By Mary McPartlin, Editor-In-Chief
October 19, 2023
ROCKLAND- Rockland High welcomed a new teacher, Ms. Guiomar Swartz, to the World Language department this year.
Ms. Swartz is teaching both Spanish Ⅰ and Ⅱ.
Originally from Barcelona, Spain, she moved here more than 20 years ago. She went to college in both Spain and Massachusetts. While attending the University of Massachusetts, she received her degree in education.
She is enjoying Rockland so far, especially because the school is on the smaller side. This allows her department to be close-knit, something she loves.
Before becoming a teacher, she had several different jobs.
“I used to have a store and was a business owner for ten years,” she said.
She also previously worked in real estate.
Along with teaching her Spanish classes, Ms. Swartz hopes to take on a Dog Block to run and has been brainstorming ideas.
“I want to do something that hasn’t been done,” she explained, “But so far I have no idea.”
Mrs. Jackie Tabares is the head of the Language Department, and worked to hire someone for the position last spring and summer. Ms. Swartz is easy to talk to and get along with, which stood out to Ms. Tabares.
“We felt very comfortable with her. She had a lot of experience with other districts so we felt very comfortable talking with her and being in the interview with her.”
Ms. Tabares also is happy to have someone represent a new culture in the school.
“Her being a native speaker from Spain is a great quality,” Ms. Tabares explained. “We have two teachers that are Latin American and one who is a non native speaker, so having the diversity in the department I think is huge.”
Ms. Tabares co-teaches with Ms. Swartz occasionally and said she thinks the kids “really get along with her and respect her.”
She explained how Ms. Swartz works to make connections with the students and have connections with them, which is beneficial to the kids.
Ms. Tabares expressed, “I'm really happy to have her and I hope she stays for a while. I think she’s a good fit for our department.”
Allyson Ready, a sophomore, currently is in Ms. Swartz’s class.
Ready said that her class has “learned gusta, and how to say things that you like and you don’t like. We’ve been working on vocabulary too.”
Ms. Swartz used a mix of teaching methods, including worksheets and board work.
“I like that we always play games. That’s really helpful,” Ready explained.
The class uses both games of Blooket and Gimkit, which are group online review games where students can compete against one another. Ready’s favorite is Blooket.
Another one of Ms. Swartz’s students, sophomore Maycon Silva, also enjoys playing the games, his favorite being Gimkit.
“I’ve been enjoying Spanish so far,” he said, adding that they are currently learning about “ser verbs for nosotros.”
Ms. Swartz’s Favorites:
Food: Paella
Movie: Titanic
Hobbies: cooking, art, fashion,
Color: black
Season: summer
Holiday: Thanksgiving and Christmas