Ms. Garcia, 5th Grade ELA Teacher

"I was born in New Jersey and every summer growing up I spent time at the pool with my twin sister and older brother. We would pack our lunches, hang out with our friends, and play cards. Our parents would come later with dinner, leaving us at the pool by ourselves for most of the day. We would look out for each other. Make sure we all had our lunches, towels, sunscreen. It made me responsible, resourceful, and caring.

During the school year I was kept busy with sports. I started kicking a soccer ball around once I could walk. In high school I played varsity soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. In college I was in club basketball and lacrosse, so one could say I was very athletic growing up!

 When my sister and I were in 4th grade we asked our grandfather for an overhead projector that we would use to play school. We would assign homework, give out stickers, teach lessons, and make charts. It was a shock to no one when we both became teachers. 

I realized it was my life's passion to teach kids in my sophomore year in college. I took an internship in Miami, Florida where I got to teach a middle school English class to a group of summer schoolers. I realized how capable they were and how invested they were in learning and listening to me help them figure out who they were, what they cared about, and how they could use their voice in writing. I went to Princeton to pursue my education career and studied psychology. Once I started teaching, I would tell the kids that I could read their minds! I could read their body language and their facial expressions and I think I got pretty close to what they were actually thinking. 

With that being said, if I had a superpower I believe I would want to read minds. It would help me be able to see if my students are understanding what I am teaching them and so I can care best for my family. If I know what they need and what they are thinking then I can help them better and care for them better!

Family is very important to me. I had such a positive relationship with my siblings growing up. I think there's something really special about that bond when you're kids and when you're adults. I think even as you grow up your siblings are those people that you’ll have for hopefully your whole life with you on your team and in your corner."