Profe Noemi Avendano-Gomez joined Lincoln’s staff this year as a Spanish teacher for level 3-4.
In college, she studied math and Spanish for her undergraduate degrees. She said she was a shy student growing up, but she enjoyed math because numbers were something that brought her comfort. She also grew up speaking Spanish and believes knowing languages is important to be able to connect and engage with people. She was an English as a Second Language (ESL) student.
She was first introduced to the Lincoln community in the old building where she helped tutor Spanish-speaking students in math classes. She said she remembers her old students and how they struggled with confidence because of the language barrier. She always encouraged them and had a lot of sympathy for them. The experience inspired her to become a teacher.
First, Avendano-Gomez became an ESL middle school teacher and made sure that her students knew that their native language was just as valuable. She wanted her students to hold on to their language and value their culture.
When a position opened up at Lincoln, she applied for it.
Avendano-Gomez never expected to be a teacher, but her passion for learning drove her to pursue this career. She loves learning and as a teacher, she gets the opportunity to learn from her students and grow.
In her free time, Avendano-Gomez loves to paint Disney and Pixar characters. Over the summer she learned how to swim and enjoyed being in the water. She found the learning process very exciting. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family as well as watching movies and reading.
This year Avendano-Gomez is looking forward to growing and learning as an educator. She wants to learn more about her students as well as their needs and how to support them. Having previously taught middle school, the age demographic is new to her. She believes the experience will allow her to grow as a person. She also wants her students to be able to come to her if something isn’t working for them and tell her how she can change.
