This article is part of a series of profiles about each finalist for Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ 2024 Citywide Teacher of the Year.
In Tina Garfield’s classroom at Princess Anne High School, students are instilled with the motto, “Respect for self and others and hard work come first, then Spanish.”
“I provide a safe environment to take risks, celebrate their successes and boost their confidence,” said Garfield, Virginia Beach’s citywide Teacher of the Year. “I am still discovering how culturally rich and diverse the Spanish-speaking world is. Teaching is connecting students through my passion and fostering the same love of the language.”
Garfield has 26 years of teaching experience, including 23 years at Princess Anne High. She’s a Virginia Beach native and PAHS graduate, where her Spanish teachers sparked a passion for education.
Garfield uses various resources and her experiences as a mother of an autistic son to provide students culturally responsive experiences in the classroom. Her lessons include Spanish music and art, and she shares her travels to Spain, Honduras and Costa Rica.
“I share photos, and use real menus, tickets and realia as examples,” she said. “I try to bring equity into the classroom by allowing students who do not have the means to physically travel to these places the opportunity to explore virtually. Students have added Latin music to their playlists, request songs and sing during class.”
Garfield didn’t know much about the diversity in Latin American cultures when she took her first Spanish class.
“As a high school and college student with little means and fewer travel experiences, I felt uncultured,” she said. “I knew that I needed to somehow remedy that with my students.”
Garfield received the National Board Certified Teacher distinction in 2019. She leads professional development sessions for teachers and sponsors her school’s Spanish Honor Society. Her volunteer work includes Families of Autistic Children of Tidewater, and she has served on the Beach Girls Rock and African American Male Summit committees.
“Tina Garfield demonstrates a passion for teaching and a love for her students that is timeless and embodies all that is great in education,” said Princess Anne High School Principal C. Todd Tarkenton.
Sage Thomas, a Princess Anne graduate, remembers how Garfield always made time for students and provided honest, constructive feedback.
“Under her teaching, Spanish quickly became my favorite subject in school, and I was inspired to pursue developing it after graduation,” said Thomas, who is now pursuing international studies at Regent University. “She made it her mission to sufficiently prepare us for the high levels of Spanish that were to come and pushed us to take risks and mistakes, knowing that they would help us truly grasp the concepts we learned.”
Tribe pride! So proud to share my William & Mary roots with this remarkable woman, educator, daughter, wife and Mom whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the celebration dinner.