Biology teacher Ms. Gutierrez is an outstanding role model to her students. She discusses all fundamentals in life and principles of biology for students to become successful and pass the Biology EOC. Her teaching has a beneficial impact on students by making them better people.  

   She is the most accepting teacher at Miami High, and her class is unforgettable. She creates a fun environment and uses humor in her teaching, making students feel protected and safe. She is trustworthy, a great teacher, and she will be there for you. She is the perfect example of a great science teacher. 

Life as a Teacher 

    Ms. G is a teacher who relates and empathizes with people better than most. Her daily goal is to make students genuinely smile if they are upset or having a difficult day. Her long-term goal is to raise her children to become great people. She has two biological daughters, 17 and 14; however, she and her students often find themselves “adopting each other”. She tries her best to instill goodness in the girls as much as she can.  

   The main philosophy she lives by is being kind to others, even if they are not kind to her. She treats everyone equally and never judges another because you never know what one is going through. Her philosophies help guide her when making decisions. Two things she cannot stand are ignorance and people who give up easily. The proudest moments in her life are when kids who were struggling finally reach their success and keep moving forwards and upwards.  

Perfect example of a great science teacher 

    What makes Ms. G stand out from other science teachers is that she relates to students well; she is very understanding and accepting. She tries to teach with humor and uses concepts students can relate to make it easier for students to learn more. Besides teaching Biology, she has taught AP Environmental Science and Forensic Science. Ms. G says, “Forensics was the most fun to teach, but I honestly loved them all.” She has been rewarded with superlative awards from Future Educators of America (FEA) in the past. 

   Her grading rubric is fair to students and allows second chances by giving a lot of extra work to help balance grades, since tests have a significant impact on grades. She gives second chances to rewrite lab reports that have been graded and corrected. Also, there is a tutoring offer for every 5 hours that raises a test grade. She also gives opportunities for community service hours or extra credit like donating canned foods for people in need .  

Life before a teacher 

    Ms. G was born in Nicaragua and immigrated to the U.S. when she was 3 years old. The schools she attended were Kinloch Park Elementary, Kinloch Park Middle, and Coral Gables High, but her favorite school for teaching was Miami High.  

    She has lived in Miami all her life, but The Keys and Savannah, Georgia, are her favorite places to visit. Locally, Fairchild Garden is her favorite place in Miami; it is a tropical botanic garden that holds a variety of plants and the beauty of nature. Going to Fairchild for the first time was one of the fondest memories she had in middle school; she was so amazed with nature and its variety of different plants.  

    Ms. G faced many challenges during her childhood, and she learned how to overcome them. One that proves her determination was having reading issues as a child, but she met a teacher who changed her life in 5th grade. She learned how to overcome her challenges by playing sports and learning to channel negativity to positive feelings. She says, “When I was younger, I never thought I would meet as many kids as I have and would have never thought some of them would become like family.”  

    When she was a kid, she thought she would author books like Stephen King. “I thought I had good stories, but when I tried to write a story, I realized it was not so easy,” she said. Later, she realized she wanted to become a biology teacher during her 4 month internship in 2003, here at MHS. 

Hobbies and experiences in activities 

    In high school, volleyball was her primary sport, but she also played basketball, tennis, and badminton.  Unfortunately, she had to stop playing volleyball when she dislocated her arm badly.  

     Ms. G was in the National Honor Society where she did a lot of volunteering. She says, “My favorite events were when I’d work with people with special needs.”  

    She speaks many languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Italian, Portuguese and is incredibly good at word puzzles.  

     She is loved by both little kids and high school students. Her loves and passions involve her family, reading books, Legos, the ocean, and shows like: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter.  

    What influences her most and inspires Ms. G is her mother and her sister. They both went through enormous hardships and never gave up. They kept moving forward, until they absolutely could not.  

    “My sister fought until her dying day and my mother pushed through the loss of her daughter,” she said.  “That resilience has inspired me to never give up and has inspired me to always continue forward, even when all seems hopeless.” 

Here’s some tips you should use in Mrs. G’s Class

Pay close attention and ask questions 

Have good manners, don’t be rude, and greet others (ex. good morning, good afternoon, thank you, you’re welcome, etc.) 

Attend tutoring to boost your grades 

You should take the chance with every extra credit offer, such as donations, to uplift your grades as well 

Wait until Ms. G dismisses you 

Do not say slurs in her classroom; ignorance is not tolerated 

Do not use your phones while she’s teaching, you’ll get lost 

Take notes!