Having grown up in Melbourne, FL, relocating to St. Petersburg 4 years ago was a big change for Mrs. Torres, but one she is thrilled to have made. Upon moving, she quickly found herself back in college, working toward a degree in Exceptional Student Education at St. Petersburg College. Regarding her choice to become a teacher, Mrs. Torres says “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but my fondest memories were always of school. I found myself anxious in a city that was completely unfamiliar to me, and sought out the one place that always felt like home. I enrolled in a few classes at SPC, two of which were prep classes for the College of Education. I figured I had nothing to lose by trying it. The two classes I took required me to spend time in schools. From the moment I stepped into the first classroom, I knew that’s where I wanted to be.” Mrs. Torres obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Student Education, grades K-12, from St. Petersburg College in December of 2009. She is certified in ESE K-12, Elementary Education K-6, Secondary Mathematics 6-12, and she has an ESOL Endorsement. Mrs. Torres is working toward a Master’s Degree in Reading Education at USF St. Petersburg. After graduation, Mrs. Torres worked as a substitute for a very short time before getting, what she refers to as her “dream job.” She worked a semester at OMS as a long-term substitute before joining the faculty officially last year. She is now beginning her second year as part of the OMS family, though she says “I have felt like a part of the family here since the day I met Mrs. Arsenault about taking that job as a long-term sub!”

This school year, Mrs. Torres is thrilled to be teaching Intensive Reading in all three grade levels, as well as co-teaching 6th grade Social Studies. Mrs. Torres is part of the school’s new Literacy Team, and works with a team of 3 other teachers to sponsor the OMS chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. Growing up on the Space Coast, Mrs. Torres developed a love of Math and Science, which she continues to foster by helping out whenever possible with the Science Club.

When asked about her choice of reading material, Mrs. Torres responded “I read everything. Textbooks, magazines, novels, but novels are my favorite. I like getting involved with the characters. I’ve read every Harry Potter book at least twice. Also, I like to read different variations of the same story or concept, just to see what different authors do with it. For a while I loved reading different vampire stories. I read everything from Dracula, to Anne Rice, to Twilight. This summer I took on the task of reading different versions of the Beauty and the Beast tale-my favorite fairy tale. All of the versions were so good, each in their own way. I’m not sure I could choose a favorite.”

Mrs. Torres spends as much time as possible with her husband and their three children. She loves visiting amusement parks, going to the beach, and seeking out new places to get delicious Mexican food. It is also not uncommon to find her at the mall, when she is not busy attending to her virtual farm.

Mrs. Torres explains her philosophy of education this way: “Every child that comes into my classroom will learn. They may not all leave with the same skills, because they didn’t all enter with the same skills. I spend time finding out where each student is starting, so I know where they each need to go. Every student is capable of learning, given the appropriate level of support, and the right motivation.”

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