Currently Teaches:

Spanish I, II, III, IV, & V

Background:

• Master in Arts in Teaching (2022)
• Master in Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language, Saint Michael's College. (2013)
• Bachelor of Education, emphasis in Spanish and English teaching, Universidad Distrital Francisco José De Caldas. Bogotá, Colombia.

Get to Know Him:

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Bio:
I grew up in Bogotá, Colombia and attended a catholic school which shaped my life and started me on my pursuit of a career in education. After earning a Bachelor in Education at Universidad Francisco José De Caldas in Bogotá, Colombia, I worked as a Spanish and an English instructor for young adults, adults, and seniors. In the language institutes, colleges, and schools where I worked in Colombia, I helped to develop a more effective and student based curriculum following the common european framework standard for language learners. After receiving my undergraduate degree and gaining experience teaching in Colombia, I decided to move to Vermont to pursue my Master degree in TESOL. In Vermont, I found the love of my life, met my best friends, and married my best friend, Emily. Emily and I have three beautiful kids who are my engine and inspiration to work hard and improve myself daily. Since moving to Vermont, I have taught at various schools and places, most recently teaching Spanish at middle school and high school level at Vermont Commons School using communicative input (CI), as the cornerstone in my syllabuses. I have also taught and helped prepare New Americans for their citizenship exams, language skills tests and to assist my students to linguistically and culturally prepare for life in the United States. Additionally, I have worked in the Essex and Burlington school districts as a Spanish teacher, language liaison, and behavioral specialist. Working at these wonderful places, I have continued to shape a more inclusive and individualized curriculum. I look forward to learning together with the students and faculty at Rice and contributing to a community valuing diversity, education, and faith.

I enjoy teaching because: I like the commitment from the students and their love for learning. The students are also very competitive, and I guess it is because of their athletic nature. I think more than 90% of the student body play sports?

I choose to teach at Rice because: I love the spiritual component as well as the catholic orientation. I chose Rice because I wanted a place where I could run a Spanish program where students do speak Spanish at the end of the program. 

What is your favorite thing about your job? I love working with students and having fun while teaching. I love to engage with students in meaningful conversations about culture, life, and languages. I also love the component that my curriculum has towards the use of storytelling in the classroom.

If you had an unexpected afternoon off, what would you do with your time? I would like to have quality time with my kids ( ages 6 & 2). 

Best vacation/trip you’ve ever been on: I went to the soccer world cup in Brazil in 2014

Favorite tradition/fieldtrip/project you do in your classroom each school year: We do a yearly activity called Locura de Marzo, and we compete with Spanish language learners around the world trying to guess what is the best song out of the twenty songs pickerd for the international bracket. This Locura de Marzo activity is a collaboration made by Spanish teachers all around the world but mostly the USA. By doing this activity, we talk, learn, discuss, try to understand spanish heritage, culture, language, by listening to music while talking about culture from different spanish speaking countries represented in the music bracket.

Favorite Rice tradition or event: Stunt Night

Favorite Rice Sports Team to watch: Soccer, baseball, and basketball.

Favorite Professional Sports Team or Athlete: The Steelers, and I love to see and follow any top soccer player from the world. I like the Colombian Guy Luis Diaz.

If a prospective family asked you “why should I send my student to Rice,” what would you say? 
Rice is an organization that helps prepare students for college, promotes healthy minds and bodies by practicing sports, and has a religious orientation that helps students have a focus on faith and the love to help others.