2009-2010 Residency Teaching at Green Valley Ranch Elementary, 2nd Grade
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Mexico because my father, then a Mexican citizen met and later married my mother, an American, while he was touring the United States as a professional wrestler in Lucha Libre. They settled down and live in the States, but I was fortunate to have spent most summers and holidays in Mexico. Since then, my father has become a U.S. Citizen and my parents have been married for over 40 years.
I am 38 and bilingual in English and Spanish, and for six years prior to joining Denver Teacher Residency, I worked as an Interior Designer, primarily working in commercial space planning. Before starting interior design, I worked with Continental Airlines, where I got to travel extensively. I had planned on building my career there, but had to adapt my plans after major and immediate changes within the company and across the industry after 9/11. My husband and I originally moved to Denver from Colorado Springs, where he was stationed at Peterson Air Force Base; he is a Denver Firefighter, serving since 1998.
I was interested in DTR because I felt the program could be life changing for me and the students that it is meant to help. I was looking for a way to become more involved in my community and have a more meaningful career. My son is also a student in DPS, so I feel I have a personal stake in DPS’ success. I think the program gave me a unique glimpse into the future challenges of urban educators, which is realizing and understanding all the underlying challenges that many urban students wrestle with outside of school. Sometimes kids are trying to survive the best they can in their everyday world, so it’s hard for them to grasp the importance of studying and what a positive impact it will make on their future.
I did my residency at Archuleta, and preparing for these challenges has been easier with the huge amount of support I got from all the teachers and staff.
Mari Grimaldo – Green Valley Ranch, 2nd Grade
2009-2010 Residency
Teaching at Green Valley Ranch Elementary, 2nd Grade
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Mexico because my father, then a Mexican citizen met and later married my mother, an American, while he was touring the United States as a professional wrestler in Lucha Libre. They settled down and live in the States, but I was fortunate to have spent most summers and holidays in Mexico. Since then, my father has become a U.S. Citizen and my parents have been married for over 40 years.
I am 38 and bilingual in English and Spanish, and for six years prior to joining Denver Teacher Residency, I worked as an Interior Designer, primarily working in commercial space planning. Before starting interior design, I worked with Continental Airlines, where I got to travel extensively. I had planned on building my career there, but had to adapt my plans after major and immediate changes within the company and across the industry after 9/11. My husband and I originally moved to Denver from Colorado Springs, where he was stationed at Peterson Air Force Base; he is a Denver Firefighter, serving since 1998.
I was interested in DTR because I felt the program could be life changing for me and the students that it is meant to help. I was looking for a way to become more involved in my community and have a more meaningful career. My son is also a student in DPS, so I feel I have a personal stake in DPS’ success. I think the program gave me a unique glimpse into the future challenges of urban educators, which is realizing and understanding all the underlying challenges that many urban students wrestle with outside of school. Sometimes kids are trying to survive the best they can in their everyday world, so it’s hard for them to grasp the importance of studying and what a positive impact it will make on their future.
I did my residency at Archuleta, and preparing for these challenges has been easier with the huge amount of support I got from all the teachers and staff.