Mrs. Maria Arroyo

Arroyo     

 WELCOME TO MRS. ARROYO'S SPANISH CLASS   

I want to share my excitement of having your children in my life, as this is my first year at St. Mark School where I work part time on Fridays and Mondays in Grades 4 through 8 teaching Spanish. They are blessings who give me the opportunity to learn together with them. As Leo Buscalia said, “...plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return...”  Your children inspire me on a daily basis - with their enthusiasm - to continue enjoying the educational-teaching process through their learning after 38.5 years of experience.  

I earned the B.A. and the M.A. Degrees in Education from the University of Puerto Rico.  Additionally, I attended Fairfield University in Connecticut and received Advanced Study certification in ESOL Bilingual Education.  In Puerto Rico, I was the Assistant Director and an English Professor of the American University at the Dorado Campus in Dorado, Puerto Rico. I also worked in education at the Office of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as State-Level Director of CSBG & JTPA, and served as Principal at Maestro Ladí High School. After moving to the United States, I worked with the Bridgeport Board of Education as Assistant Director of Federal and State Programs and Assistant Principal.

Among other educational experiences, I was a speaker for: the Bridgeport Public Schools Parent Convention, the Teachers’ Association of Puerto Rico, the Office of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Academy of Superintendents and Principals of the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. As a speaker, my presentations included - but were not limited to - Note-taking the Student’s World, Management and Supervision, Excellency on the Job, Effective Communication Skills, the Evaluation Process, Public Law 68, Teachers’ Role, What is J.T.P.A., and Community Services Effective Results.

I am fluent in English and Spanish and belief as Sandra Cisneros, “The more you speak more languages, the more you understand about yourself.”