This month’s featured teacher is Señora Molinaro, a Spanish teacher in the CAL academy. When asked what inspired her to become a teacher, Molinaro responded, “I had an amazing French teacher in high school. Her name was Madame Caruso. It was just that she was a beautiful person, inside and out. She loved language, which made me appreciate and love the class even more. It was a class I looked forward to every day.”  Before she was a Spanish teacher, Molinaro was a legal secretary at a law firm. She started as a legal secretary  in high school, and worked there until she went to college.

Molinaro attended UCLA for four years and received her Bachelor of Arts, later receiving a master’s in Contemporary Spanish Literature and minoring in Chicano Studies. When asked what the best part about her job was, she responded, “I love my students. I get to meet new people every year, and see them mature and graduate. It’s like starting the adventure with them. I love it; I thrive off the energy my students give.”  In doing any job, there are a few things we never want to do, and being a teacher is no exception. Molinaro stated, “Homework. I have to grade so much homework, and other paperwork.”

Molinaro was ecstatic about being named “Teacher of the Month.” She replied, “It’s so cool! I’m flattered! It’s nice to be acknowledged for something you love to do. You get to make your cake and eat it too!”  Molinaro loves her job and is dedicated to the students and teachers she meets along the way. She explained, “There’s no place I’d rather be, except on the couch watching TV with my kids.”