Take Five with Leonor Salas: Spanish Teacher at Bogan High School

Take Five is a series that highlights members of the CPS community who are going above and beyond for our students. All throughout the 2024–25 school year, we will be spotlighting our amazing CPS teachers! If you know a teacher who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here.

Meet Ms. Leonor Salas, a Spanish teacher and department head at Bogan High School! Ms. Salas, a CPS graduate herself who grew up in Little Village, has been teaching for more than 20 years at multiple CPS high schools on Chicago’s South and West Sides. Now she’s back at Bogan—her own alma mater! As an educator, Ms. Salas aims to be approachable and encouraging, and her teaching style is student-centered and interactive.

Ms. Salas originally came to teaching from the business world; after college she worked as an auditor at a Fortune 500 company. From there, Ms. Salas moved into teaching business classes because she was motivated to show students like her younger self the range of opportunities they had available to them. Once she was ready for a change, she became a Spanish teacher and never looked back. Teaching a language was an excellent fit, and Ms. Salas became a champion of World Language programming in her school community.

“Ms. Salas is dedicated to making sure World Language is accessible to all students, and she is spearheading our Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations for the second year in a row,” said Bogan principal Alahrie Aziz-Sims. “Kudos to Ms. Salas, her big heart, and her commitment to making our school inclusive and welcoming for all students.”

Learn more about Ms. Salas below!

Can you tell us about the importance of World Language programming and celebrations like Hispanic Heritage Month in our schools? 

World Language is so important because we live in such a global world. School is about academics, but it’s also where students can learn about other cultures and how to communicate with people who are different from them. Hispanic Heritage Month specifically is an opportunity for celebration and learning. We have so many fun things planned this year, like playing lotería during lunch, a Spanish movie night, opportunities for dancing and music, and a big assembly in October. Students have really embraced it and are having a lot of fun!

What is one lesson you’ve learned during your career?

If something isn’t working, take a moment to sit back, reflect, and think about option B. That reflection prevents you from just shutting down, which is important because if you shut down as a teacher, your students will shut down too. 

What do you love most about your work?

I love the moment when a kid really gets it. My students will be working on learning the language for a while, and then they hit a point where they’re starting to really click with pronunciation, engage with the lessons, and even get their families involved with what we’re learning in class!

What is the biggest lesson you hope your students learn from you?

I want them to know that they can do whatever they set their mind to. Everything is achievable.

What do you like to do when you’re not teaching?

I have a 14-year-old son who’s a CPS student, and I’m basically his Uber driver. He’s very busy! I also love reading, gardening, and watching sports.