Miami Norland Senior High teacher earns prestigious international fellowship
"I want my students to be proud of me," she said.
Miami Norland junior RickStephan Jean said he's very proud.
"It's a certain type of comfort that you get from her that you don't get from any other teachers," Jean said.
Janice Ducheine, who is also a junior at the school, agrees, saying, "You know Dr. Symonette can honestly serve as a second mother at school. There'd be times, I do a lot at school, and sometimes it gets overwhelming, and she's always there for me."
Symonette teaches various writing courses at Miami Norland Senior High. She said that allowing teenage emotions, thoughts and feelings to leave their hearts and minds to be placed onto paper is how she's able to get her students to open up, and it's easy to see just how much she really cares.
"I like to see my students shine, especially when I know their stories and I think that's probably the thing that I carry most in my heart," Symonette said. "I know students. I know their stories. I know their struggles and I want to be a part of not just the things that make them feel sad, but the things that make them feel great."
Symonette shines in the classroom
This is part of what makes Symonette so accomplished. Back in 2016, she was named the Miami-Dade County Teacher of the Year. There have been lots of awards and accolades in between, including the latest. This year, she was named the 2025 National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow.
Symonette said getting it caught her by surprise.
"It was a moonshot moment, like I never thought that I'd be selected," she said.
She'll spend this summer in Iceland. Learning about all things the Vikings, which coincidentally also happens to be Miami Norland's mascot.
Her students have also given her a complete to-do list — basically, it's homework.
"They have completed an activity called 3-2-1," Symonette explained. "Three things that I should look for while I am in Iceland, two things that I should do, and a question that I should ask the people when I come in contact with them."
Symonette said she'll take part in science experiments, do a polar plunge, and also go to Greenland. She said it's these experiences that become tools she uses to take learning to new levels. It's her students who ultimately gain the most.
Jean says he knows she does it all for her students, "you learn things while it doesn't feel like you're learning anything."
Symonette adds, "I'm here to educate them and at the end of the day, I want all my students to be published writers. I want them all be authors. Writing is transferable, and you can use it in any type of career."
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