Mission View Elementary School

When a parent walks into the Mission View front office, chances are they’ll be greeted by a familiar face. Claudia Leon, the school’s office manager, has worked at Mission View for 35 years – and before that attended as a student.
 
Claudia initially started as a parent volunteer and has worked her way through a variety of positions before becoming the office manager. So, she has become familiar with those coming in through the school’s doors for decades. Just as her family has had different generations attend Mission View, she’s been witness to generations of other families making their way through the elementary school. 

“Mission View’s home – it’s my home,” Claudia said. “I started my education here, as well as my husband, my in-laws, my children, and some of my grandchildren.” 

Maria is one of a few staff members that attended Mission View and has worked at the school for more than 30 years. Initially having started as a teacher’s assistant, she’s bounced around in the lower grade levels a few times before coming into her current position. 

As far as what has kept her working at Mission View, Maria said it’s the community. She feels bonded with the people and the school, particularly because she grew up going to school there. She hopes to help the community and, even though she lives closer to other schools, would like to stay at Mission View as long as possible. 

Actually, Maria retired a couple of years ago, but she kept coming back. If she continues to feel the need to help kids, as she did following the pandemic, she will continue to work there. 

“I see the kids, that there’s this regression and this need in them, that I just feel the need to be here,” Maria said. “So maybe when I see that not so needed anymore, maybe then I’ll feel that I can go home and finally retire.”

This year, Luis started his 31st year teaching at Mission View. And after working at the same school for so long, it could become harder and harder starting each new year, but not for Luis. He focuses on that fact that each school year is new, and therefore different. 

“Each school year, you get to start back at the beginning,” Luis said. “At the end, you get to see where they’re at.” 

As far as if the students have changed since he first became an educator, Luis doesn’t really think so. Overall, the students are still students. But where they have changed is that they, just like him, have become more knowledgeable to data. They are more data driven. 

When he first started, they sometimes didn’t even have an adopted curriculum. Now, it’s all based on data. 

Looking back through his career, it amazes him how he felt like the school would fall apart if any of the long-term staff left, but now he has become a pillar of the school. 

“When I first started, there were teachers here that had already worked 18-plus years and we kept thinking that when they leave, the school is going to collapse,” Luis said. “And now I’m one of those.”