From elementary to high school, a student has had plentiful teachers; nevertheless, I believe that every student has at least one teacher that makes a meaningful impact on their life. Personally, from the four years I’ve had Ms. Munguia as a teacher, from Algebra 1 through Calculus BC, I believe she is the teacher that has made that impact in my life. Other than being an extraordinary teacher overall, she has always motivated me to perform to the best of my abilities.

The Perfect Example of a Great Teacher

Unlike many teachers at Miami Senior High, Ms. Munguia teaches four subjects: Algebra 1, Algebra 2 Honors, AP Calculus AB, and BC. She is one of the greatest teachers to have ever taught Calculus having a 100% passing rate on the AP exams for the past years. Her way of teaching is “to put me in my students’ heads and consider common misconceptions they may have and address them in the classroom. I try to give students plenty of examples to build confidence. I offer help to students when they need it,” she said.

Students around Miami High sometimes feel as if their teachers aren’t fair with grades and grades seem to be more important than the actual class education; however, Ms. Munguia considers her students’ education more important than grades. She believes in make-up quizzes and sometimes gives students opportunities to turn in some assignments late. “I would like to think that I’m fair, but not too easy,” she stated.  “Students have to know their stuff and should be willing to study hard.” One thing that makes Ms. Munguia stand out from other teachers is that she loves what she does. “I really love math!” she said.

Club Sponsor

On top of being the perfect example of a great teacher, Ms. Munguia has been the sponsor of the successful mathematics club, Mu Alpha Theta (MAO), for 5 years. She said, “I really enjoy working with students who have a genuine love for math.” MAO has the main goal to build a more robust and consistent peer tutoring program to continuously help students in mathematics. Ms. Munguia hopes that “club members will focus on helping their peers perform better in their math classes. Hopefully, they can help assuage the fears that so many students have towards math. They can help their peers gain confidence.”

Ms. Munguia would also love to see her club members participating in math competitions. Because Ms. Munguia has been a sponsor for the club for 5 years, eventually, she would pass down the role to someone else that has more time to put into the club. She says, “I’m really trying to focus on spending more quality time with my family and making sure my own daughter doesn’t fall behind in math.”

From Sting Town to Duke and Back

Maintaining the perfect example of a great teacher and being a sponsor for such a big club doesn’t come easy. You would be required to endure a lot of hard work and sacrifices throughout your life, which is a perfect representation of what Ms. Munguia, a Miami High alumna, has done.

Ms. Munguia went to Duke University for college, one reason being she loved the idea of living in North Carolina. “I loved what Duke had to offer: a top academic institution that has one of the best basketball programs in the nation. Duke was very affordable for me to attend due to their generous financial aid,” she said. At Duke Ms. Munguia majored in Chemistry with a focus in Biochemistry and minored in Biology and Cultural Anthropology.

One major factor that led to Ms. Munguia becoming a teacher is knowing that she was good at explaining things to students compared to teachers she had. She said, “I remember spending hours on the phone helping my friends do their math and chemistry homework and they always told me that they understood me better than they understood our teachers.”

Other than being great at explaining things, Ms. Munguia believes that in order for there to be a higher chance for a more equitable society, students should have access to a high-quality education. “I know that high-impact teachers made all the difference in my life, and I believe we need teachers that are smart, dedicated and that understand the community they serve. I would like to think that I am that kind of teacher,” she said.

Life as a Miami High Student

Not only is Ms. Munguia well educated overall, but her high school education also came straight from Miami Senior High. She was known as the typical nerdy student that would take several APs. “I graduated valedictorian at Miami High and took a total of 13 AP classes.” Although AP classes are challenging overall, Ms. Munguia enjoyed taking them as they were the only classes that adequately challenged her. “They were actually a lot of fun and prepared me for the rigor of my college classes,” she said.

Throughout high school students have many special programs to choose from and participate in either during the school year or different breaks. Ms. Munguia was initially in the legal magnet program but then realized she didn’t want to become a lawyer, so she participated in the High School Careers in Medicine Program at the University of Miami.

During high school most students have a favorite teacher, and Ms. Munguia’s favorite teachers were Dr. Hueck and Ms. Cardona. “Mrs. Cardona was my AP English Teacher, and she was literally the best thing that ever happened to me. She believed in me and always pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. She was an inspirational teacher, someone who was well-read and saw texts in ways that I never could. I adored her,” she said.

As a student and a teacher, Ms. Munguia has always had a love for math. “I always loved math. Calculus was probably my favorite subject. To me, it just made sense and it made me understand the physical aspect of my world,” she said. “I also really loved AP English Language and all the readings we did. Ms. Cardona introduced me to Flannery O’Connor, Virginia Woolf, and Zora Neale Hurston, and so many other amazing authors. I have never read as much as I did in that class, and I loved every second of it!”

—

Ms. Munguia’s Accomplishments as A Miami Senior High Teacher

• Won Brain Bowl for 3 Straight Years (2018, 2019, & 2020)

• Created Miami Senior High’s AP Calculus Summer Program where students enjoy learning math

• A 100% Passing Rate for her AP Calculus AB students on the AP Exam for the past 2 years