Spanish Track Faculty

Spanish Track Pre-Kindergarten (3 year olds) Teacher

It has been a wonderful experience to see children learning another language and culture. I really enjoy the family environment at TIS, and I love watching my little ones becoming independent little people and talking my language.Like many parents, I think TIS offers a wonderful gift we can give our children. It gives them another door to our world. I have a daughter in the Chinese Track at TIS.

Spanish Track Pre-Kindergarten (3 year olds) Teacher

I really enjoy sharing my language and culture with the children. I particularly like having the little ones - I can see every day how they enjoy learning another language and other cultures.

Spanish Track Low-Kindergarten (4 year olds) Teacher

I am a Puerto Rican girl who loves to be around children. I enjoy my work a lot. For me, working with children is not just about teaching them. It is also about learning with them and appreciating who they are.As a teacher, I see myself as a facilitator for my children. My job is to help them or guide them to discover how wonderful they are, and how great it is to learn new things. Also, I want them to realize that they are little teachers for one antoher, exchanging their knowledge and skills.

Spanish Track Low-Kindergarten (4 year olds) Teacher

Teaching at TIS has been a wonderful experience - with the different cultures and sharing the delicious foods. I like to see how the children learn so easily, not only the language, but the usual words from other language tracks as well. I love my students and my job.

ADELA PEDROSA-CORREA

I entered the world of education twenty years ago with the full conviction that I was going to “teach” certain things to the kids, and guide them through their first years of school. After so many experiences, I feel passionate about being there “with them” day by day as I try to get to know them, understand them and enjoy them. They arrive to me every year in September full of anticipation, fears and excitement for the big step: “Kindergarten”. As time goes by, we get to know each other and we form relationships. We learn to negotiate, to work hard, to discuss passionately and to enjoy our little community. But we also try to find our own voices. It is in this complex and unique process that I learn to love the children for who they are, that I try to guide them through academic and emotional success and, most importantly, that I try to appreciate and celebrate the interactions that we have every day. I consider myself very lucky!Teaching in The International School allows me to be part of an immersion program in my mother tongue. This is a complex process since it involves the teaching of academic contents, emotional abilities, and daily negotiations in a language that is foreign to the children. To be part of this sophisticated educational environment is an enriching and challenging professional task for me. It is always amazing to “see” the way each child will develop his/her academic abilities through a new language. It is in this stimulating environment that children will surprise me year after year.

Spanish Track Kindergarten Teacher

I strongly believe that every child is a unique individual, a creative and active learner who has to be treated with respect. I try to create a safe environment, positive and fun time which helps to enrich children’s knowledge of their world and increase their understanding of their place in it. Teaching Kindergarten is an amazing experience that makes every day special and gives me the chance to learn from children and from myself.As a Catalan, a Spaniard from the Catalan region, I have had the chance to be raised in a bilingual society that gives you the treasure of being part of a very diverse society. I speak four languages, have taught in tree different countries, and have traveled through all the American continent. All of us have learned our own language through immersion, and I am sure this is the best way to learn a new one. At The International School, we are creating a safe environment for learning and sharing about ourselves and the world’s diversity from the early years. Being a teacher at the International School is giving me the chance to get involved in this little universe of languages, diversity and knowledge. It is a privilege and an honor to be part of this school. At TIS, we have the world in our hands.

Spanish Track 1st Grade Teacher

I really enjoy the multicultural environment at TIS. I love children at all ages because each one has its own enchantment. I love that each class and each child is unique. In all my years of teaching, I have never had two groups of children that are the same - that is one of the reasons I love my job. Every year I meet new people and they fill me with energy and happiness.

Spanish Track 1st Grade Teacher

I taught during 7 years in chile and 5 at TIS. I stopped working to raise my children and now I am very excited to return to TIS. Teaching provides me the fulfilling experience of making a difference in young minds. Children are happy, sensitive,creative, full of curiosity and willing to learn. I like TIS values and what its mission stands for. This is why I want my own children to attend TIS because I want them to learn languages skills, respect and understand cultural differences.

Spanish Track 2nd Grade Teacher

Teaching younger children keeps me active intellectually when I have to research and find the best approaches and strategies to teach them effectively. It also gives me the possibility of being one of the positive influences in their lives through the activities and daily interactions in class. It is a joy to be around them encouraging and nurturing their growth.I like the multiculturalism at TIS, expressed in the three foreign languages and the fact that I can teach academics using my native language. I love to work in a school where all the different constituents respect and value diversity.I enjoy working at TIS because it has a positive atmosphere for children’s development and growth. Being immersed in another language has a positive impact on the students’ lives and helps them learn other frames of reference besides the one from their own culture.

Spanish Track 3rd Grade Teacher

I have been an involved educator for nearly 10 years. I moved to the United States in 1990, and began teaching Spanish at Portland Community College and public and private schools in 1995. I enjoy teaching creatively and learning from my students in the classroom. One of the things I enjoy the most is the opportunity to transmit knowledge using varies methods that will suit my students’ needs. I am an avid supporter of the TIS mission.

Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions. It is a delight to be involved in the development of younger children, especially because you get to see them grow and become independent. I am aware of the big responsibility that being a teacher implies, since children spend most of their time at school with us.I really enjoy teaching at TIS because of the multicultural environment it promotes. It is amazing to see little children who are indeed speaking the target language. But it is not only the target language or the culture that they acquire at TIS, they are also getting ready to be successful citizens of the world.

I have been teaching children at the elementary school level since I was 18 years old, and I especially love to teach first and second grades. Teaching allows me to be in contact with people and learn new things on a daily basis.I have also worked with children who have dyslexia and troubles with their attention span. As part of my passion I worked for an association (ABANSA) that has as a mission to help homeless children. I helped them create an after-school program for homeless children and a training and development center for their parents. In Portland, I taught Spanish at PCC and at PSU. Right now I am pursuing my Masters Degree in Spanish at PSU. I like to spend my free time doing activities with my family such as cooking and dancing. 

Spanish Track 5th Grade Teacher

After volunteering on weekends at an elementary school at the age of thirteen, I decided to become a teacher. I taught at Salesian Catholic School and at Rufina Cuervo Public School in Bogotá before moving to the USA. Teaching continues to be a very satisfying career for me. My preference ahs always been teaching children in elementary school.Teaching is a very rewarding profession. A great responsibility is put into our hands to educate today the citizen of tomorrow. I believe it is very important to prepare meaningful lessons to give our students a solid foundation so they can participate sensibly in today’s society. It gives me enormous satisfaction to see my students’ academic and social growth.Teachers at TIS distribute ideas, materials, experience, and methodology among the different tracks to enhance students’ educational experiences. It is wonderful to be able to contribute and also receive the benefits from the vision brought to TIS by teachers from different countries. The administration is open and supportive of new ideas and methods that provide the best education for our children.

Spanish Track Assistant Teacher

I love teaching children the Spanish language and helping them grow in different areas. My best reward is seeing them improve their self esteem when they reach their own personal goals. At TIS I really enjoy the high level of education that is provided for the children as well as the diverse environment. The opportunity for children to learn a different language in a small class environment is wonderful. I also enjoy the parent community involvement - parents helping the school to grow, helping their children achieve academic excellence, and helping the community enjoy multicultural extra curricular activities.The International School and its non profit status enables children from all walks of life to have an excellent education while being immersed in a foreign language.

Spanish Track Assistant Teacher

I enjoy the children’s learning process and seeing their success. I am excited about all the different cultures and languages with students and teachers at The International School. There is a lot to learn!

Spanish Track Assistant Teacher

I love working with children. One of my desires is to see them grow and mature in every area of their learning. I enjoy being part of that growth and knowing that in educating the young minds of the future, I am planting a seed that will bloom into a beautiful flower and will yield good fruits. I believe that part of that knowledge is transmitted through the Hispanic culture and language, and will equip children to become successful citizens in the era of globalization.