Congratulations to Rosary’s Spanish teacher, Señora Ray, for being named Rosary’s Teacher of the Year! Having been a Rosary teacher for 22 years, Señora Ray brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her classes. We wanted to get to know this educator icon a little better.

1. How long have you been teaching? How many years at Rosary? What classes do you teach at Rosary?

Overall, I have been teaching for twenty-nine years.  I am in my twenty-second year of teaching at Rosary Academy.  I teach Spanish II, Honors Spanish II and Honors Spanish III.

2. What is your teaching philosophy? 

As a World Languages teacher, I believe that anyone can learn another language at any age.  I think that this requires practice in the areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking in order to become proficient.  For this reason, I use different means of practice in the classroom.  Students utilize websites such as Conjuguemos.com to practice vocabulary and verb conjugations.  They read novels in Spanish to develop vocabulary and to be exposed to grammatical structure.

One of the most effective practices that we utilize is games.  Games such as the flyswatter game, magnetic letters, the verb card game and “Mi Lápiz” offer the students a chance to practice their knowledge and skills in a fun way. It also serves to develop a sense of community in the classroom. I believe that this is essential in a World Language class.  The more at ease you are with your peers in a classroom, the more likely you will participate in the target language. And the more you participate, the more easily you will recall the vocabulary and structure of the language.

3. Why did you choose Rosary? What do you like about the school?

A friend from an elementary school in the Diocese first suggested that I apply for a job at Rosary after she saw an opening in the World Languages Department.  At that moment, I knew very little about the school except for the fact that it was an all-girls school.  Yet, once I stepped onto the campus, I liked the school environment immediately.  The administration, faculty and staff were very friendly, helpful and supportive.  Moreover, the faculty within the World Languages Department were especially encouraging to a new teacher developing her skills as a language teacher. From the beginning, I had a sense that the people of Rosary came together, not only as a religious school but also as a community dedicated to helping others achieve success. I believe that this strong sense of community is still thriving at Rosary today.

4. Are there any funny memories you have of working at Rosary that you could share? (Maybe it’s a funny story, or maybe it’s a student you’re proud of, or maybe it’s that you get to work with me, etc. We’ll take anything.)

My fondest memory of working at Rosary is what I have come to call, “El Año del Gato.” The students know that I love cats and that I have had several over the years. One year, some of my students thought it would be a great idea to make me a ceramic cat in their art class.  I heard the girls talking about this cat project only once, so it slipped my mind as the weeks passed.  A month later, a ceramic cat appeared on my desk and it was painted the same color and with the same markings of one of my cats.  Naturally, I was really pleased with the gift.  Yet, to my surprise, it did not stop there. Three weeks later, another ceramic cat appeared with a note reading, “Happy Halloween.” It was painted orange with black dots for the holiday.  And then, weeks later, a third ceramic cat appeared for Thanksgiving.  It had turkey feet painted across it in a pattern.  This went on for the entire school year.  A ceramic cat would appear unexpectedly on my desk with a note telling me the occasion.  My favorite one appeared around January.  It is a ceramic Yo-Yo Ma cat.  It has glasses and is holding a cello.  It is the best!

Señora Ray loves her ceramic cat gifts from students. (Photo Provided by Señora Ray)

5. Why Yo-Yo Ma? [This maestra is known for her love of the world renowned American cellist and speaks about him in class sometimes.]

Why NOT Yo-Yo Ma?  Here are my top ten reasons:

1. WORLD’s GREATEST CELLIST
2. He has recorded over 120 albums.
3. He has won 19 Grammys.
4. He has collaborated with artists from a variety of genres. These artists include Bobby McFerrin, Carlos Santana, James Taylor and even Miley Cyrus.
5. He has recorded with some of the best composers of our time. These include John Williams, Astor Piazzolla and Ennio Morricone.
6. Every concert that he gives sells out.
7. The songs, “Quarter Chicken Dark” and “Butterfly’s Day Out.”
8. He has appeared on Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and The Simpsons.
9. His name in Mandarin means “friendly.”
10. He inspires great art work in ceramic class.

Señora Ray is one of the hardest working teachers I have personally ever known, and it is an honor to have worked with her at Rosary for so long. She is also one of the funniest people I know, and it delights me when a student shows she understands and appreciates Señora Ray’s wry take on being an educator. This is a teacher who cares deeply for her students and understands the immense capacity for keeping learning alive in her classroom. Her students are colleagues are lucky to know her.

Congratulations, Señora Ray! You deserve this honor and more!