Faculty FrontDoor

I was born in Havana, Cuba, an amazing city filled with art, music, and gorgeous architecture that ranged from the 1500s to modern times. People from all over the world came to visit the city. Havana was a vibrant, exciting place even as a child. When I was 13, my mother sent me to school in New York City (in addition to my year of school in Havana) to learn English. I was excited to go to New York, but hated it when I could not speak or understand one word of the language. So I know what it is like to learn a language and to feel frustrated when you can't find the words. But I learned and you can too.

Today it is even more important to learn another language because technology connects us with other people, cultures, and countries instantly. As a global community, learning another language can help you in work and in life. What I hated at first turned out to be one of the best gifts of my life. I did not have to speak my new language perfectly. People understood me and they were happy that I respected them enough to try to learn their language and culture. They thought my many mistakes were 'cute'.

So make a consistent effort in class and keep trying when you make mistakes. You don't have to speak perfectly to discover new opportunities. At the very least, you get the 4 credits you need in a foreign language! :) (But I hope it becomes more than that!)

MY EDUCATION:

Ph.D. in Modern Language, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba,
M.A. in Spanish, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont

PROFESSOR OF SPANISH, VALENCIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
•  Instructor of various levels of Spanish classes for over 15 years

PRIVATE TRANSLATOR
•  Simultaneous oral translation for a United Nations Conference
•  Written translations for judicial, medical and business offices.

TEACHER OF SPANISH, BISHOP MOORE HIGH SCHOOL
•  Chairperson of Foreign Language Department
•  Led students to 5 times First Place awards and 2 times Second Place awards at Florida Chapter of Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
•  Dean of Students for 2 years

TEACHER OF SPANISH, GIRLS PREPARATORY SCHOOL, TENNESSEE
•  Chairperson of Foreign Language Department

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, CANDLER UNIVERSITY, HAVANA
•  Instructor of all levels of English classes for legal, medical, and business professionals

PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER, HAVANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
•  Adult school principal
•  Instructor of all levels of English classes

•  Student Choice Award, Valencia College 2002
• Best Practices Teacher Recognition, School to Work Partnership, Valencia College
• Better Place to Start Award, Valencia College
•  Who's Who Among American Teachers
•  Outstanding Spanish Teacher for State of Florida, awarded by Florida Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
•  Master Teacher Award, Bishop Moore High School
•  Chapter of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica Nacional, named after me

I hope you will enjoy this semester. I look forward to teaching you about my language and culture and helping you prepare to live and work in a global community!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: PLEASE READ.
You MUST come the first day of class with a copy of the syllabus and the requirements for your course. I WILL NOT have any copies to give you. You can download it from this site in the SYLLABI section. Also check Course Materials.

STUDENTS IN ALL SPANISH CLASSES MUST PASS THE COURSE WITH A 'C' OR BETTER.

To all of my students, have a GREAT YEAR, full of dreams and renewed commitment.

Maria Perez-Boudet