Ms. Rivero is one of the Earth and Space science teachers at Miami High. She loves to help students learn, sharing her passion for science and life lessons. 

Childhood 

     Ms. Rivero is from Havana Cuba, where she had a happy and lively childhood growing up. After 13 years living in Cuba, her favorite childhood memory was when she would be playing with dolls with her mom and aunt. They would make coffee and drink it out of toy teacups.  

  She says she is still friends with some of her childhood friends. She said, “I was not able to remain friends with everyone because I ended up moving from Cuba to Miami, but I was able to remain friends with a couple of friends that ended up being lucky to come to the US as I did.” 

Life before teaching  

   Ms. Rivero was an assistant manager at a podiatrist’s office before becoming a teacher. She also used to tutor before she became a teacher. It took her 3 years and 6 months, including an internship, to become a teacher. 

   Her favorite subject as a kid was biology because “it’s the study of life itself.” She said, “Teaching was supposed to be a stepping stone to my future career as a therapist, but I enjoyed the classroom and interaction with the students so much that I never pursued anything else. I can honestly say I love what I do.  My classes are what keep me young and fresh!” 

Life as a teacher 

    Ms. Rivero says that the hardest part about teaching is “student engagement and trying to get students entertained about what they’re learning about.” As for enforcing rules in her class, she says you can’t be too strict, but you have to enforce rules, and “it can become challenging.” The way she handles criticism in her classroom is serious because she says that everyone should respect each other how they want to be respected. 

Highschool experience  

    Ms. Rivero went to South Miami High School where she graduated with the Class of 2005. She said, “My high school experience was really good, and our school was highly spirited. We used to wear orange and white for everything. We even had a chant that said, ‘I put my hands up high, My feet down low; This the way I Jig A-Low’. At our pep rallies everyone would be singing it.”  

    She played soccer and volleyball in high school. She enjoyed the competition, and the reason that she did most of these activities was because she was influenced by her friends, and she ended up liking it and staying.  

    She was also in a club called “Spanish speakers of America”.  She did it because she felt her AP Spanish teacher made the club fun, and they would go on field trips out of Miami such as going to Tampa and Orlando. 

5 interesting facts about Ms. Rivero 

• She grew up in Cuba for 13 years 
• She went to South Miami High School 
• She played volleyball and soccer in high school 
• She was an assistant manager at a podiatrist’s office 
• She wanted to become a therapist