At the start of 2024, The New Century School welcomed a new Spanish teacher—Rafael Gonzalez! With language learning at the heart of TNCS’s academic approach, Sr. Gonzalez’s arrival is an exciting new development. Let’s get to know him a little better!

Meet Rafael Gonzalez!

Sr. Gonzalez, pictured here with the Statue of Liberty in the background, officially started his new position as TNCS K–8 Spanish teacher on January 8th, marking the next step of his teaching career. His first 2 week have gone well, he says, despite the snow-related disruptions that kept him and his students out the classroom for a couple of days. Somewhat surprisingly, he had only arrived in the Unites States less than 2 weeks prior, on December 28th. He has nevertheless adapted beautifully to his new country and his new job in that short span of time. “Let’s start a new year with a new life! And it’s going well,” he said. He was proactive about his upcoming transitions, securing lodging before coming, so he could immediately settle in and prepare for the new school year once he arrived. His positive outlook is serving him well.

Educational Background

Sr. Gonzalez is from Bogotá, Colombia—a detail he shares with his predecessor.  There, he earned a 5-year French, English, and Spanish teaching degree at the University of La Salle, which a group of institutions around the world originally created in 17th-century France by St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. He obtained a master’s degree (also from La Salle) in Language Didactics in 2020, further enhancing his expertise in language education.

Although Sr. Gonzalez originally thought a career in social communication or journalism was his calling, his parents reminded him how good he was at teaching, which he started doing in high school on the weekends during religious activities. When he saw that La Salle offered a degree that included French, a language he had not then mastered, his interest was piqued. But when he started learning about teaching and its transformative impact, his fate was sealed. “Teaching can change people’s lives,” he said.

Professional Background

His teaching career officially began in 2020, he had prior experiences as an intern, teaching French in public schools. At Liceo Americano, a private institution that provides private classes for foreigners in Colombia, he taught English and French to students from 9th to 11th grades. During the pandemic, he continued teaching privately through the school. Next, at Liceo Feminino Mercedes Mariño, he taught French to 3rd- through 5th-grade and 7th- through 9th-grade students. Subsequently, he taught at SMART Training Academy, where he taught French and English.

Sr. Gonzalez at TNCS!

With this robust foundation, Sr. Gonzalez brings his knowledge and passion for languages into the TNCS classroom. He teaches five groups of students across different grade levels, from K/1 in the morning to the 6th- through 8th-graders. Managing various age groups presents its challenges, but, in keeping with TNCS’s mixed-age classroom approach, Sr. Gonzalez leverages the knowledge of the more proficient students to support the learning of others. He says to his students, “OK, you already know this, so you can explain it to the others in the way you understand it. I can do it my way, but you guys can take it further.” This collaborative approach emphasizes mutual support and shared learning experiences.

In terms of his own teaching philosophy, Sr. Gonzalez embraces interactive and kinesthetic learning styles. Incorporating games, role-playing, acting, and singing into the classroom creates an engaging environment where students can thrive. “I focus on addressing students’ needs, ensuring that they learn language skills in contexts relevant to their lives.” This approach resonates with the authentic language learning philosophy of providing practical, real-world scenarios for students, much as TNCS Chinese program does.

I love playing. When you’re in a game, you have a little bit of pressure to do well, and your mind works faster. I believe this is a better methodology than having students sitting in front of a board, copying what I’m writing there. I can teach them a lot of vocabulary, but what’s the objective of learning it? If they’re learning something, it should be because they need it for communicating. In what context are they going to use this? So, if they’re learning about their body parts, why do they need it? Well, maybe someday they are traveling to Costa Rica and they need to go to the doctor but the doctor doesn’t speak English. So how do they communicate, for example, ‘I have a backache’? So, they need to learn ‘la espalda,’ for ‘back’. I want them to learn the things that they need to learn for their lives.

Not surprisingly, TNCS students have welcomed Sr. Gonzalez warmly, after getting over a bit of initial anxiety about acclimating to a new teacher in mid school year.  Their receptivity has made the experience smoother for everyone.

When he isn’t teaching, Sr. Gonzalez is exploring Baltimore. He has joined a gym, attended a Ravens game, and celebrated the New Year in the Harbor, for example. He gets around on a bike borrowed from a TNCS parent and wants to delve into Baltimore’s history by visiting the library and the city’s many historical sites. , a bike to explore the city. Despite the differences in climate between Bogotá and Baltimore, he has been adapting well. (Bogotá’s high altitude means its cold every night and warm every day, with only two seasons—summer and winter, which means rainy!)

In his spare time, Sr. Gonzalez is an avid flag football player and has joined Volo to find a team, eagerly anticipating spring for outdoor training. Although he loved all sports in Colombia and cared more about the matches themselves than who was playing in them, here in Baltimore, he has embraced the Ravens, fervently hoping along with the rest of his adopted city for a Superbowl victory.

We are glad you have joined our TNCS team, Sr. Gonzalez! Welcome! ¡Bienvenido! Huānyíng (欢迎)! And, bienvenu!

Look for Flag Football as an upcoming Summer Camp activity . . . and possibly even some French-related extracurricular activities!