How long have you been a teacher? When did you begin teaching with Legacy?
I have been an educator since 2004. I started as a teacher intern and began my subject matter teaching in Spanish in 2007, for a grand total of 17 years. I worked at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Cañada Flintridge (an all girls high school) before moving out here to AZ and beginning at Legacy. I had the pleasure of beginning with Legacy in 2018.
Is Spanish the only subject you teach? Do you teach all grade levels?
Currently Spanish is the only subject I teach full-time to students in kindergarten through grade eight in Laveen and for Legacy’s Online Academy. However, I have been teaching ELA and Math during Spring and Saturday School at Laveen, as my teaching career initiated with a Gen Ed focus. I added the single subject Spanish certification in 2007.
I’ve also had the pleasure of teaching choreography for Laveen’s musical “Alice in Wonderland” pre-pandemic, something I missed, as I did so for my former junior high colleague’s shows from 2009-2016, and then again in 2017 with high school students. I’ve also taught Exploratorium (science club) after school in the past and re-introduced the cheer club in the 2019-20 school year at Laveen.
What do you love most about being able to help Legacy teachers and families?
I love being inclusive. I enjoy guiding new faculty and teaching them the ropes to be successful at Legacy. It also thrills me to let families know that I’m here to work with them, to help their children succeed as students and community citizens.
Do you have a favorite story or memory from your time as a teacher?
Oh most certainly! I have one too many, but one that stands out the most is having traveled to the Dominican Republic with seventh graders to participate in beautifying and learning about sustainability at an environmental school. About half of the students in attendance were students I had the pleasure of teaching Spanish to, either that year or during their elementary years at that school (Turning Point School, an independent school in Culver City, CA). To watch their faces light up with pride because they were able to communicate in Spanish with simple sentences and they understood the native speaking students was quite the experience. They were immersed in the culture, enjoying new foods, learning new dances and they were the happiest I had seen them. It will forever be in my memory.
What work or life philosophy informs how you succeed? What motivates you?
My philosophy is; If you say you can’t, you’re right. If you say you can, you’re right. We don’t know our true abilities until we give something a try. We tend to be our own worst critics and often look at what we can’t do without thinking what if I tried instead. I feel that this is what pushes me to be successful overall, be it in the education field or in my personal life growth.
My own children and my school children motivate me. There’s no better feeling than that of having a student I had in second or eighth grade contact me while they’re in high school or college, just to thank me for the impact I made in their lives. Or to inform me of a grade they earned in a higher level of the language. It’s an amazing reward.
What are your favorite hobbies outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, baking (especially trying out new Keto recipes), attending a Zumba class, dancing and working out. I can’t leave out the fact that getting my nails done monthly is a must. My students can attest to that.