BRANDON, Fla. — This week’s A+ Teacher is called the backbone of Childcare of Brandon’s Town Center location. Maritza Gonzalez has been there since it first opened nine years ago.
The center’s director, Jenny Reyes, nominated her to be featured as an A+ Teacher.
“She has been such a mentor for me,” said Reyes.
The students and staff call her Miss Marty.
When her son was little, Gonzalez said she went to check out a daycare for him and was offered a job as a cook. She eventually transitioned into teaching, and has been an educator for 29 years. Nine years ago, she started at Childcare of Brandon when the Town Center location first opened.
“This is a family for me. This is my family,” she said. “My teachers, they’re so wonderful, I learn from them. The management team, they’re awesome.”
Gonzalez said the children keep her coming back year after year.
“They’re the ones that keep me going,” she said. “They give me that energy to come to work.”
“Nurturing them, taking care of their needs, watching them grow little by little, their learning. It’s amazing,” she added.