AP Jacobo of the Foreign Language Department has decided to recognize one teacher each month for his or her hard work and outstanding service to our students. The Foreign Language Department’s teacher of the month for the month of November was Leyti De Los Santos.
Leyti De Los Santos was born in the Domincan Republic, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. Soon after, she found herself working with children with mental and emotional problems at the Centro de Rehabilitacion de Santo Domingo. Once she was settled in her new home in New York City, she decided to go back to school for a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education in Spanish. In 1996, she started working at A Phillip Randolf High School as a Spanish teacher, and then came to Harry S Truman High in 1997. After being at Truman High for only two years, Leyti founded the Multicultural Club. Recognizing the vast diversity of the student population at Truman, Leyti created a way for students to identity and express their culture, traditions and customs of their countries. The club attracts more than 180 student participants each year.
We would like to congratulate Ms. De Los Santos as the Teacher of the Month for November. We are recognizing her for the valuable work she does with the students here at Harry S Truman High School. We have had the pleasure to witness her creativity and academic dedication to her students throughout her nine years here at Truman High.
During this school year, she has utilized her creativity to connect school to the community and the students’ lives. An example of this is the court case on Adolfo Miller. The experiences provided students with knowledge that they are going to need as life-long responsible citizens. In additions, she organized a food drive for the victims of the cyclone in the Dominican Republic.
Leyti has an excellent rapport with her students. Her lessons are of high interest to the students. The students are always eager to participate and the decoration in her room makes the classroom an inviting place that nurtures learning. She engages her students in classroom activities that promote a student-centered environment.
Leyti is the kind of person who despite a seemingly overwhelming list of things to do, she always meets everyone with a smile and positive attitude. She is visibly motivated by the fact that many students will benefit from all the hard work she does. She puts students first which is why she excels in teaching and is a great source of encouragement for her students and colleagues. As a learning community we benefit greatly from the professionalism and humanity of Leyti De Los Santos.
Submitted By (Full Name): Meredith Johnson
