Ms. Branch is a kind and unique teacher who expresses her desire for growth within her students. This is one of the reasons students believe she is a strict teacher, but her only intention is to help students because she genuinely cares about helping each individual student in her class. 

From business to education 

      She described herself as an aggressive teacher who would do whatever it takes to create a great learning environment for students. She is grateful for students like Humberto Granja, who made history by obtaining the most certifications of any student in Miami Dade County Public Schools.  

    This year Ms. Branch’s goal is to help her students improve their reading and writing skills. “Technology is fairly easy to most of them,” she said. “However for some, reading and writing is a struggle.”  

   In five years she sees herself running her own business as she did in her past. Ms. Branch is going to create projects for people using her 3-D printing machine. It has been a nice pause for 32 years, to train her students to improve their technology skills. Ms. Branch also loves reading the Bible. Everyday she gets up at 4:30 so she can enjoy quiet reading. 

Teaching career  

    Ms. Branch is retiring soon. She said, “I am 66 years old and I have health issues so it’s time for me to change my pace in life.” She has been a teacher for 32 years. Ms. Branch’s favorite memories are when her students return. “Being a teacher,” she said, “is like being a breakthrough to some of the students who finally understood what I was teaching them.”  

Becoming a teacher  

   From the very start Ms. Branch knew exactly what career she wanted to do because her biggest passion has always been teaching. She always envisioned herself in a job that involved  teaching others.  

    One of the main careers she had in mind before becoming a teacher was being a news anchor who could teach and inform others about the state of the world.  Although she may not have achieved this career, she continued learning more about being a leader who can educate others. Ms. Branch spent many hours honing her skills so she could help others. This course of action led to her acquiring a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. She taught at many schools before settling at Miami High, where she has taught for the last 17 years.  

First Day at Miami High  

    “The hardest part of my being a teacher was when some of my students showed a lot of disrespect,” she said, “but not all of them.” She had been able to develop a rapport with students as well as listen to their concerns. The people who helped her the most for her first day were Miami High principal at that time Dr. Tosado, “who had confidence in my ability to do a great job.” 

Things you would want to know about Ms. Branch 

• She was born September 22 the same day as Mr. Tornillo her real brother  
• Her zodiac sign is Virgo 
• She was raised Homestead, Florida 
• Her favorite color is pink and lavender 
• Her favorite place to be alone is in her office 
• Her favorite food is vegetarian patties