Claudia Talavera - Summer 2012

My name is Claudia Talavera. I was born in Managua, Nicaragua. I left Nicaragua to move to Boise in 2010 to pursue a masters degree in Bilingual Education at Boise State University. Little did I know, that in one of my first classes I would meet my future mother-in-law, Trudy. I started working at Puentes after completing my degree in the Fall of 2012. Working at Puentes and seeing the children learn Spanish at such a young age is truly fascinating.

Being bilingual myself and learning English at a very young age has definitely allowed me to benefit from so many great opportunities. I also know first hand, that the earlier in life you learn another language, the less of a marked accent you will have. This is what I love about teaching children another language at such a young age. I can only imagine all the open doors and wonderful things learning another language will bring for Puentes kids.

Cristina Diaz Servin - Spring 2015

Hola! Mi nombre es Cristina Diaz, tengo 27 años de edad soy Mexicana naci y creci en Michoacan Mexico mis papás y hermanos viven en michoacan, yo me case hace 3 años y mi esposo vivia aqui en Idaho y hace 2 años me mude a Boise ID a vivir con el, Yo me gradue de la univercidad del Instituto Tecnologico de Jiquipal Michoacan como Licenciada En Administracion Titulada en el 2011, hace poco mas de 3 años mi experiencia fue trabajar con niños en la primaria Escuadron 201 en Michoacan como maestra lo cual me gusto mucho y me trajo agradables experiencias, por lo que quiero seguir y enfocar mis estudios por esta area obteniendo mi titulo como maestra en los Estados Unidos de America.

Hello, my name is Cristina Diaz. I am 27 years old and I am Mexican. I was born and raised in Michoacan, México and my parents and siblings live in Michoacan. I married 3 years ago and my husband lived here in Idaho. I moved to Boise 2 years ago to live with him. I graduated from the University of the Technological Institute of Jiquipal Michoacan with a degree in Business Administration in 2011, A little more than 3 years ago. My experience was working with children in a primary school called Escuadron 201 in Michoacan as a teacher. I enjoyed it very much and I had a good experience there; as such I wanted to continue to focus my studies in that area, earning my degree as a teacher in the US.

Dianna Roman - Fall 2013

Francelia Bernabe - Fall 2007

Hola, soy Francelia Bernabe y naci en el Estado de México, México. De adulta me vine a los Estados Unidos, donde me case con mi esposo. Vivimos en Washington por cuatro años y en este tiempo nació mi hija mayor. Después nos mudamos a Boise y cinco años después nació mi hijo menor. Desde entonces, me dediqué a cuidar a mis hijos y cuando entraron a la escuela primaria, fuí voluntaría en sus salones por cinco años. En cuanto pude, empecé a tomar clases de Ingles y fue como conocí a Maestra Trudy. En el 2007, me invitaron a ayudar en la escuela Puentes y desde entonces he sido asistente de maestra. Atravez de los años, he aprendido mucho, al trabajar con diferentes maestras. Tambien he tomado cursos para aprender más sobre la educación temprana y así ser mejor maestra . En este momento soy la maestra de pre-escolar y planeo empezar mi Associates en educación temprana. Pienso que la educacion temprana es el tiempo perfecto para empezar a aprender un nuevo idioma porque los niños lo ven como un juego y se divierten aprendiendo. Me da gusto escuchar a un niño, que a aprendido el español como segundo idioma, hablar en frases completas.

Hello, I'm Francelia Bernabe and I was born in the State of Mexico, Mexico. As an adult, I came to the United States where I married my husband. We lived in Washington for four years, during which time my oldest daughter was born. Then we moved to Boise and five years later my son was born. Since then, I have been dedicated to caring for my children and when they entered primary school, I volunteered in their classrooms for five years. When I was able, I began taking English classes, where I came to know Maestra Trudy. In 2007, they invited me to help at the Puentes school and since then I have been an assistant teacher (now a teacher).

Irene Ramos - Fall 2014

My name is Irene Ramos Lerma, I studied a BA in Psychology in Mexico and in 2008 joined BSU to study a Master in Bilingual Education, which I finished in 2010, since I was a college student in Mexico I started to work in preschool combining my studies with my work and this is how I discovered my real career; in Idaho I have worked in two different preschools and I have been a Spanish adult instructor too, from firsthand experience I have learned that every child is capable of learning a second language at an early age and know too that the more exposure he/she has at a young age the faster it will develop.

I immigrated to the United States about 10 years ago in the company of my husband and son. During the course of the years in Idaho my family has grown with the arrival of two more members which have enriched my family. As a family we love futbol (soccer), my husband and my children are active futbol players and my daughter and I are the cheerleaders every weekend, my daughter is a gymnast and dance lover and I try to find a space to practice my group kick and group blast classes among my children's after school activities. We also love to travel and we enjoy to ride our car and drive it at least 2 times per year to Mexico where the rest of our families are, we really enjoy road trips as much as the company of the other members of our family but is always difficult to come back home and leave everybody else behind in Mexico.

As a teacher I always try to find something interesting for your child to learn, I believe they can be taught about science, art, math and Spanish at the same time and always try to do it in a fun and meaningful way.

Maria Chavez - Spring 2014

Mayra Fuentes - Spring 2015

Yo soy la maestra Mayra Lizeth Ramirez Fuentes, tengo 27 años de edad, estoy felizmente casada con mi esposo Abner Bu que también es maestro,tengo dos niñas; Valeria y Sofía. Soy de origen latino de un país Centro Americano, Honduras, país tropical lleno de belleza natural y lindas playas. Me he graduado en la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazan en el grado de licenciatura y tengo un diplomado de educación superior. Mi experiencia laborar es de 9 años en la educación trabajando en los diferentes niveles. Me gusta trabajar con los niños ya que así todos los conocimientos adquiridos en la universidad los podemos poner en practica y ver como los niños aprende otro idioma, adquieren conocimientos para su desarrollo. Estoy feliz de trabajar para Puentes spanish preschool ya que es un lugar donde los niños se sienten muy feliz y aprenden mucho. Mis actividades favoritas con los niños son jugar, bailar, cantar, hacer manualidades y pintar,cocinar,leer.

I am Mayra Lizeth Ramirez Fuentes, I am 27 years old, happily married to my husband Abner Bu who is also a teacher. I have two girls, Valeria and Sofia. I am from a Central American country, Honduras, a tropical country, full of natural beauty, with lovely beaches. I graduated from Francisco Morazan National Pedigological University with a degree in higher education. I have 9 years of experience working in education at various levels. I like to work with children, putting to practice the knowledge learned in my University education and seeing how children learn a new language and acquire the knowledge they need to develop. I am happy to work with Puentes Spanish Preschool. It is a place where the children are happy and learn much. My favorite activities to do with the children are playing, dancing, singing, hands-on activities, painting, cooking, and reading.

Lorena Heredia - Spring 2015

Hola, mi nombre es Lorena Heredia, soy Mexicana del estado de Oxaca, un estado rico en gastronomia, muy famoso por sus 7 diferentes moles. Tengo 4 hijos maravillosos, todos varones. Llevo 16 años de casada. Mis hijos asisten a una escuela bilingüe. Para mi es primero Dios que ellos sepan hablar y escribir el inglés y español. Me encanta trabajar en Puentes Spanish Preschool. Me fasinan los niños. Mi trabajo en Puentes es resirvir los niños cada mañana y que ellos se sientan felices y seguros. Despues me encargo de prepararles ricas comidas nutritivas

Hello, my name is Lorena Heredia, I am Mexican from the state of Oxaca, a state that is rich in food culture, famous for its 7 different types of mole. I have 4 marvelous children, all boys. I have been married for 16 years. My children attend a bilingual school. God willing, they will know how to speak and write in English and Spanish. I love working for Puentes Spanish Preschool. Children fascinate me. My work at Puentes is to receive the children each morning and see to it that they are safe and well. Additionally, I am in charge of preparing healthy, delicious meals.

Nelly Hinojosa - Spring 2014

Mi nombre es Nelly Hinojosa. Soy de Cali-Colombia (Sur América). Realicé estudios de Licenciatura en Lenguas Modernas (inglés, francés y español) en la Universidad Santiago de Cali. En mi país fui maestra de secundaria (preparatoria). Al terminar mis estudios, me casé y viajé a Boise donde vivo desde hace ya varios años. Tengo una adorable hija,su nombre es Camila. Ella domina el español y el inglés y dice que le encanta ser bilingüe. Siempre estuve segura de enseñarle español a mi hija,por las grandes ventajas que trae aprender otra lengua y por mi deseo de que estuviese en permanente contacto con nuestra familia en Colombia y no perdiera sus raíces e identidad. Actualmente estoy estudiando una maestría en educación bilingüe en la universidad estatal de Boise pues deseo continuar con mi formación académica. Creo que cada niño debe ser tratado con dignidad y respeto y en un ambiente seguro. Amo darles mi completa atención y cuidado como si fuesen mis propios hijos. Me encanta enseñar español ,es todo un placer para mi y estoy muy emocionada de compartir mi pasión por los idiomas con los estudiantes de Puentes.

My name is Nelly Hinojosa. I am from Cali, Colombia in South America. I got my degree in Modern Languages (English, French, Spanish) from the University of Santiago, Cali. In my country, I was a teacher in high school (prep) school. Upon completion of my studies, I married and travelled to Boise where I have lived since then for several years now. I have an adorable daughter, Camila. She is fluent in English and Spanish and says that she loves being bilingual. I was always certain I was going to teach my daughter Spanish because of the huge advantages that come with learning a second language and because of my desire that my daughter would remain in contact with our family in Columbia and not lose her roots and her identity. Actually, I am studying for my Master's degree in Bilingual Education at Boise State University as I want to continue with my academic growth. I think that each child should be treated with dignity and respect and be in a safe environment. I love giving them my complete attention and care as if they were my own children. I love to teach Spanish; it is a complete pleasure for me and I am excited to share my passion for languages with the students of Puentes.

Ofelia Lopez - Fall 2013

My name is Ofelia Lopez, and I come from Mexico, where I was born. I moved to this amazing place with my husband about 14 years ago. My husband’s name is Alberto and we have two wonderful kids: They were born here in Boise, and we speak Spanish at home all the time. I have first hand experience on how great it is to expose kids at an early age to another language and culture. Before joining “Puentes” school, I’ve worked for 8 years as a Spanish Storyteller with different Spanish programs in four local public libraries. And also as the Youth Services’ program assistant in another public library. Currently, I have an afterschool program for kids in one public library. I truly believe that the sooner a child is exposed to a new language, the better acquisition he/she will have. I am convinced that if we expose our kids to people of other countries and other societies, we can build a happier, more tolerant and respectful place to live.

Thank you for letting me be part of your child’s learning adventure.

Ofelia Lopez

Yazmin Carney - Fall 2011

I come from the happiest country on earth, Colombia! I left my homeland of natural beauty, happy, welcoming people, and delicious cuisine when I was 19. I lived in New Jersey with my family before relocating to my new home in Idaho. Boise reminded me of my city of Cali back in Colombia ever since the first time I saw it from the airplane and I immediately fell in love. Shortly after I fell in love with my amazing husband too! I also finished my studies at Boise State, obtaining my degree in Spanish.

We have a wonderful daughter, and early on we decided that we would only speak Spanish in our house to fully immerse her in both the language and culture of her heritage. I believe strongly in the same principal when it comes to language acquisition for anybody of any age. I have been teaching at Puentes for over 4 years and I absolutely love seeing these great minds learn and grow and soak in Spanish through our program.

Trudy McGavin - Spring 2004

My name is Trudy McGavin and I am the Director of Puentes Language Programs. I have my B.S. in Math/Spanish Secondary Education, M.Ed in Bilingual Education (2011), am certified to teach Math and Spanish in Idaho secondary schools 7-12, have taught foreign language methods classes at the university level; have over 25 years of teaching experience and develop the curriculum for Puentes Language Programs. I have near native fluency in Spanish for over 35 years.

My own language acquisition has shown me that The Natural Approach* and communicative approaches to language instruction, like TPR Storytelling, are the most effective way to learn a second language. My three children were raised in a bilingual/bicultural environment and are fully fluent in both languages. I also learned to speak Spanish by being immersed through living and working in the language and culture.

Scot and I started this program because we felt there was a need to build bridges or 'puentes' of communication between English and Spanish speakers. We also feel that the ability to speak a second language is an invaluable skill that we wanted to share with others. We do so by offering fun, interactive classes that will empower the student to communicate in Spanish.

Gracias!

Maestra Trudy

Scot McGavin - Spring 2004

I have been learning Spanish over the better part of my lifetime. I first became enamored with the language in 7th grade and was inspired to learn more at every opportunity. I took classes throughout junior high school and high school, and eventually took 3 semesters at the college level. Unfortunately, all of these classes were grammar based language instruction, the method so typically used in public schools today, and the result was that I had memorized many words but my vocabulary was constantly slipping away. I understood the way the language worked, but I was not fluent.

A friend told me of his experience with Sendero school of language in Boise. I investigated and found that the philosophy of this language school was to mimic the language acquisition process that all children go through to learn their first language - through immersion, involvement, and interaction. This means that all speaking in the class is done in the language being learned. Learning comes naturally, easily, and with a great amount of fun. This is the learning philosophy embraced by Boise Elementary Spanish as well.

I took several classes from Sendero and noticed an amazing and immediate improvement in my Spanish language ability. I have been in pursuit of the Spanish language via this immersion method ever since. Through classes, cultural events, travel, and personal interaction, I am a much more fluent Spanish speaker today. I have taught Spanish now for more than 12 years, and I continue to learn through my teaching and other pursuits.

As co-owner of Puentes but working full time outside of Puentes, I primarily teach adults now, but I am still very excited to be offering Spanish in our community. I believe that The Natural Approach, TPR Storytelling, the High Scope Method, and other immersion methodologies and pedagogies that we incorporate in Puentes Language Programs are very effective and efficient in helping students learn. I love teaching and am happy to be offering the opportunity for others to discover the experience I have had learning Spanish. Language learning is a journey!

I hope to see you in one of our classes soon!

Maestro Scot