As part of an effort to expand its Spanish program, The Bright School has hired Cindy Avendano to teach Spanish to grades first through fifth.
Mrs. Avendano, who moved to Chattanooga from Puebla, Mexico, in 2010 with her family, is not new to Bright School. She was an assistant to the former teacher, Laura Goetz, for two years, and she recently taught at St. Peter’s Episcopal School as a substitute and at St.
Jude School as a private teacher for grades kindergarten through eighth.
Mrs. Avendano has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Universidad de las Americas Puebla UDLAP and was a training coordinator in the City Hall of Puebla before moving to Chattanooga. She and her husband, Antonio, are the parents of Pamela and Mariana, who are students at Notre Dame High School.
“Cindy has a great enthusiasm for teaching. She is devoted to creating authentic scenarios to help students learn Spanish in meaningful contexts and immerse them in the language. She demonstrates a love for the Spanish language and culture, unending enthusiasm and poise, and the desire to see students learn and appreciate the Spanish language and cultures. Cindy is a wonderful addition to our Spanish program as well as our Bright School family,” said Assistant Head of School Renee’ Kropff, who oversees special area teachers.
Mrs. Avendano will teach grades first through fifth, and the school is working to achieve 90 minutes of Spanish instruction per rotation week over the next few years. Tablets also are being implemented in these classes.
“My goal at Bright School is to share my Latin culture with the kids while they learn and have fun. I love to help kids learn and understand the challenging Spanish language by making their learning experience exciting,” she said. “I encourage the kids to talk more in Spanish during class time.”
In the early childhood grades, junior pre-K through kindergarten, Claudia Rodriguez will teach Spanish every day, an increase from two days a week in previous years. She will focus on vocabulary and pronunication and be present in classrooms each day. Rodriguez, who joined the faculty last year as a junior pre-K assistant, is from Mexico City, Mexico, and recently relocated to Chattanooga with her husband. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology.
The Bright School Spanish program is based on the Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) program, which focuses less on grammar and more on the development of listening and speaking skills and cultural awareness. To be true to our mission to build a foundation upon which students become wise and compassionate citizens of the world, the school strives for each student to be well prepared in speaking, reading and writing Spanish upon graduation.
While Bright School does not provide an immersion program, our instruction is unique in that both Spanish teachers are native speakers and experienced and qualified instructors of young children. Spanish is offered to every student at Bright School.
The Bright School, founded in 1913 by progressive educator Mary G. Bright, enrolls more than 300 students in junior pre-K through fifth grade. Our mission states, “The Bright School builds a foundation upon which students become wise and compassionate citizens of the world. Its century of progress fosters the intellectual, artistic, physical, and moral growth of young boys and girls.”