When Isabel Salas, Middle School Spanish Teacher and Montessori Assistant, describes her core identity, she says, “I am a teacher,” explaining the importance of supporting students in being confident, joyous learners. Born into a family of educators, she says, “When I meet students from the first generation of children I taught in my native Costa Rica, I love knowing that I have made a positive difference in their lives, as if I have left the footprints of my teaching. It is a satisfaction I also feel at the end of each school year. The students and I have so much fun accomplishing the learning through the creative projects and experiences we share.”

A travel and language enthusiast, Mrs. Salas helps students acquire language in a natural way, using the Comprehensible Input method. Her own language learning has included Italian and Swahili.

Mrs. Salas earned a B.A. in Education in Early Childhood Education from the Universidad Internacional de las Americas and an M.S. in Educational Administration from the Universidad Central de Costa Rica. Her teaching career began in a school run by her mother more than 30 years ago, and she has taught all ages and a range of subjects, in Montessori and traditional classrooms, in private and public-school settings. Most recently, she taught Spanish at the Montessori School of McLean.

Ms. Salas moved to Virginia with her family seven years ago due to her husband’s work. She enjoys hiking, cooking, traveling, and spending quality time with her family, which includes a Shih Tzu named Leia.