Spanish teacher Claire Glover expresses appreciation for her scholars’ endorsement
By Aster Gardner
Claire Glover, a Spanish teacher at Haas Hall Academy Rogers, has become the second teacher to be given the title of Teacher of the Week from radio show KLRC. Every Monday morning, the show announces a teacher of the week nominated by students. On March 16, Glover was announced as the winner.
“I was surprised,” Glover said. Monday morning, she was called to the front office to receive a phone call she had no prior knowledge of. When she learned it was from KLRC to tell her she was teacher of the week, she felt honored. “It meant a lot to me. My AP [Spanish Language] class nominated me. They worked together [to get me the award], which was really cute.”
Glover takes a very specific approach to teaching her AP Spanish Language class. “I try to choose things that I’m excited about, so when I’m up there… my excitement hopefully passes to [my students],” she stated. Her goal is to make learning Spanish an enjoyable experience for scholars.
“I find Profe’s classes so much fun and at the same time informative,” Samara Bernal, a current AP Spanish Language student, said. She stated that she is “always looking forward to [Glover’s] class” when she comes to school. “She is so sweet and finds so many ways to make learning Spanish easier,” Bernal expressed. She cited an activity Glover has for her scholars every year, making and drinking the popular Argentinian beverage Yerba Mate. Bernal said that it’s a fun and unique way to engage with the culture.
The purpose of the AP Spanish Language class is to sharpen the speaking ability of scholars and get them to engage in both conversational and academic Spanish speaking. Glover said she has “a lot of native speakers” this year, so they need less conversational help. However, her goal is to help them learn to speak more academically. “Normally, their classroom language is English. [This class] gives them an opportunity to have scholarly discussion in their mother tongue, which is helpful for them,” she explained.
Bernal stated that “even though [she is] a native speaker, [she has] improved [her] Spanish so much and learned the proper ways to write and speak [it].” She loves Glover’s teaching methods and greatly appreciates the care she puts into her classes. “We always have fun, engaging conversations,” Bernal said, highlighting Glover’s success in her goals as a teacher.
For Glover, it’s moments like these that make her feel proud of her accomplishments as a teacher. “The gesture and the time it took for them to [get the award] for me means a lot to me,” she expressed. “The fact they’re enjoying their time with me makes me feel like I’m doing a good job.”
