From language barriers to math joy: An Orange County teacher’s journey to empowering students

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Transitioning from a school in Mexico to a school in Florida showed Abi Ruiz the disconnect between Spanish and English learning at a young age.

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Now, Ruiz is one of the highest-educated math teachers in Orange County Public Schools, and she has made it her mission to help her students find joy even in the subjects they struggle with within the classroom.

“My earliest memory of school takes me back to Mexico. That’s where I went to kindergarten and first grade,” Ruiz said. “Then my family decided to move to Florida to search for a brighter future for our family.”

Ruiz was born and raised in a border town in Texas. When she was eight, she moved to Belle Glade, just south of Lake Okeechobee.

“It was a pretty big culture shock. I didn’t know any English.” Ruiz said.

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That meant re-learning lessons she had already been taught, like converting metric units to U.S. customary units.

“We made tortillas in kilograms. We drank liters of water,” Ruiz said. “It was just mind-blowing, right? Because it was just something so new.”

Ruiz said she looked up to the teachers who helped her when she didn’t understand.

She decided that one day, she wanted to be that person for other kids and chose to pursue a career in education.

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Ruiz said she attended undergrad at the University of Central Florida for elementary education.

“I’m Mexican, and we have this mantra “sí, se puede,” which means yes, it is possible. It’s something we say to ourselves when we face adversity.” Ruiz said, “I just thought about the teacher I wanted to become.”

Ruiz did exactly that – she jumped into the Lockheed Martin UCF Mathematics and Science Academy.

In partnership with Orange County Public Schools – in-service teachers can earn a master’s degree and learn the “why” behind math.

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She said this was the first time she ever felt “math joy.”

Ruiz then took her education even further because she said every student deserves access to the wonder, beauty, and joy of math.

In August, Ruiz and 13 other OCPS teachers earned their education doctorate, specializing in kindergarten through eighth-grade math education.

“As I was walking through the stage, I definitely saw little Abi.” Ruiz said, “I wish I could go back and tell her one day you’ll be here.”

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Now, in her ninth year of teaching, and her first at Hidden Oaks Elementary school, she is taking lessons learned from Mexico, Texas, and Orlando and pouring them into those students she dreamed of helping as a little girl.

“Mathematics can be fun. Mathematics is sometimes complicated, but that’s ok,” Ruiz said, “They’re capable mathematicians and scientists, and the world needs them to pursue those careers.”

If you’re interested in following in Abi’s footsteps, full-time working teachers in OCPS can apply to be a part of the math and science academy to earn a master’s degree.

Click here to learn more about the partnership between OCPS, UCF, and Lockheed Martin.

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