SAN JOSE- Mitchy Rene has had a wild life, but when you see her, you wouldn’t realize it at all. 

Rene was born in Haiti in Oct. of 1962. With her two kids in fifth grade, she moved to Martinez, Calif. and was quickly asked by her neighbor if she was willing to teach French at Concord High School. She was one of the only French speakers in town, and she would be the perfect candidate for the job. The previous French teacher mysteriously left in the middle of December so Rene had to receive an emergency credential to teach French. “I will never forget the day I started teaching because I really felt at home,” Rene says. She teaches French not only because she knows and loves the language but because she wants to be a mentor to the students in her class.

She loved teaching so much that she wanted to continue but it was an uphill battle. One big problem was that she didn’t have a teaching credential and she didn’t have the money to go to school to get one. Eventually, she got the financial help she needed and started college to get her credentials. She finally got her credentials and started teaching at Silver Creek. One reason why she loves teaching is because she doesn’t look like the typical French teacher. She likes to spread the message,“You can do whatever you want and that it doesn’t matter what you look like.” 

Some things that she likes to do in her free time are entertain, travel and spend time with family. “If I could get one thing, I would get tickets to every country in the world,” Rene stated. Her favorite places to visit are Senegal, Martinique and Paris. The first two countries remind her of home and are very beautiful places to visit. She loves to visit Paris because, “Who doesn’t like Paris?” 

tags: Mitchy, Rene, Haiti, French, Paris, Martinque, SCHS, Concord