Meet Kelsey McGrath, New Spanish Teacher

The Garfield PTSA reached out to our new teachers with a few questions – e.g. tell us about yourself and why you went into teaching, do you have any pets, what activities do you enjoy and what advice would you share?  Until we can meet in person, it’s nice to get to know our teachers in some way that we can.

¡Hola! I’m Kelsey McGrath (she/her/ella) and I’m excited to be joining the Garfield team as a Spanish 2 teacher. I’m originally from Illinois but have also lived in Memphis, TN, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. This will be my fourth year in the Emerald City (unceded Coast Salish and Duwamish land), and I’m grateful to call this place home.

Teaching Spanish es una alegría, and all my amigues and past estudiantes can tell you that I’m a massive nerd about language acquisition and also shamelessly over the top animated and goofy. Heading into my 8th year of teaching amid the largest Civil Rights Movement de mi vida, I’m fired up about teaching to disrupt White supremacy and centering community care. When I’m not teaching, you can find me taking socially distanced paseos through the neighborhood, reading, contemplating going for a hike, and dreaming of an abolitionist futuro.

Welcome to Garfield, Ms McGrath!  -Garfield PTSA