Email: mrs.r.cypher@gmail.com
Mary Cypher is excited to have the opportunity to teach the Spanish & French languages! As a mother of 12 children, Mary has been home-educating since 1988 along with her husband, Russ Cypher. Their adult children have moved on to careers including Nurse/Paramedic/EMT, Biotechnology, Information Systems, a daughter who graduated with honors in Communication (& is celebrating 10 yrs. w/ Disney), a son with a Ph.D in Criminal Justice and instructor at John Jay University, an ICU RN & one daughter with a degree in Business Administration. Her youngest son is now a Lance Cpl. in the Marine Corps.& is now a GA qualified fireman.
She has a passion for teaching and has always agreed with Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders.
Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."
A passion for learning is contagious!
Mary began studying French in 5th grade and continued through her second year of college, becoming qualified as a French tutor. She had a special passion for the French language most of her life, giving 3 of her children French names. Originally from Quito, Ecuador, Mary is also bilingual with Spanish as her first language. Having learned English at the age of 6, by the immersion method, and French by more traditional methods - she has a unique perspective on learning a language. She also took 3 years of German in high school, keeping up an interest in it and Italian - language might be considered her passion, along with teaching. From years of receiving instruction in multiple languages through high school and two years of college to then giving instruction as a tutor in college, homeschooling, and substitute teaching, teaching language is an integral part of Mary's life.
Mary believes : "There is a new dimension that opens in the mind when a student learns a foreign language. There is a new awareness of the people who speak the language, of their culture and contributions to civilization." A passionate enthusiast of history and culture, Mary enjoys bringing that awareness into the classroom.
She has served as a substitute teacher at MAS and has had five students graduate from MAS. Her youngest, a UNG student received the Fulbright Summer award, being chosen out of 700 students. Enthusiasm for education is part of the fabric of Mary's life.
