Spanish teacher at North Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem, NC
Keyword: El Niño, Linguistic Diversity
My name is Angela Rivas and I am a Spanish teacher and the World Language Department Chair at North Forsyth HIgh School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I have been a Spanish educator for 13 years. I currently teach Spanish levels 1-5 and Teacher Cadet I, a course designed for students interested in pursuing a career in education. I have also taught Spanish for Heritage speakers 1 & 2. I am of Guatemalan heritage and grew up being a bilingual speaker. From a young age I have traveled to Guatemala often, which sparked my love for geography, history, languages, and learning about various cultures.
Read more about Angela
In 2012, after graduating from Olivet Nazarene University with majors in History and Intercultural Studies, I decided to join an alternative teaching program, which helped me begin my career in teaching. I have taught in rural and urban high schools across North Carolina throughout my career. In 2018, I received a Master’s in Global Studies in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Through my master’s courses, I became deeply interested in international education. I began to participate in various teacher study programs, which has allowed me to travel with other educators to Belgium and Spain, and teach English in Jerusalem for a summer. In my current teaching context, a little over 50% of students are of Latine/Hispanic heritage at my high school, and we have received many newcomers from South America in the last three years. The Fulbright-Hays Education Group Projects Abroad was a natural extension of the work I have been able to be a part of so far, an opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of South America and particularly of the beautiful Peruvian culture.
During my six-week stay in Perú, I was able to learn about such a variety of topics related to Peruvian culture, such as linguistic diversity, arts and traditional crafts, indigenous culture, environmental issues, ancient cultures and civilizations, gastronomy, and so much more. As a fluent Spanish-speaker, the language classes I was able to be a part of enriched my knowledge of the Spanish-language but most importantly, allowed me to deep dive into the history, culture and literature of Perú. In doing so, I was able to create unique lessons for my students that provided more than just an overview of a country or culture, lessons that provided opportunities for my students to look more deeply into a culture, and allowed me to share my experiences with them. Through the connections I made in Perú, both in Piura and Cusco, I was able to create unique classroom resources that provide a personal connection in my classroom to Perú.
This experience allowed me to grow professionally and personally, and allowed me to experience the richness of the culture and people of Perú. Furthermore, it has confirmed a desire to continue to learn and advocate for multilingual and multicultural education at my school and for all students.