First-year Spanish teacher Mrs. Gonzalez won Telemundo teacher of the month sponsored by Joe Cooper. Telemundo, a Spanish television network, hosts monthly surprise teacher appreciation events where the teacher gets a $500 cash prize and meets with on-air personalities.
“Every month, we are looking to highlight an outstanding teacher in the community! We are looking to uplift and recognize teachers for their good attitude and achievements,” Telemundo said on their website.
Before settling as a teacher, Mrs. Gonzalez has always been interested in helping teenagers. After dropping out of college, she assisted teens that were stuck in different situations such as drug abuse and behavioral problems. As soon as she got married and had kids, she decided that she wanted to be a better example for her children so she went back to school and finished her bachelor’s degree. Wanting to work with teenagers again, she strove for her teaching certificate.
“I just graduated college in December of 2020. I got my certification beginning of last year and started applying for teaching positions in Spanish because that is my heritage and my language,” Mrs. Gonzalez said.
As a Spanish teacher, she enjoys teaching students about the language and culture of the foreign language. Gonzalez believes that Spanish class is much more than a requirement for graduation.
“I hope that I am making an impact and I want them to be able to see that Spanish is not just a requirement for graduation,” Mrs. Gonzalez said. “It is something that will help them, something that will make a difference in their future, and more so, just how society is and our culture is changing.”
Commemorating with her students, she has set up a countdown on the wall of her classroom to count down the days to when her third child is expected to arrive.
“They gave me $500 which was nice because I am about to have a baby and I could use that,” Mrs. Gonzalez said.
When asked what she would tell the world if she had the opportunity to, she responded with an optimistic message on letting go of the idea that our troubles last forever.
“‘This too shall pass’. Something I have learned in life is that whatever it is you may be going through, whether good or bad, joyful or sad; whatever the situation, it is not forever so be thankful no matter what it is because you can learn from the experience and grow,” Mrs. Gonzalez said.