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Faculty Highlight: Cris Hernández García Middle School French and Spanish Faculty, CEI Coordinator
At The Bush School, students are supported by a dynamic group of faculty and staff whose passion is bringing out the best in every Blazer. These subject matter experts are dedicated to fulfilling Bush’s mission to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities. Faculty and staff encourage students to be their best selves and celebrate all heritages, identities, and cultural backgrounds that make the Bush community uniquely diverse. The connections that students, faculty, and staff make are what create an energizing and engaging learning environment. At Bush, we value every individual, welcome every voice, and actively create a community of belonging built on mutual support, trust, and encouragement.
Cris Hernández García, Middle School French and Spanish Faculty, Community, Equity, and Inclusion (CEI) Coordinator, and a proud Mexican educator, has made it his personal mission to ensure all students’ unique identities are recognized and uplifted.
“As a first generation student immigrating from Mexico, I did not receive the support I needed when I entered the public school system,” Cris said. “Because of the language barrier, I faced a lot of discrimination from other students, and even my teachers. There were many students of color like me at the school, but no faculty that wanted to support or empathize with us.”
Cris’ experience as a young student drove him to become an educator who doesn’t solely teach students, but supports them—he wanted to be the mentor he wished he had. To achieve this, he makes an effort to connect with every student in his classes, and offers them assistance when needed.
“Everyday is a different day,” Cris said. “It’s an opportunity to become a better teacher, reflect on my mistakes, and how my students are feeling. Who have I not talked to today? Which of my students have not felt seen? Have I made eye contact with everyone in class? I keep these things in mind, because I not only want my students to feel seen, but I want to do my best at supporting them with whatever their needs are.”
As a language instructor, Cris acknowledges the unique ways students can absorb information, and does his best to accommodate them. As he navigates the various learning styles in the classroom, he strives to be the best version of himself and become the teacher he wishes he had in his younger years.
“It’s important to adapt to different learning styles,” Cris said. “I know some of my students are more visual learners, some are audio, and some learn better through skits or acting. I’m just trying to implement as much as I can for every type of learner.”
Teaching two languages is no easy task, but Cris is determined to educate his students on multiple dialects in both Spanish and French. He honors his roots by infusing the Latin American and Mexican language into his curriculum.
“In my Spanish class, we focus on Latin America because I’m Latin American,” Cris said. “It wouldn’t be authentic of me to speak Spanish like I’m from Spain. However, we talk about the wide variety of Spanish dialects and accents, and sometimes I’ll incorporate Spanish from different Latin countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Peru. I like them to know there isn’t one way of saying things.”
Cris is proud to celebrate his Mexican heritage and share it with the Bush community through his inclusive teaching style. By presenting as his most authentic self, he hopes students feel more connected to him and inspired to be their most authentic selves in and out of the classroom.
“I love my country, I love my culture,” Cris declared. “It’s important to be a community that invites different perspectives to the table. We are a diverse community, and our students need to see that it’s okay to share different perspectives. They bring us together and help us become an even stronger community.”
The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 735 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities.
3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (206) 322-7978
The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment, recruitment, admissions, or administration of any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In addition, The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment on the basis of age or marital status.