Part 1 Conjugation Explorations

Hola!  Bienvenidos a Español con alegría (Spanish with Joy).  I am so excited to learn and practice Spanish, with you. I am an experienced Bilingual teacher and homeschool momma since 2002. I have a bachelors in Elementary Education and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.  I have worked with Pk students all the way up to 12th graders. I am certified to teach English, Spanish, Math, ESL for grades k-9. I also have  National board certification for Early and middle childhood plus English as a new language since 2010.  

Over those years I have worked in pretty much every setting.  However my favorite subjects to teach are Reading, Spanish, and Math.  I Really love working with all ages because every level is unique.  

Fun fact:  I became bilingual in Ethiopia.  Yep- You read that right.  When I was in college I actually dropped my Spanish minor when I was 6 credits short of completion. Learning another language was HARD! The professor told me not everyone can learn a second language so I quit. Well I am here to tell you folks that that professor was WRONG!  After graduation I traveled to Ethiopia and lived with Spanish speaking people for awhile.  I was immersed in Spanish.  That's when everything really clicked.  I returned to the U.S. and finished my minor in Spanish and have been teaching Bilingual students ever since.  I continued to travel and study in Spanish speaking countries and feel so passionate about sharing the language with others!

From 2002- 2011 I spent my teaching years in public school working with both Native English speakers, Native Spanish speakers and English as a second language students.  I worked mostly as a full time Bilingual Spanish teacher spending our entire day in Spanish, except for ESL.
 
Since 2011 my teaching has involved every setting working as a part time public and private Bilingual Spanish/English teacher, Homeschool teacher, homeschool mom, English as a Second language teacher and online Spanish teacher.  I love being able to homeschool my own children and include them in my classes as much as possible.  They enjoy helping me come up with fun new ideas!

In my Spanish classes I enjoy using a fun, silly and playful immersion approach that involves a lot of songs, games, props and teacher created stories. I like to call it a semi immersion+fun approach for beginners. I will use the Spanish language as much as possible while providing a variety of visuals and tools for added comprehension. This is called using comprehensible input. I will use a mixture of immersion, TPR, TPRS and English translation/explanations depending on the level of my learners and complexity of the topic. My advanced class is 100% Spanish conversation. Rest assured I have studied the Spanish language for nearly 30 years and have passed rigorous certification exams in the Spanish language.  Teaching Spanish is my top passion! 

In my private tutoring classes I get to know my learners strengths and use a lot of visuals, games and drawing on my screen.  I try to gauge what they enjoy.  I love working one on one with students in Dual language or Bilingual programs in K-5 math or Spanish Reading.  We can work on Learning to read in English Spanish, Math or Writing skills. 

I understand that every child learns uniquely. When you take a class with me you will notice that I differentiate my instruction to meet the needs of my learners.  No class is exactly the same.  I will always do my best to meet my learners where they are at. I hope to meet you soon!