About Me

Welcome to my blog "Cuentos de mis clases." I am currently a Spanish teacher at North Scott High School in Eldridge, Iowa. For the past two years, I have been using CI (Comprehensible Input) and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) in my classroom.  I hope to share lots of stories, successes and probably some struggles that happen as I try to give my students the most optimal exposure to Spanish that I can!

I started teaching high school Spanish in 1996 in Tomball, Texas.  After four years I moved a little bit closer to home (I grew up in Marion, Iowa) and taught another four years at St. Louis Park High School just outside of Minneapolis.  After I married my husband Vince, we spent a year teaching at the American Community Schools in Athens, Greece and then moved back to the Cities.  A head football coaching job for Vince brought us back to Iowa and brought me to eight years of teaching Spanish online with Minnesota Online High School. Throughout college and after, I worked many summers at Concordia Language Villages.

Last year (2014) was my first year back in a face-to-face classroom and my first year working with CI/TPRS.  Although I know I still have a lot to learn, this has been the most enjoyable and exciting teaching years for me so far!  Last year a senior that went on to study at the University of Chicago nominated me for their Outstanding Educator Award, so I felt I was on the right track with what I was doing in the classroom.

I am a proud graduate of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa with my BA and MA in Spanish teaching.  

Here's to sharing our stories!!