Bethany Beyer

I’m really excited to be teaching your kids this year, and hope to give them a love of the Spanish language, people and culture. I am passionate about all things Spanish (I am currently pursuing a PhD in Spanish and have lived in both Spain and Mexico). When I’m not poring over Cervantes – or teaching all the great kids at Palisades - I’m out on the dance floor, perfecting my salsa steps, meeting people from all over the world and speaking lots of Spanish!

Sonasha Braxton

I lived and taught in Kenya, Brazil and Ecuador, and lived in Central America for several years. I majored in International Relations and African Studies at the University of Miami (’06) and also work for the Santa Monica School District teaching Spanish, of course! In my free time, I sing and write and perform spoken word poetry. Deep down I’m a kid too, and love teaching because it lets me enjoy those wonderful qualities of childhood, being creative, being silly and being amazed at learning new things! I’ve been accepted to pursue my master’s degree at the London School of Economics in the fall of 2008, so I’d like to thank everyone for the privilege of enjoying and teaching your kids during the winter/spring semester!

Debbie Dreiman

I’m from Argentina, and absolutely love kids! I have 2 of my own, who, I’m proud to say, are totally bilingual! I’ve lived in L.A. for the past 20 years, and my expertise is in teaching kids in grades K-5. I love to sing, which is great since music is a great way to develop a love of language! Besides English, I also speak fluent Hebrew. I’m looking forward to making our class time full of creative, fun experiences that will build a lifetime of love for Spanish!

Lucy Lopez

I come from Chile and I’ve spent my life working with kids. I absolutely love teaching! I was director of a pre-school for 20 years where I was in charge of 90 kids. I designed all their activities, from academia to arts and crafts. In the meanwhile, I raised 2 kids of my own; an 18 year old daughter who is starting medical school, and 9 year old son. I also owned my own company producing children’s parties for private and corporate clients. In my free time, I sing, dance and play the guitar – something I share with my own children! I am very excited about bringing the magical sounds of Spanish to all the kids at Palisades!

Claudia Rosado

I grew up in Miami, and being the daughter of Cuban immigrants, spoke only Spanish at home. I also learned French, using a method based on the French Lycée system. Growing up in a Latin environment, it was also natural for me to develop a love of the arts. I graduated with a BFA from New World School of the Arts, focusing on theater and dance. After graduation, I pursued a higher degree in psychology, and along the way, re-connected with my love of languages. I began to teach Spanish, and found that my exposure to multiple cultures helped me to transmit those experiences to my students. My latest adventure is my 3 1⁄2 year old daughter, who I credit with teaching me how to really listen. I’m amazed at how much – and how fast – children can learn. Nina speaks three languages at home - Spanish, French and English! I’m really looking forward to giving my love of language and Latin culture to all the kids at Palisades!

Liane Schirmer (Director, Spanish Curriculum)

A native speaker of Costa Rican descent, Liane has worked extensively in education, translation and interpreting for over 20 years, in education, translation and interpretation. She has taught students of all ages (from Kindergarten through adults) in private language schools, in public and private schools (LAUSD students in bilingual arts programs, substitute teaching at St. Paul the Apostle in West Los Angeles) and community colleges (Santa Monica Adult School). She has also tutored students from Harvard-Westlake, St. Paul’s, Marlborough, and the Archer School.

Liane also brings a strong theater background to her classroom technique. She has worked with the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in Los Angeles, writing original plays in Spanish on issues such as non-violence, the environment, etc. for the Teatro Para los Jóvenes program, which toured LAUSD middle and high schools for several seasons. She has also worked with Theatre of Hearts / Youth First as a bilingual artist in residence, teaching playwriting and drama skills to underserved LAUSD students in grades K-12.

Liane has developed her own teaching technique consisting of a strong grammatical base combined with theater games that encourage kinetic, visual and audio learning. Liane believes that children learn by actively participating in the language, losing their fear of trying something new, and discovering how to express their unique personality in that language.

She also believes that it’s really important for students to “learn how to learn on their own”, by trying to speak, using however many words they know, and asking or acting out the rest. That way, they are actively engaged with the native speaker while trying to tell a story or ask for something they need. That way they will have a lot more fun getting the word that they need – and learning it for life!

She hopes to develop a strong curriculum in Spanish that will get the students excited about their progress, eager to try something new, and obtain a set of lasting learning tools that will not only help them in Spanish (and improve their understanding of English grammar) but in learning a third, fourth or even a fifth foreign language!

Liane also speaks Italian, French and Russian and attended UCLA, Georgetown University and USC. She loves languages, and is currently studying Arabic (it’s never too late!).

Buena suerte a todos los alumnos de STAR Español!