▬▬▬▬▬▬  ⭐About Us⭐ ▬▬▬▬▬▬
Polyglots Academy was established in the state of Minnesota in the year 2011. Beginning as a program serving students in PreK-2nd grade, we have since expanded our class offerings to include students up to 12th grade. Our primary focus is to promote literacy through the encouragement of world language learning. We teach and enhance literacy skills in multiple languages which currently include: English, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Russian. We also include classes in the areas of S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) to allow students to explore their learning interests across multiple subjects. 
Our goal is to provide a safe, fun, and engaging environment where children can develop strong language skills and cultural competency. We believe that every child has the potential to learn a new language, and we are committed to helping them achieve their full potential. 

▬▬▬▬▬▬  ⭐Meet Our Teachers⭐ ▬▬▬▬▬▬

🏫 Lewshawnda Haywood (Founder): English & Arabic Teacher
Mrs. Lewshawnda Haywood has been teaching and tutoring students for more than 20 years. She currently provides online as well as in person tutoring to students in the areas of reading and writing. Her college studies include: early childhood and elementary education and the modern languages of Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese. She teaches beginning and emergent literacy skills in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin Chinese here at Polyglots Academy. In the past, she has taught in charter schools over a period of 15 years. Prior to that, She served as the lead teacher for students in grades K-8 at a community education center.

🏫 Antwyne Haywood (School Administrator): Math  & Engineering Teacher
Mr. Haywood is a licensed teacher in the state of Georgia. He currently teaches engineering, robotics, mechatronics and semiconductors at a public high school. He has been teaching and working with students in various capacities for more than 30 years. He has served as the principal, administrator, social worker, mentor and teacher for several organizations which include Lewis University, Ramsey County and Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota as well as a few private and public schools. He has also taught science and math to private school students in Kindergarten through 8th grade for more than 10 years. He currently coaches a robotics team that participates in tournaments on the district, state and national level. He also assists with the teaching of lego robotics to middle school students and his team hosts an annual lego robotics competition every Fall.

🏫 Dr. Vania Scarborough: Spanish & ESL Teacher
Dr. Vania Scarborough is an experienced, bilingual, compassionate, and creative Spanish teacher with over one decade of teaching experience including higher education instruction, tutoring in Spanish, and virtual language instruction. Dr. Scarborough is a native Spanish speaker with a Postgraduate Degree from the International University of Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, and a DDS from a prestigious university in South America. This, coupled to her ample linguistic experience as a professional Spanish translator, interpreter, and proofreader are the reasons behind Dr. Scarborough’s superb reading, writing and linguistic skills in Spanish. In fact, it is her deep love and knowledge of Spanish grammar, and a genuine vocation of service, which thoroughly inform all her teaching and allow her to provide all her Spanish students with a highly professional and effective Spanish language immersion learning experience.  

🏫 Bassant: Arabic Teacher
My name is Bassant, and I hold a master’s degree in education with over 12 years of experience in the education field. Throughout my career, I have been dedicated to fostering a love of learning in my students and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed. My teaching philosophy is deeply influenced by my Montessori certification, which emphasizes student-centered learning, and I also hold a certificate in learning difficulties, allowing me to effectively support students with diverse learning needs.

My journey in teaching has been enriched by my proficiency in multiple languages, specifically English and Arabic. With a strong academic background and extensive practical experience, I have developed a comprehensive skill set that enables me to create engaging and effective language programs.

As a native Arabic speaker with professional proficiency, I have experience teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. I employ cultural immersion techniques to enhance language learning, providing students with a rich and authentic experience. 

🏫 Alla Rada: Russian Teacher
Alla Rada holds a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Omsk State University, Russia and is passionate about Russian culture and education. She currently teachers high school math in Ridgely, Md.
Originally from Russia, she studied in Salisbury University, worked in Maryland and Oregon, and is now based in Cordova, Md. She loves books, yoga, and her white samoyed Cloud. Her teaching style is to demonstrate her passion for the languages and cultures. She taught in 3 different countries in 3 different languages making sure each single learner is comfortable in her classroom

🏫 Dr. Raja - Urdu Teacher
Author of several books, Dr. Raja teaches English reading and writing skills and Urdu language classes from beginner to advanced levels. 


🏫 Andreus Jackson - English Language Arts & ESL Teacher
Andreus Jackson has twenty-nine years of teaching experience.  Andreus has fostered a classroom environment conducive to learning and promoting excellent student engagement with a goal to meet each student’s individual learning needs and abilities. Andreus also has five years of Online Teaching experience. Andreus provides fun and engaging lessons while helping students learn to sharpen their English proficiency. Andreus has a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, Master of Science in Early Childhood Education, Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction, Master of Arts in Teaching in Learning with Technology, as well as a 120 hour TESOL Certification.

🏫 Dana Kalache - Arabic Teacher
Mrs. Dana is so excited to be your Arabic language teacher. She lives in California, but is originally Lebanese. She has worked part time as an Arabic translator and cultural advisor for  Disneyland and  Expo Dubai 2020. She is eager to introduce and teach her  wonderful rich language to children around the world.

🏫 Augustus H. - German, French and Italian Teacher
I am a lifelong language learner and language teacher with broad experience teaching French and German
across a multitude of platforms, with a variety of approaches, and to students of different backgrounds. In
my teaching, I strive to make language learning accessible and relevant to students regardless of their
goals and background. I aim to facilitate an environment that facilitates effective learning and welcomes
diverse perspectives. I maintain familiarity with cutting-edge methodologies in second language teaching
and assessment and I am actively engaged in research and scholarship in French and German applied
linguistics, translation and stylistics, Francophone literature, and Franco-German Studies.

🏫 Doris Sandra Avoum - French Teacher
Teaching languages is Doris's passion and full time job.  She is from Cameroun and lives in USA. Doris loves speaking French, and has studied French for 18 years. She has been teaching the language for 3 years.  She has a Masters Degree in Medical Anthropology from the University of Yaoundé 1. In her experience as a teacher, she's met people with multiple learning goals, so can say she's a flexible, patient teacher. Doris loves interacting with students and being part of their learning process. During her lessons, she prefers to use a communicative approach, whether to study vocabulary, pronunciation or active grammar. She focuses on the use of the language and tries to create a 100% French speaking environment progressively.

🏫 Mrs. Sondos - Arabic Teacher
Mrs. Sondos teaches Arabic at Polyglots Academy. She is half Egyptian and half Syrian and can understand almost every Arabic dialect out there. She is a tutor and part time teacher. Mrs. Sondos graduated from Texas A&M in 2021 and I has been tutoring and teaching since 2019. She believes that everyone, regardless of age, deserves a fair chance at learning. She's seen students struggle and then succeed and has realized that the most important key to success is building a strong foundation in the subject they’re trying to learn. She wants to be the one to help others build and maintain that strong foundation that they’ll take with them wherever they go. She has experience teaching kids as young as 4 years old  how to read, write and speak Arabic at the basic levels.

🏫 Daphnee L. - Haitian-Creole Teacher
I come from a family that values lifelong learning. I believe in personal growth to learn where everyone's strengths and weaknesses to be nurtured. I encourage curiosity, ask questions and I strive to apply what we learn to the real-world.

🏫 Fatima A. - Somali Teacher
Hi Parents and Students! Allow me to introduce myself and share with you the approach to learning that my family embraces. My name is Fatima, and I strongly believe in the power of education and the transformative impact it can have on a child's life. 

🏫 Aleksandr Y. - Russian Teacher
I am a native and fluent speaker of Russian. I taught Russian in the military and helped organize student events at University. I am happy to be teaching students here with the  Polyglots Academy, and to assure that they are all satisfied with the results. 

🏫 Fnu J. - Mandarin Chinese Teacher
My name is Jisi, I’m a Chinese teacher with 30 years of teaching experiences. My teaching style is interactive and engaging, as I believe that students learn best when they are immersed in the language. I create a supportive and inclusive classroom environment.

🏫 Khadija I. Arabic Teacher
My name is Khadija Ihmoud, I am originally from Jerusalem Palestine. I live in Chicago and I have been teaching the Arabic language for 10 years.

🏫Meshé G. - Spanish Teacher
Hi there! My name is Meshé, or Ms. Mimi for short. My goal is to help  students of all ages learn/improve their English or Spanish speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension skills. You will find that sometimes I enjoy incorporating music in my lessons.

🏫 Paula C. - Brazilian Portuguese Teacher
My name is Paula Carvalho, Brazilian and born in Rio de Janeiro. I have been a preschool teacher for 32 years. I trained as a teacher at Colégio Ignácio Azevedo do Amaral, in Rio de Janeiro. I teach Portuguese language classes in various types of school environments, for adults and children aged between 5 and 30. My goal is to make learning fun, engaging and interactive. My hobbies include reading, watching series, running, swimming and meditating. I love traveling and cooking too!

🏫Thaljeya H. - Arabic Teacher
Hi, welcome, you can call me Gia! I teach adults and young kids the Arabic language , I have been teaching for almost 5 years I have taught in different places, first in Jerusalem where I am originally from and second in the United states where I grew up.

🏫Yuna G. - Mandarin Chinese Teacher
Nice to meet you! My name is Yuna and I’m proud to be your bilingual tutor in Chinese (Mandarin) and English! I was born and raised in China, received my bachelor’s degree in Tampa, Florida. I have a true passion for working with young learners!