Krisuary Palacios Pina and Sabrina Abo also contributed to the article.
Catherine Goldin-Whyte, a new teacher to the ELL department, impresses with over 20 years of teaching experience and an array of languages. Originally teaching in Marblehead, Massachusetts, she transferred to Malden High in hopes of finding a bigger community within the department of ELL.
With the versatility of having many languages encompassed, she performs quite well when working with students. It isn’t newfound information that someone can be completely proficient in all languages, but despite this barrier, she persists with great aspiration. She goes at a steady pace, making sure to accommodate all of her student’s needs and wants.
“Patience is amazing. If you’re in a rush to get the answer, everybody’s going to be frustrated, so I slow down. I’m not in a rush, so we get there at the end,” said Goldin-Whyte.
“She just has a great personality and connects with students and adults on a real, natural level. She genuinely seems interested in learning more about students and faculty,” said Jennifer McCabe, the lead teacher of the ELL department and former director of ELL department for the district, who has 20 years of experience teaching the subject.
Students themselves in response have reciprocated similar feelings about Goldin-Whyte, stating she is easy to work with, and can easily sympathize with. “She is a very nice teacher and is a person you could get along with very quickly,” said student Santiago Vargar.
Principal Christopher Mastrangelo credits Whyte for her strong ambition. At her previous school, she wished to have a large community to work with, so working in Malden was right within her comfort zone. Principal Mastrangelo emphasized that “she was excited to be part of a team” and he was “excited about her experience.”
Goldin-Whyte shows no fear in adapting herself to a brand new environment, whether it is a new school, a new commute route, or a brand new group of students; she is able to make herself feel at home.
Goldin-Whyte holds the ability to connect with both students and faculty members with great empathy. Not only is she a great addition to the school, but overall a great person to the community.
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