Melissa Padilla
I painted this to represent what I like the most about my city: I love riding my bike, seeing the mountains, watching the sunsets, and walking around the downtown tall buildings!
Hello! My name is Melissa Padilla and I am the Dual Language teacher for Second Grade!
I joined the Candler Elementary School in 2023, however, I have been teaching since 2016 in Bogota, Colombia (my home country). As a foreigner, I have the opportunity to be an ambassador teacher with the Participate Learning program, meaning that I share my culture through the lessons we study with the kids!
Regarding my education, I have a Bachelor's degree in teaching English, Spanish, and French languages from La Salle University and a Master's degree in Bilingual Learning Environments from Santo Tomas University (both schools are located in Bogota, Colombia).
As I teacher, I believe that a positive learning environment requires the participation of our community; therefore I try to get families and the educational community involved in the kids' learning processes. Also, I am committed to my students' processes so I can guide them in their academic and personal growth. I seek to offer students significant learning experiences that incite their curiosity to learn!
During my time in the States, I intend to make the most of this cultural exchange and I feel happy that CES is part of this journey!