(Editor’s note: Marisol Garcia-Mitchell is one of the five finalists for Columbia County’s Board of Education Teacher of the Year Award. The winning teacher will be announced at Columbia County’s Teacher banquet on Oct. 5 at White Oak Road Farm.)
As a two-time teacher of the year finalist, Marisol Garcia-Mitchell is no stranger to succeeding in her field as she prioritizes teaching students not only a foreign language but also various cultures.
Inspired by some work abroad in China, Garcia-Mitchell, who teaches Spanish at Greenbrier High School, believes teaching other cultures and perspectives will lead to a more aware, accepting and well-informed student body who are able to recognize and celebrate other figures around the world.
“It’s very important for the students to understand that it’s beyond just speaking the language. It’s not just all Mexican – there are other countries (that speak Spanish),” she said. “I teach geography. I’m teaching them about habits and food — all the aspects; I teach them that every country is unique.”
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Garcia-Mitchell first realized she wanted to become a teacher during her career as an executive team leader at Target where she developed leaders in the workplace.
After several colleagues told Garcia-Mitchell she needed to be a teacher and she took some time to help others teach, she pursued a career teaching Spanish after earning her degree at Augusta University in foreign language education.
“The precise moment that I really decided, and I said, ‘this is my calling’ was when I was doing my apprenticeship at Grovetown High School, and I started working with children. I realized, even though I did it for only a semester, the impact that I was having on those kids,” she said.
From training others at Target, Garcia-Mitchell said she learned great leadership skills which helped her in the classroom, especially resilience, adaptability and focus on maximizing one’s productivity.
“That was something that I always use with my kids and my teaching style, and I tell my kids ‘Sometimes, when we have certain topics or themes where we struggle, not only in my class but in any class, you do not give up,” she said. “You continue, you learn it; you find ways to learn, and you seek help. There’s nothing wrong with seeking help.”
Garcia-Mitchell said many of her students participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, band or drama. As a result, she believes educating students on how to increase productivity is an important life skill they need to learn.
“I explain to them that you have to be sure to plan your day and you utilize every moment that you have, just to be sure that you can succeed, and you can balance what you do,” she said.
In 2021, after sponsoring the Multicultural club in 2019, Garcia-Mitchell led and organized Greenbrier’s first Live Black History Month program which focused on celebrating others and allowing students to share poems and songs.
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“It is very important because a lot of the students have never been outside the area; they only see other places through the TV and what they read in books and it’s not always accurate, so it’s important to understand other cultures,” she said. “I strongly believe that human beings need to understand and learn to respect that there are others here, that it’s not just about us. There is a broad world out there and I want students to understand that.”
Garcia-Mitchell believes cultural awareness needs to be an educational priority because globalization is so prominent in today’s world.
“Be aware of what’s happening in Europe; what the differences are between Japanese and Chinese and other Asian cultures,” she said. “They need to learn about European culture, that just because they live near each other – it doesn’t mean that they have the same behavioral patterns and the same culture. There are similar aspects, but everyone is unique as an individual place.”
Through her love and passion of teaching different cultures, Garcia-Mitchell said she hopes students remember to be passionate about their own interests and to share what they know different cultures to others.
“Anyone who knows me knows of my passion … at the end of the day everything is going to come through with your passion. The engagement with my students is founded on my passion,” she said. “My passion leads me to the relationship that I build with my students, and it opens up a whole world with my kids. It makes them feel comfortable and safe when they are in my classroom.”
Garcia-Mitchell also believes that teachers need to encourage their students everyday whether it be with languages or with outside interests.
“I tell my students ‘Whatever you choose to do, it doesn’t have to be Spanish, just be sure that you share it and love what you do. You can go far.’”
With field trips to exotic band concerts and other cultural experiences, Garcia-Mitchell aims to open students’ eyes within their own community. Pulling on her own experience in China, she relates how even something as simple as time is very different in other countries.
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“I want my students to understand other cultures and languages because it can also open up other opportunities like it did for me to go to China,” she said. “A student who can speak a second language is always better than one that cannot. It’s very important to me that they are exposed to different scenarios and opportunities.”
Garcia-Mitchell also believes in the importance of treating every student as an individual. At the beginning of the school year, she tries to respect and acknowledge each child by surveying their different learning styles and catering to each.
“I think of every student as a unique individual; I see that every student has a story behind them, and then, when I go and share part of my story, they are so receptive,” she said. “My job is to be sure that I reach out to every single student in the classroom and that’s what I strongly believe – everything is connected.”
From the passing of her own father and failing classes when she was a teenager, Garcia-Mitchell personally experienced how alone students can feel when no one reaches out and acknowledges their personal struggles.
“Every student has a story, and every student has something they don’t feel comfortable sharing,” she said. “My background and story taught me that I never want anybody to feel like that.”
She then recalled when she helped a student who was suffering from bullying and was feeling extremely sad. By paying attention to her and alerting the student’s family to her struggles, the girl told Garcia-Mitchell she made an irreplaceable difference in her life.
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“When she came back to school two weeks later, she said to me, ‘thank you so much for paying attention to me, because that day I was going to do something,” she said. “That really stuck with me. Mental health is happening and building those relationships with students is more important now than ever.”
One several occasions, Garcia-Mitchell said helping students with their mental health struggles has been one of the most rewarding aspects to her teaching career.
While friends and family think she needs to consider moving into administration, in five to ten years, Garcia-Mitchell said she sees herself hopefully writing a book and being involved in motivational speaking.
The winner of the Teacher of the Year Award will be announced on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at the White Oak Road Farm.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
