This week, El Diablo Media Network nominates Crystal Pennington as our teacher of the week. She teaches Spanish 1 and AP Spanish. Mrs. Pennington was inspired to start teaching by her Spanish teacher in high school, where she developed a deep love for Spanish. She started tutoring and quickly learned how big of a positive impact teaching can make on the earth.

Growing up, Pennington’s favorite class was Spanish and Psychology. Her AP Spanish teacher Dot Larson had a huge impact on her, changing the way she viewed the world. 

Pennington’s favorite part of teaching is getting to play and be creative in Spanish. She enjoys teaching all Spanish classes, but the upper levels allow her to go deeper into their learning. The most rewarding part of her job is connecting with her students, “I had a student reach out and tell me I saved his life in a literal sense.” 

Her advice to students is to take responsibility for your learning and stay focused, “You can learn and have success with, without, or in spite of any teacher you experience.” She stays motivated on challenging days by taking extra time to laugh and have a good time with students, reading Maya Angelou, or focusing on herself and what she needs. 

If Pennington wasn’t a teacher, she would be a therapist or psychologist. Most people don’t know she was offered a job by the CIA during grad school.

Congratulations Pennington!