Carmen Martinez - Glenside Principal

Hi, I'm Carmen Martinez. I'm from Barcelona, Spain and I have 26 years of experience in education. Twenty-one years in Barcelona teaching English, German, Spanish, and Catalan, 13 of them as Assistant Principal, and five years in Muskegon teaching Spanish and Design Thinking and as Instructional Coach in the TWI program. I love teaching and watching students learn and grow. 

I love working with elementary students and watching them embrace learning Spanish, trying their best every day. I've felt truly welcomed in Muskegon, and I love the natural beauty of West Michigan. I'm excited to help grow the TWI program, promote bilingualism in our community, and be part of a community that values language learning. 

Family is very important to me. I have three children and live here with my husband and two of them, while my oldest is away at college in Barcelona. I also love my parents and siblings back in Barcelona, who I miss the most. In my free time, I enjoy bodycombat and swimming, and I have a real passion for learning languages and traveling. 

Fun fact: I speak four languages, and I have a fun tradition of sending postcards wherever I travel! I love writing them to my loved ones as a personal, handwritten way to share my adventures with them. I also love ice-cream!