¡Hola! I’m Marcelyn Smith, known to my students as Maestra Smith , and have been teaching Spanish at San Marin since 2001. I was raised primarily in San Francisco, graduating from George Washington High. My Spanish degree is from Brigham Young University. I live in Sebastopol and my free time devotions include family, friends and the outdoors. I'm an avid hiker.
Enthusiastic and energetic are words that describe me well, both in and out of the classroom. I strive to know my students well and to bring the Spanish language alive within them. My favorite activities are those that help students to make a personal connection with the language and its associated cultures. The time and effort spent creating an environment in which students feel safe and want to give their best is never time wasted. I'm successful when I’ve helped students find practices that tap into their individual strengths and really work for them. When I see them draw on those strengths to help each other learn... well, that’s a piece of heaven.
“El que habla dos lenguas vale por dos.”
The man who speaks two languages is worth two.
-Spanish proverb
Enthusiastic and energetic are words that describe me well, both in and out of the classroom. I strive to know my students well and to bring the Spanish language alive within them. My favorite activities are those that help students to make a personal connection with the language and its associated cultures. The time and effort spent creating an environment in which students feel safe and want to give their best is never time wasted. I'm successful when I’ve helped students find practices that tap into their individual strengths and really work for them. When I see them draw on those strengths to help each other learn... well, that’s a piece of heaven.
“El que habla dos lenguas vale por dos.”
The man who speaks two languages is worth two.
-Spanish proverb