Sra. Carolina Torres will teach Spanish I and II at Jesuit High School starting in fall of 2021. Continuing a 20-year teaching career, Sra. Torres taught Spanish to K-8th grade students at Our Lady of the Lake in Lake Oswego. She’s looking forward to her new teaching opportunity.

“When I was teaching at OLL, I heard about the high academic standards at Jesuit for students as well as the loving community,” Torres said.

Sra. Torres is a native speaker from Mexico City.

Beyond her expertise in Spanish, Torres has a degree in chemical engineering as well as a master’s degree in industrial management. Upon moving to the US, she earned a master’s in education and began her teaching career.

“I love chemistry,” Torres said. “Organic chemistry was one of my favorite subjects. And math. But Spanish has a lot of advantages because you learn about all different countries and all the different cultures and it’s never ending. It’s the people and the culture and how it’s changing every day. It drives you to keep learning.”

Full Interview Transcript (edited lightly for length and content)

How long have you been teaching? 

A long time. I started teaching algebra in college when I was in Mexico City and then I moved to the United States and started teaching in elementary and middle school for approximately 20 years. 

Where have you taught prior to Jesuit? 

Our Lady of the Lake Catholic school. I taught there for almost five years, teaching Spanish to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. 

And what classes will you teach this year? 

Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. 

What excites you about teaching at Jesuit High School? 

The community. When I was teaching at OLL, I heard about the high academic standards for students and the loving community.

What should the community know about you?

I’m from Mexico City and I’m a native Spanish speaker. I’m chemical engineer actually and I have a master’s in industrial management, but when I moved to the US, I earned my masters in teaching. 

Do you ever miss chemical engineering? 

A little bit, but I also bring that to the classroom. I advocate for the importance of recycling. Also, when I was teaching little kids, I would teach them about why smelly markers  that we used in a project might have certain scents. Fun smells and things like that. I explained that a lot to the kids and that was one way I could still bring chemical engineering into Spanish. 

I love chemistry. Yeah, organic chemistry was one of my favorite subjects. And math. But Spanish has a lot of advantages because you learn about all different countries and all the different cultures and it’s never ending. It’s the people and the culture and how it’s changing every day. It drives you to keep learning. 

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 

Focus on one day at a time. Stay in the here and now. Planning is important, but if you are teaching, for instance, focus your mind on teaching. If you’re having fun, focus on having fun.