Corey 
B.A. in Spanish for Teacher Certification
High school Spanish teacher, Garland ISD
“The ACU difference is simply the professors. Nowhere else will you find men and women who don’t just care that you receive a phenomenal education, but their No. 1 priority is you – your spiritual, physical and emotional health.”
Ever since the eighth grade, Adrienne Carpenter felt a desire to lead and educate others. Her experience on mission trips to Mexico with her church youth group gave her a heart for connecting with Hispanic culture and achieving Spanish fluency.
These passions converged in Spanish Education at ACU, she says.
“At ACU, I received the invaluable combination of high-level Spanish grammar and literature classes with incredible instruction in classroom management and educational psychology,” she says. “The Spanish classes were challenging and helpful for my growth in the language, while the Education Department did a fantastic job of combining the most valuable information into the least amount of extra classes possible.”
One of Adrienne’s best experiences was the hands-on opportunity to teach her lesson plans in a real-life setting, while learning the ins and outs of managing a classroom.
“Most any beginning teacher will tell you that classroom management is the most important and yet most challenging aspect of an early teaching career,” Adrienne says. “But I will also say it has never felt overwhelming. Hands down, I give ACU credit to the ease of my transition from student teaching to the actual practice of managing and teaching my own classroom.”
Adrienne, who teaches Spanish for Garland ISD, sees her career as a ministry.
“I believe the Lord has me in teaching for a purpose, she says. “Every morning I wake up and arrive at school confident that today I am working for the Lord, in the exact place he wants me. I have hard days, great days and average ones too, but regardless of my circumstance, I have a deep sense of joy and satisfaction in what I do.
“At ACU, I learned the art of using my unique giftings and being the very best teacher I can be.”