"I am a Tier 4 educator in the State of Minnesota, licensed to teach K-12 Spanish and K-12 ELL. I recently finished my seventh year in the classroom. I am currently teaching 11th and 12th graders Spanish 1-4 at a State Residential School for the Arts. I also spent four years teaching Spanish to grades K-8 at a public charter school as a Specialist teacher.

My style of teaching is based on the Second Language Acquisition theory of Comprehensible Input. My goal is to provide students with lots of engaging experience with the language, at a level that is a comfortable challenge. My students learn to communicate, to use the language, to feel comfortable, and to have confidence in themselves as lifetime language learners. My classes approach language with curiosity and connection, and language is always presented in the context of learning about each other, and learning about the target culture. My job as a teacher is to understand where my students are at, have many positive interactions in that level, and inspire them to reach for new methods of communication.

Before I became a licensed teacher, I homeschooled my own children for 10 years, instructing them in all subjects one-on-one. We also participated in homeschool groups, and I often tutored other homeschooled children in our community, mostly in Spanish and writing. I also led collaborative art projects with the children. From 2005-2016, I also was a substitute teacher, working in many schools in the Minneapolis area. I taught in every grade level, but focused on ELL, Spanish, and Special Education. These assignments ranged from individual support of students to teaching groups of up to 35 kids.

In my free time, I am a traditional music and dance aficionado. I teach and lead folk dancing frequently in our throughout my regional at festivals, celebrations, and community centers. Over the last 20 years, I have taught guitar, piano, banjo, and dance calling to individuals and small groups." less...