To some students of the McIntosh community, Ms. Suzanne Cisneros, the new Spanish II and III teacher, is a familiar face. Last year, she was the long-term substitute that filled in for the Spanish teacher, Ms. Betsy Alpert, while she was away on pregnancy leave. This year, Ms. Cisneros is heading her own classroom for the first time.

“It definitely feels different,” she said, “Last year, I came into a classroom environment and set of rules that were already established. This year, I can create my own environment and rules.”

Ms. Cisneros left a career in finance to teach. On why she decided to teach, she said, “I love Spanish. I love the traditions. I love the culture. If I had to sum up what inspired me to teach with one word, it would be ‘passion.’ My passion of speaking another language and for others learning a language besides their own inspired me to teach.”

Ms. Cisneros said that one misconception people have about her is that she is strict and serious all the time. “I’m not. I just have high expectations,” she said.