VIF International Education is proud to honor five of its visiting exchange teachers in the 2010 International Educator of the Year awards program, including Carrboro Elementary School teacher Luz Mery Suárez.
Suárez, who is a first-grade Spanish instructor in the school’s dual-language program, has been teaching in the U.S. for two years through VIF, an international exchange program for teachers. Chosen from among 45 nominees, Suárez has shown innovation and initiative in the classroom and has created opportunities for her students to explore other cultures and countries, master new languages and broaden their perspectives. She is the second Carrboro Elementary School teacher in two years to receive the award, with former teacher Helen Crompton receiving the honor last year.
Suárez had eight years experience teaching literacy in her hometown of Bogotá, Colombia. Her language proficiency and professional training helped her work with other instructors at Carrboro Elementary to develop a complex dual-language curriculum successfully.
“It has been great to see the students’ progress,†Suárez said. “At the beginning, they don’t speak Spanish. At the end of the year, they are writing, they are speaking, they are reading – they are doing it all.â€