Carroll County High School Spanish teacher Magali McCarty is preparing to retire after eight years of sharing her passion for learning languages and immersing students in Spanish language and culture.
Her path to the classroom was unconventional, spanning two continents and two distinct careers. A native of Brazil, Magali originally came to the USA for training through her work as a chemist for Procter & Gamble and vacation. She returned the following year for vacation and met her husband, Anthony. He went to Brazil so they could get married, and then they permanently moved to the United States. Her transition into education years later was sparked by a desire to stay close to home coupled with the knowledge that Carroll County Schools needed a Spanish teacher.
Transitioning into a certified Kentucky educator required immense patience because her formal education took place in Brazil. Magali spent two years working with a certified agency just to assess and correlate her degrees and transcripts before she could even begin her master's degree.
Her native language is Portuguese, and she actually learned Spanish while living in the United States. While staying home to raise her children so they could learn Portuguese and understand their heritage, she became aware of a local need for Spanish interpreters. Though she did not speak the language at the time, people frequently asked her to assist at hospitals and courts, mistakenly assuming the Portuguese and Spanish languages were identical.
Determined to fill the gap, Magali leaned into her deep love for learning. She bought dictionaries, placed them all over her house, and used everyday trips to Walmart as her classroom, listening intently to native speakers and asking constant questions. She eventually trained with the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts and earned state certifications as a court interpreter in both Spanish and Portuguese.
When Magali stepped into Carroll County High School in 2018, she brought that same self-taught tenacity to her students. She bypassed traditional, frustrating vocabulary drills and grammar memorization.
"I hate drills to memorize vocabulary words and grammar," Magali said. "I guess it has some benefits, but it’s boring and gets you disinterested and frustrated. You’re not going to be able to have a basic level of communication in four years."
Instead, she utilized a methodology centered on deep immersion and comprehensive input, mimicking the way she naturally learned English and Spanish through context, observation, and asking questions. Magali turned everyday classroom movements into language lessons, intentionally pairing her actions with Spanish phrases so students associated what they saw with what they heard.
"I’m so happy outside when I hear the kids saying words in Spanish," she said.
Her impact reached far beyond language instruction. Carroll County High School Principal Crystal Harris praised McCarty’s dedication to students and her ability to make learning meaningful.
“Mrs. McCarty has made an incredible impact on the students and staff of Carroll County High School during her time here. Her passion for learning, her commitment to students, and her ability to connect language and culture in meaningful ways have created lasting experiences for countless young people. Beyond teaching Spanish, she modeled perseverance, lifelong learning, and genuine care for others every single day."
Her ultimate classroom challenge became preparing students to earn the Seal of Biliteracy by their senior year, a rigorous standard for non-native speakers. Her kind, deeply invested spirit drove her to give her absolute best to her students every single day.
"When I’m here teaching I am fully committed from the time the bell rings in the morning until the afternoon," Magali explained. "I’m doing something to teach them every day. I don’t like to miss. I feel like I need to redeem the time. It’s only four years for these students."
As retirement approaches, school leaders say McCarty’s legacy will continue to be felt in the students and colleagues she influenced.
“We are deeply grateful for the dedication and heart she poured into our school community, and while she will certainly be missed, we are excited for her as she begins this next chapter of life,” Harris said. “We hope retirement brings her meaningful time with her children and grandbabies, continued opportunities to pursue her love of learning, and many well-deserved new adventures.”
Teaching also has allowed Magali to express her gratitude to the place that adopted her.
"There’s another reason I took on the commitment of teaching," Magali said. "When I came to the United States it took five years for me to become a citizen and I felt like this community took me in as if I was one of their own. I felt like this eight years was an opportunity to give back to the community and also to the country. I love the United States."
Her faith has guided her through every cultural adjustment and professional hurdle along the way.
"I thank the Lord every step of the way," she said. "It wasn’t easy, but I like challenges. I’m always trusting in the Lord as long as I’m doing my best everything will be good."
Retirement will begin with a month off to visit with her family. She plans to take on a light load of court interpreting work to keep her certifications active, and she will spend time with her three children and her grandchildren, who are being raised with Portuguese as their primary language.
True to her lifelong passion for education, Magali is already mastering a brand new hobby to keep her mind sharp. She’s learning to speak, read and write Arabic. "I’ve always wanted to learn a language that had a different type of alphabet so I’m trying to learn Arabic now," Magali shared. "It’s a challenge, but I love it.”
Carroll County Schools Superintendent congratulated McCarty on her retirement and reiterated the impact of her career. “She has influenced many of our students over the last eight years and we wish her the best in her retirement,” Jaynes said.