‌Ms. ‌Sara‌ ‌Johnson‌ ‌is‌ ‌an‌ ‌educator‌ ‌at‌ ‌Armijo‌ ‌High‌ ‌School‌ ‌who‌ ‌teaches‌ ‌Spanish.‌ She said that she decided to become a Spanish‌ ‌teacher after she had earned her degree with a minor‌ ‌in‌ Spanish and‌ ‌two‌ ‌schools‌ ‌offered‌ ‌her‌ ‌jobs.‌ ‌When she received the offers, she‌ chose ‌Armijo, and although she had a break in her position when she moved away for a few years, she was happy to return to the area and to her career, which she loves.
Ms. Johnson is fluent in Spanish, although she is not Hispanic by blood or upbringing. She has, however, adapted the culture, with a love for the food and‌‌ customs‌. And what is the most interesting aspect of the Hispanic culture? ‌“It‌ ‌is‌ ‌so‌ ‌hard‌ ‌just‌ ‌choosing‌ ‌one,” she said.
While Ms. Johnson started‌ ‌learning the language‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌young‌ ‌age, with the help of ‌ ‌her‌ ‌parents‌ ‌and‌ various classes over the years, she ‌fully‌ ‌mastered‌ ‌it‌ ‌after‌ ‌living‌ ‌in Spain for a few months. “‌I‌ ‌remember‌ ‌calling‌ ‌home‌ ‌and‌ ‌talking‌ ‌to‌ ‌my‌ ‌ parents‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌phone‌ ‌in‌ ‌English‌ ‌and‌ ‌they‌ ‌laughed‌ ‌at‌ ‌how‌ ‌much‌ ‌I‌ ‌struggled‌ ‌to‌ ‌speak English‌ ‌properly,” she said.
As a result, she was quite prepared to start teaching, and speaking, in Spanish for her career.‌ ‌
For 18 years, Ms. Johnson ‌ ‌has taught Spanish‌ and she has no intention of stopping. While she teaches a lot of different vocabulary and idioms, she does have preferred dialects. Most of what she teaches, and speaks, is ‌Castilian‌, ‌a Latin‌ ‌derivative.