Meet the Teacher
Dear 2nd Grade families.
Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Maria Clara Jucá and I am your child’s 2nd grade teacher. I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro and I received my BA degree in “Letras” in 2005. Before and after that, I received certificates for teaching English as a 2nd and foreign language. I recently graduated from the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and the TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners) courses at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). I am fully licensed to teach Elementary school grades and this is my 14th year teaching English! I have taught at American schools before, here in Rio and in The USA. I have also taught at language schools in Rio, such as Cultura Inglesa and IBEU.
I have discovered that the younger grades are my passion because the youngest learners are always so excited about their learning and so eager to gain new, wonderful experiences.
I am a deeply family-oriented person. I am the youngest of five siblings. I have been married for seven years. My husband Leonardo is a professor and a researcher at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Together, we have two kids, João Pedro, who turned six last September and Carolina, who turned three last August. In 2008, my husband, my son, and I moved to North Carolina, USA, where my husband worked for one year as a post-doc at Duke University. In 2009, we moved to San Diego, CA, so my husband could continue his research at the University of California San Diego. My daughter was born in SD in 2010. Last December we moved back to Rio and we are very happy to be back to our hometown. I am even happier to be teaching in Rio again!
Aside from motherhood and teaching, I love to read and listen to music. I also enjoy traveling and in my free time I practice yoga. I look forward to introducing you to my family at future school events, as well as to the wonderful year we’ll be spending together!
Sincerely,
Ms. Jucá