Mario Alba, or Mr. Alba, as known by his students, is welcomed to Central as a Spanish teacher. This is his first year at Central, and he hopes to make it the first of many.

“Central seemed to be a place full of passionate teachers that really cared about one another and about their students. I liked that sense of community, and wanted to be a part of it,” stated Alba.

Alba spent the beginning of his teaching career in Spain, where he taught English as a second language. He acquired his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Valencia. Later on, he decided it was time for change, he went to the University of Georgia at Athens (UGA), to teach Spanish, and to also get his master’s in Spanish Linguistics. After his spell at UGA, he came to Chattanooga to teach Spanish at Girls Preparatory School (GPS) for 12 years. Right before he came to Central, he spent four years teaching Spanish at the University of North Georgia.

“He is a really good teacher and he helps me stay on track and get my work done,” stated Sophomore Carson Simms. “I am looking forward to being able to speak fluent Spanish in the future.”

Alba plans to teach his students the four main principles of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. He wants to also educate his students in different traditions in the Spanish-speaking world. Alba is going on 20 years of teaching. He hopes to make a significant change in the way Spanish is being taught and comprehended here at Central. He has high hopes and wants all the best for his students and their futures in Spanish.

“Getting to know who they (students) are, what they like, and what they are interested and excited about has been great, and I look forward to finding more things out and finding ways to relate to them,” said Alba, when asked about his first weeks at Central.

Alba loves to draw, read, cook, and play video games outside of school. Also, he loves to spend time with his wife and take care of his pets. 

The community at Central welcomes Mario Alba with open arms and hopes to have a good, long-lasting future with him.