The Newport Independent Schools has hired a Spanish teacher, filling a position that had been open for more than two years.
Beatriz Granados Molina – a native of Ciudad Real, a small town near Madrid, Spain – is teaching grades eight through 12, which are the grades she taught during her 22 years as an English as a Second Language teacher in her native country.
Beatriz Granados Molina
“When I had the online interview with Newport High School, I knew it was the perfect place for me and my daughters,” Granados Molina said. “Being here will help me grow as a teacher. And it is a plus for Newport to have a native Spanish teacher.”
“Learning a second language and its culture is very important for our students,” she said. “I hope Spanish will become an important part of our curriculum.”
Granados Molina said she can help communicate with the many Hispanic families in Newport that need assistance because many speak only Spanish.
Granados Molina was hired through the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Visiting International Teacher Program, which develops international partnerships with education authorities of different countries around the world to provide world language services to students and school districts in Kentucky.
Newport Independent Schools Superintendent Tony Watts said turning to KDE programs shows that the district “is thinking outside the box to find qualified minority teachers”.
“We haven’t been able to fill this position for a couple of years,” Watts said. “The Visiting International Teacher Program gave us an opportunity to find a multi-cultural teacher who can speak multiple languages and it gave us another avenue to find a qualified Spanish teacher.”
Granados Molina is a graduate of Spain’s Salamanca University.
“I have always known I wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “It’s my vocation and that’s what makes me happy. It’s the best job in the world and gives you the opportunity to transmit your passion for learning to young people.”
The school system has made Granados Molina feel welcome.
“I want to say thank you to Newport High School for the welcoming and support,” she said. “It has been very hard to move but they helped a lot since we arrived. They did it the Wildcat Way!”
Newport Independent Schools
