Mother and Daughter experience a teaching career together

¡Cuantos más, mejor! The CVHS Spanish Department is now home to not one but two Profesora MacLeods. Canela MacLeod, daughter of well known Spanish teacher Gigi MacLeod, recently joined the CVHS staff as a substitute Spanish teacher.

The Olympian was lucky enough to catch up with both of these magnificent Maestras and learn more about their experiences, first reactions, and their future endeavors as a mother-daughter duo.

Olympian: How has it been so far, working at the same school together?

Gigi: It’s been fabulous because we’re teaching exactly the same classes….we think very much alike, so when she comes up with an idea, I love it, or when I come up with an idea, she uses it.

Canela : And the great thing about that is that we get to add onto
each other’s great ideas, add on to each others successes, I suppose. Yeah, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s really helped me, because she’s been here for seven years now, so she’s taught all of the classes that I am teaching. Since she’s my mom, she’s willing to spend time helping me, which I would not have if she wasn’t, you know, my mommy! (laughs)

Olympian: So how did this situation all come into place? Did your mother encourage you to take the position?

Gigi: Wendy Hahn was pregnant and we needed a Spanish- speaking replacement, to take over, and I said, “Well, I know a fabulous Spanish speaker!”

Canela: I had been working as a sub in other school districts and had tried to worked for Castro Valley before, so when I found out there was a position that I would be really qualified for, my mom and her colleagues really pushed to have me take over the position. So I became a sub in the district one day, and about three days later I had the job.

Olympian: What were both of your reactions when you found out this job was actually going to happen?

Gigi: I just thought it was fabulous.

Canela: She never even imagined that she was going to be a high school Spanish teacher, and I never would have imagined that I was going to be a Spanish teacher either. When they said, “Hey, you’re getting a job,” I had some concerns, because at my most recent job I was running a preschool. I’ve never done high school before, so I was nervous. I was really excited to have the opportunity because I just knew I would have so much support here that if I ever was going to be successful as a high school teacher, it would be here. Once I realized, “Well whether you like it or not you’re doing it, it’s a new adventure,” I got really excited about it, and I’ve loved it ever since the minute I stepped into Profesora Hahn’s classroom. I was like, “Okay, I can do this.”

Olympian: What’s in store for the future? What do you see looking ahead?

Gigi: I will continue to work here because I love it.

Canela: And I am very grateful to have had this opportunity, and I am going to personally thank every class I’ve had, because the students I’ve had have really shown me that teaching high school can be so much fun that I, when this placement is done, plan on going back to school and pursuing my teaching credential in Spanish.