Different is Normal
Liz Matchett |
TEDxGunnHighSchool
• February 2021
Liz Matchett is a National Board Certified Spanish teacher and is the World Language Instructional Leader at Gunn High School. Her work exemplifies her certainty that all students can learn languages, world languages are part of the core curriculum, and every language matters. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, a Masters in Multicultural Education, and a second Masters in Educational Administration. She spent part of her mid-career directing the Stanford World Language Program, where she continues to be a Team Leader. In 2012 she received the CLTA McGraw Hill Award for Outstanding Teacher Leadership. In 2016, she was named the CLTA Language Teacher of the Year for California. In 2019 she was appointed by the State Board of Education to serve as the co-chair of the California World Language Framework Committee. This, coupled with her achievement of National Board Certification, solidified her belief that strong and continuous professional development is one of the keys to keeping teachers engaged and dedicated to the profession. Additionally, she works as a Master Teacher for the Stanford Teacher Education Program and San José State University because she believes that practicing teachers have the duty to support their emerging and new colleagues in order to ensure a dynamic and energetic cadre of educators who are prepared to nurture the next generation of global citizens. She is a founding member of the Global Advisory Panel for CIEE. Outside of language education, she serves on the Woodside Community Theatre Board of Directors, sings with Peninsula Cantare, and is an avid gardener, camper, and hiker. She has two grown daughters and lives in Redwood City with her husband, Richard Vaughan.