Faculty Tribute - Lizabel Monica

I’m being honest: I don’t enjoy Spanish. I don’t know why; it could be the confusing syntax, the painstakingly short and difficult assessments, or anything in between. Although I have not had Dr. Monica for a long time, this Spring Term in Caribbean Cinemas with her has truly been the most fun I have had in Spanish class. I do admit that class can get quiet sometimes. It could be the fact that we're not the most talkative group or that most of our class are seniors, but it has never been clearer to me how much a teacher wants us to engage with the language. Dr. Monica sees us as more than people who are learning Spanish but people who are trying to speak it (and something like “engage with the culture and history itself”).

I haven’t seen a teacher pay as much attention to what we’re saying than Dr. Monica. I see Dr. Monica listen attentively to each and every word uttered by a student. I notice the small leather notebook where she writes every time any of us contribute. It’s not just a tally; she notices what we’re saying and how we’re saying it. Being in Dr. Monica’s class has changed my perception on Spanish. It’s not just grammar, but what we’re learning. Each and every film that we watch during Caribbean Cinemas, Dr. Monica watches with us. She’s there in the learning process each and every step of the way. For the first time in Spanish class, the focus is not on Spanish but the cultural subtext that surrounds the language. Having been exposed to this new way of thinking about Spanish, I don’t think I can ever go back. 

Dr. Monica, I wish you the very best at Pennington, and I hope you won’t forget to come back and visit. Although you won’t be with us students at Lawrenceville anymore, I know that the influence you have left on us will not disappear.