Senora Carol Furlong

¡Hola y Bienvenidos! My name is Carol Furlong and I am currently the Middle School Spanish teacher here at Holy Cross Academy, or Academia de la Santa Cruz, as I teach my students!

In 1999 I was hired to teach Spanish at Holy Cross for Kindergarten through 8 ^thgrade and have been here ever since! This community has become a family to me over the last 20 years. In fact, I was married at Holy Cross, both of my children were baptized here in our church, and now my son is a Holy Cross graduate! I also have a daughter who, thankfully, still has several years to go at Holy Cross Academy. To say this place has been a blessing in my life would be most accurate.
 
Miami, Florida was a fantastic city in which to grow up and provided me with the advantage in being able to speak Spanish in my daily life since childhood. I earned my degree in Spanish Literature from the University of Miami and shortly thereafter began teaching at Holy Cross. I learned from some of the best professors and mentors an educator could ever ask for, and strive each school day to impart both a love of language learning as well as an appreciation for the many cultures that speak Spanish.
 
At Holy Cross Academy a typical high school Spanish 1 curriculum is spread out over the middle school years and we use the Pearson Realidades textbook series. In Grades 6-8, we meet three times per week for forty-minute periods. We also cover an in-depth geography unit and incorporate our Catholic faith into the curriculum. With over 90% of Spanish-speakers around the world counting themselves as Catholic, the culture itself blends seamlessly into the teaching of both the language and faith identity. 
My classroom is dynamic! If you walk by, you very well may find my students dancing, singing or acting out a skit! Students are assessed through a variety of listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Above all, I want to give our Holy Cross Academy students the opportunity to develop a love of the Spanish language in a safe, warm and FUN environment! ¡Olé!

Click here for our online textbookClick here for the Middle School Spanish Curriculum