About Me
I attended Central Michigan University with a major in Spanish and minors in English as a second language and leadership. I graduated Magna Cum Laude as a member of the Honors Program and McNair Scholars Program, and even had the opportunity to give the Last Lecture at the Honors Program graduation ceremony. After a few years of teaching, I enrolled at Oakland University for graduate school, where I completed a Master of Arts in linguistics with a specialization in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
During my twelve years of teaching Spanish, I have taught toddlers, preschool classes, adult education classes, and every single grade K-12. I have taught in public, parochial, independent, and charter schools, and I have taught students with widely varying abilities, perspectives, and backgrounds. People frequently ask me whether I prefer teaching elementary or secondary students, and I always say that it's a tie. Elementary schoolers are amazing because no matter what you're doing in class or what topics you're learning about, they are SO EXCITED to be in Spanish class! High schoolers generally aren't quite as enthusiastic, but they are better able to grasp abstract ideas like grammar, and can have more in-depth discussions and gain a deeper understanding of the language and culture. I have a blast teaching Spanish regardless of the age group, and I am especially passionate about incorporating service learning into my classes and using the Montessori philosophy to guide my teaching.
In addition to teaching Spanish, I have also been a dance teacher for over ten years. I grew up dancing competitively, and I have extensive experience in many styles including ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, hip hop, and lyrical. As an adult, I have also become heavily involved in more traditional dance forms such as clogging and line dancing. I enjoy teaching at dance studios and clogging workshops in my spare time, as well as running after-school dance programs and summer dance camps. My greatest passions in life include bringing the different dance worlds together, and percussive dance in general. My specializations include introducing clogging to tappers, infusing tap history into my classes, and bringing beginners to higher ability levels in a short period of time.
During my twelve years of teaching Spanish, I have taught toddlers, preschool classes, adult education classes, and every single grade K-12. I have taught in public, parochial, independent, and charter schools, and I have taught students with widely varying abilities, perspectives, and backgrounds. People frequently ask me whether I prefer teaching elementary or secondary students, and I always say that it's a tie. Elementary schoolers are amazing because no matter what you're doing in class or what topics you're learning about, they are SO EXCITED to be in Spanish class! High schoolers generally aren't quite as enthusiastic, but they are better able to grasp abstract ideas like grammar, and can have more in-depth discussions and gain a deeper understanding of the language and culture. I have a blast teaching Spanish regardless of the age group, and I am especially passionate about incorporating service learning into my classes and using the Montessori philosophy to guide my teaching.
In addition to teaching Spanish, I have also been a dance teacher for over ten years. I grew up dancing competitively, and I have extensive experience in many styles including ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, hip hop, and lyrical. As an adult, I have also become heavily involved in more traditional dance forms such as clogging and line dancing. I enjoy teaching at dance studios and clogging workshops in my spare time, as well as running after-school dance programs and summer dance camps. My greatest passions in life include bringing the different dance worlds together, and percussive dance in general. My specializations include introducing clogging to tappers, infusing tap history into my classes, and bringing beginners to higher ability levels in a short period of time.
My Teaching Philosophy
Working toward the personal growth of my students is a cornerstone of my teaching philosophy- I want my students to grow as people during their time in my class, not just as Spanish speakers. I have found that embracing the Montessori philosophy totally transformed my teaching, and I have quite a bit of experience leading professional development on applying it to world language classrooms, as this is an area that traditional Montessori training overlooks. I strive to apply this philosophy to every detail of my job, from the layout of my classroom to the way I structure my classes to my classroom management strategies. I have put careful thought into every single decision I make at work, right down to the way I store colored pencils. A key component to Montessori philosophy is “freedom within limits”. My students are given the most amount of freedom possible at all times, but they learn that with that freedom comes great responsibility. There are no extrinsic motivators of any kind in my class; my students learn quickly that learning is its own reward. They’re here to learn Spanish and leave as better people than they were when they came in, not to earn incentives, win prizes, or even to get good grades.
Making learning accessible and engaging for my students is a top priority as their teacher. It’s important for my students to interact with the Spanish language through as many media as possible, which means that activities in my class vary widely from day to day and even minute to minute. A day in the life of one of my students might include competing in a game show, performing in a rap battle, learning how to sign Spanish words in ASL, or connecting with other students their age in Spanish-speaking countries via technology or snail mail. I use what I know about my students to turn my class into something I know they will enjoy. After all, when my students are having fun learning, I am having fun teaching them!
I think the best way to really engage students in their own learning is to make it relevant and important to them. Service learning is at the heart of my teaching philosophy, and I use a variety of projects to make the subject matter meaningful. My students use the language they have learned to feel like a part of something bigger than themselves and to make the world they live in a better place. Whether they are learning about poverty and economics through a Kiva microfinance project, creating bilingual books for an orphanage in Mexico, or making Guatemalan worry dolls to send to migrant children, my students consistently connect what they are learning to our society and use those connections to improve the world around them.
I know my teaching has been successful when I see that my students have grown as people due to my class. I want them to learn the language, of course, but it takes a lot more than that for me to consider myself successful. I want my students to open their worldview, look at unfamiliar cultures with curiosity rather than judgment, and find their place in the world by connecting to it in different ways. I know that many of my students will probably never need to use Spanish on a regular basis, so it’s important to me that I give them something that will help them throughout their lives that’s more than just a language. My class should be a springboard to new ways of thinking and a greater sense of empathy. When my students can not only understand and communicate with native Spanish speakers but also interact with them on a human level rather than as people who are different from them, I will consider myself a success.
Making learning accessible and engaging for my students is a top priority as their teacher. It’s important for my students to interact with the Spanish language through as many media as possible, which means that activities in my class vary widely from day to day and even minute to minute. A day in the life of one of my students might include competing in a game show, performing in a rap battle, learning how to sign Spanish words in ASL, or connecting with other students their age in Spanish-speaking countries via technology or snail mail. I use what I know about my students to turn my class into something I know they will enjoy. After all, when my students are having fun learning, I am having fun teaching them!
I think the best way to really engage students in their own learning is to make it relevant and important to them. Service learning is at the heart of my teaching philosophy, and I use a variety of projects to make the subject matter meaningful. My students use the language they have learned to feel like a part of something bigger than themselves and to make the world they live in a better place. Whether they are learning about poverty and economics through a Kiva microfinance project, creating bilingual books for an orphanage in Mexico, or making Guatemalan worry dolls to send to migrant children, my students consistently connect what they are learning to our society and use those connections to improve the world around them.
I know my teaching has been successful when I see that my students have grown as people due to my class. I want them to learn the language, of course, but it takes a lot more than that for me to consider myself successful. I want my students to open their worldview, look at unfamiliar cultures with curiosity rather than judgment, and find their place in the world by connecting to it in different ways. I know that many of my students will probably never need to use Spanish on a regular basis, so it’s important to me that I give them something that will help them throughout their lives that’s more than just a language. My class should be a springboard to new ways of thinking and a greater sense of empathy. When my students can not only understand and communicate with native Spanish speakers but also interact with them on a human level rather than as people who are different from them, I will consider myself a success.