Every year, Jesuit Dallas welcomes new faculty from various backgrounds into the building to aid in the holistic development of its students to become men for others. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview one of new Spanish teachers in the language department, Profesora Paola Alva.
Background
Personal Life
Profe Alva was born and raised in Mexico City with her identical twin sister, mother, and father. Her mother was a kindergarten teacher for 25 years which later influenced her and her sister to pursue their careers in education.
She has a son at the University of Oklahoma who’s majoring in acting as well as a daughter pursuing musical theater in New York. She currently lives in Frisco.
One fun fact about her that she shares with her students is that she used to act in car commercials. Some of her hobbies and interests include going to yoga classes to relax as well as listening to podcasts, especially ones focused on mental health because of her background in psychology.
Professional Career
She worked at a school in Mexico and assisted students with learning disabilities. After moving to Texas, she decided to teach at a Montessori school her children attended. Later, she worked at an international school where discovered her passion for teaching Spanish. She then moved to Frisco ISD where she taught for 9 years and also helped write the Spanish curriculum.
Although she was satisfied with her job, Profe Alva was looking for a place that felt like a community and was proudly Catholic. Her search led her to Jesuit whose theme for this year was the same as her goal, Building Community.
The Jesuit Experience
Profe Alva has had a great experience at Jesuit so far, saying:
“I have been here a month and a half and I already feel like I have a family.”
She especially enjoys the religious aspect of the school including morning Mass, which she attends, as well as the weekly prayer services. She also appreciates the welcoming nature of the faculty and the supportive student body that cares for each other.
Teaching Philosophy
Profe Alva’s love for teaching stems from her desire to tell stories and to act things out so that her students can learn. She looks for new ideas and fun activities to do in class to make learning a language engaging so that students can look forward to class rather than feel forced to learn. She enjoys connecting with students and how they help motivate her to do new things to improve their learning in the classroom.
Thank you so much Profe Alva for participating in the interview. If you see her around the hallway, be sure to say hello!
Stay tuned to The Roundup for future staff profiles!
