy working at PUHS. Also, Cuevas said, “I thought it would cost at least $40,000 more to live in San Francisco than in Patagonia, so the extra salary was not a factor.”
Cuevas arrived in Patagonia on July 26, shortly before the beginning of school. Principal Hayes and the school staff helped him get settled. “They are the best people I know,” Cuevas said. “I have had a great time since I got here.”
Cecilia San Miguel, owner of the Velvet Elvis restaurant, rented Cuevas a casita.
Cuevas got his Social Security card and a bank account in Nogales and then began thinking about buying a car. He searched the ads for an affordable car and realized he couldn’t afford both the rent in Patagonia and car payments. He began looking for a rental in a nearby community.
“Meanwhile I biked to Nogales for an appointment with a car dealer,” he said. “Three hours later I was almost there. The salesman called me to see where I was because I was already late and couldn’t believe I was biking to the dealership. I found a 2020 Kia Soul and filled out the purchase paperwork. The salesman called my bank and found out that I had no credit rating. He told me the deal was off. I said, ‘Oh please, please,’ and he relented and said we could work it out. I bought the Kia.
“I had a Mexican driver’s license good for six months from the time I entered the country, but I wanted a US license. I passed the written test down in Nogales but was a little nervous before the driving part of the test. The examiner said, ‘I see you are a little nervous, so let’s just chat for a few minutes so you will relax. Tell me a little bit about yourself.’ So I did, including the fact that I wanted an affordable rental.
“Then after I passed the test, the examiner told me that he knew of a rental casita just north of Nogales. I went to see it and it was perfect for me.”
School is going well for Cuevas.
“I love the kids and they love me,” he said. “The best part about teaching and living in a little town is that everywhere I go, I hear, ‘Mr. Cuevas, Mr. Cuevas,’ and two or three of my students are calling out to me. In class sometimes I struggle a little bit to get their attention, but then they work really hard. They are great kids and students.”
Outside the classroom Cuevas enjoys playing volleyball, listening to Mexican classical music and working out. He plans to be here for at least three years and is grateful to everyone in the community who has helped him since his arrival, especially Cecilia San Miguel and the entire staff and faculty at Patagonia High School.
Aisel Gaviola
Aisel Gaviola, the new fifth grade teacher at the Elgin School, flew into Phoenix from her home in the Philippines on October 11 and was met by her company sponsor who drove her to Elgin. In a whirlwind of activity, Elgin Principal Mary Faley helped her settle into her two-month rental in Whetstone. Faley twice drove Gaviola to Tucson, once to obtain her Social Security card and again to open a bank account since the local bank was unable to assist her.
Gaviola met the staff and fellow teachers and was especially happy to meet Brittni Gillespie. Since the opening of school at the end of July, Gillespie had been the substitute teacher for the fifth grade until Gaviola’s arrival, which had been delayed due to bureaucratic problems in the Philippines. Jeramie O’Dell, the school’s facility manager, offered to drive Gaviola to and from Whetstone each day since she lacked a car and driver’s license, and there is no public transportation available.
Gaviola is very grateful to all those who so warmly welcomed her, helping her to begin her adjustment to her new community and culture. On her first weekend in the United States, Gaviola was escorted by Principal Faley to the Fall Festival in Patagonia and the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. The chairman of the Elgin School Board took her to church on Sunday.
Gaviola has taught elementary students in the Philippines for 15 years. Her degrees include a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and an almost completed masters of arts in education. All she lacks to receive her masters is the completion of the written requirement. She specialized in English.
Gaviola’s responsibilities at her school in the Philippines were to teach language arts, math, science, social studies, music, art and physical education, in addition to completing a great deal of administrative work.
“The K-6 school enrolled 1,000 students,” she said. “There were 49 kids in my classroom, which was about three-quarters of the size of my fifth grade classroom here. There was no air conditioning, and we teachers encouraged parents to donate fans for our use. It was always very hot and humid. The windows were open. Five days a week, from the middle of August through the middle of the following July, school began at 7:30am and ran until 4:30pm with a one-hour break for lunch. The students sat three to a desk. Books had to be shared because there were perhaps 20 books for 49 students, and the children could not write in the books. Modern technology was not available.
“In 2021, during the height of Covid, a powerful typhoon destroyed many of the classrooms. The students had to share the remaining rooms. Three classes crowded into the remaining standing rooms. Several classes were moved outside under a covered courtyard even though it rains constantly from June through November. The school has yet to be rebuilt. The community was very conservative, and the kids were well-behaved.”
During the second week of teaching at the Elgin School, Gaviola was enjoying getting to know her students and adjusting to the culture here in southern Arizona.
“I am adjusting to the curriculum, school policies, independent learning, and implementing my classroom management skills,” she said. “The best part of my job as a teacher here is learning to connect with my kids and building good relationships with them.”
Gaviola is from Toledo City, Province of Cebu, located on a small island in the middle group of islands making up the Philippines. There are one million people on her small island and 3,735,355 residents in her province. “The Philippines are very overcrowded,” she said.
Gaviola is 38 years old, married, and has an 11-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter. Her parents are helping her husband care for the children while she is here.
The decision to teach in America was not an easy one to make. The salary difference was the main impetus, along with the possibility that someday the family might be able to emigrate. Meanwhile the family talks every day on their cell phones.
“I wake up at 5:00 every day to call them,” she said. “We talk and laugh, ask each other for updates. Sometimes my sisters are there, and it gets very noisy with everyone talking and laughing at once.”
Gaviola hopes that her husband and children will be able to visit some day in the not too distant future.
Dr. Jerome Ramirez, who is currently teaching in Vietnam, will be arriving in Elgin in December to teach the second semester of middle school math. Ramirez and Gaviola have been in daily contact and plan to join other teachers from the Philippines to rent housing in Sierra Vista. Dr. Ramirez will buy a car, and he and Gaviola will share driving expenses. They will also be able to share food preparation and grocery expenses as well.
“In the Philippines we eat rice three times a day,” Gaviola said. “It isn’t a meal without rice, and I do miss all the rice in my diet.
“All of the teachers and staff at the Elgin School have been very helpful and supportive,” she said. “I especially want to thank Mrs. Faley, who is always extremely helpful; Brittni Gillespie, who is still helping me every day in the classroom; and Jeramie O’Dell, who drives me to school and back every day and even drives me to shop for groceries.
“I feel like I belong in this community, and I feel stronger every day.”