Over the summer, Ms. Parada departed the Jones language department, leaving behind a legacy of increased student involvement and passion for Spanish language learning.
“She’s a very good leader and contributed to many activities for Jones. This does feel like a loss because she built a good community,” said Mandarin teacher Xiaoying Yang.
Ms. Parada’s presence was well-known to the people who worked with her, including the way she taught students.
”I did observations for Ms. Parada so I know her, the things she does, and how her departure felt in the department but with the students she worked with,” said Assistant Principal Yvette Torres.
Ms. Parada left the Jones community before the start of the school year. However, Torres and others confirm that it was reasonable for her circumstances and was the hardest yet best for her.
“Ms. Parada sent an email explaining how upsetting it is that she can’t teach at Jones this school year because she loves Jones, but she had to make a decision that would best fit her family,” said Torres. “She’s continuing what she does best but just at a more convenient location for her and her family.”
Both commute time and conditions were factored into her decision.
“It was sudden to me, but she has another job offer that is close to her house, and she has kids, so commuting to Jones with construction in the early morning was not convenient for her,” said Yang.
Ms. Parada specifically worked with the Spanish Honors Society and helped many students get the proper support from peers and worked so much in her space to do so much for students and teachers.
“She was the Spanish Honors Society’s sponsor and she worked so hard with the students to help them get recognition at Jones. Her skill set is amazing, she is great at what she does,” said Torres.
The Spanish Honors Society and the Spanish department were heavily impacted after Ms. Parada’s departure. Now that she has left, the Spanish department has to do more to cover the position.
“Now that Ms. Parada has departed, the number of class sizes for each teacher in the department has significantly increased. The Hispanic honors society is in limbo because we do not know who is going to take care of it,” said Spanish teacher Marcos González Díaz.
Gonzalez expressed his willingness to take on more responsibility. However, he acknowledges that it will take a good amount of unity and effort to make up for the huge role that Parada had played.
“I feel like I’ve lost a good college, lost a good friend here,” said Jung.
Corinne Madden • Nov 17, 2023 at 11:46 am
Mrs Parada is certainly missed, but we are happy for her. What we are unhappy with is the number of qualified students, especially the seniors, who are also missing the opportunity to belong to the Spanish Honors Society. For many, that’s an important experience, honor, and highlight that should be noted on college applications. It is unfortunate that Administration did not make a proper transition plan for all of the time sensitive responsibilities Mrs Parada so eloquently handled.