- Vanguard High School
- Meet the Teacher
FURPHY, WENDY
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Phone: 352-671-4900
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
B.A. in Modern Foreign Languages (Spanish) from Indiana University M.Ed. in Education, Leadership and Emerging Technology from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
Ms. Furphy
Hello, my name is Wendy Furphy. I entered the Teaching profession in 2007 and came to Vanguard in 2009. This school year, I will be teaching Pre-IB Spanish 1 & traditional Spanish 1. I am not just a teacher here at Vanguard, I also coach Vanguard's Girl's Bowling team, and I am the sponsor of 2 clubs; the Gender-Sexuality Alliance and Spanish Club.
My Spanish background is very varied. I learned in school, through study aboroad programs and by Spanish media. I have completed 3 different study abroad programs living in Uruguay, Brazil and Spain. I spent 6 months of my junior year of high school in Montevideo, Uruguay. I went to a private school in Uruguay and lived with a host family. During the summer after my sophomore year of college, I went to Fortaleza, Brazil for a summer to learn Portuguese and lived with a family. I also spent a year in Madrid, Spain studying at La Universidad Complutense de Madrid, I rented an apartment and lived with 5 other women. I studied morphology (how language changes) and Spanish dialectology. I love languages and learning! I graduated in 2000 with my degree in Spanish from Indiana University. In 2013, I completed my Master's degree in Education, Leadership and Emerging Technology from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.
I encourage all of my students to take the time to travel and explore the world. I have traveled to 30 countries and 4 continents. My travel goals include visiting all 7 continents and visiting as many countries as years I have been on Earth (I am a bit behind, but I plan to catch up in the next few years.).
In my free time, I like to spend time with family and friends. Much of my time is spent keeping track of my 9 grandchildren and taking care of my two labradors, Cami and Teagan. My favorite daily activity is snuggling with my dogs and reading a good book. I love to bowl, please don't confuse my love of the sport with me being any good at it!
I want to say thank you for being in my class and I know we will have a great year. Please feel free to come and see me if you need help or have any questions. I am your teacher and I am here to be your support as you explore and begin your journey with Spanish.