This is the second profile in Lancer Media’s Back to School Series: New Teachers.

Rosa Labarta began teaching 19 years ago, in Spain, as a German teacher. Throughout her career, she has taught Spanish, German, French, and is now teaching Spanish I and II.

Labarta has been waiting for 3 years, for foreign language position to open because of how rare they are. When she got the position, replacing retiree Mrs. Marga Doughty, she saw how great of an opportunity it would be.

This year, Labarta is looking forward to communicating with the staff as well as the students. She wants to be a part of the Linganore community and build connections, along with relationships.

“I became a teacher because I couldn’t connect with any of the teachers I had in my life,” said Labarta. Labarta realized that education was her true calling when she had her first internship in Belgium.

Labarta has two daughters and spends her free time with her family. She loves to swim, read, and travel. She is now working to earn her PhD in dual languages.

If Labarta was a student in high school now, she thinks that she would belong to a group of quiet and shy students. The movie that describes her personality is The Quiet Man because of Labarta’s “stubbornness.”

If you visit her classroom, be sure to check out Leo the bearded dragon, which is a type of lizard she has in a large aquarium.