¡Hola! My name is Jennifer Pease (aka Sra. Pease) and I am the Spanish teacher at Avoca West for grades 1-5. This will be my eleventh year at Avoca West and my fifteenth year teaching.  I am excited to return this fall and meet my new first graders! I am also anxious to see my former students as well as meet students new to Avoca.

For most of my teaching career, I have taught Spanish to children, ranging from ages kindergarten up to sixth grade. I received my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  I also received a Masters Degree in Education from National-Louis University.

Many students are curious about my country of origin and often make the assumption that I was born in Mexico. My mother was born in Mexico, but the US has been her home for most of her life. The community where we grew up had no Spanish-speaking people and because my father did not know Spanish, only English was used in our home. My mother’s ability to speak two languages always fascinated me, but I wasn’t able to study the Spanish language until it was offered at school in the seventh grade. So from seventh grade and all throughout college, I studied Spanish. I have also traveled to many parts of Mexico and Spain.

Generally, classes are instructed entirely in Spanish and often incorporate a variety of activities involving movement, music, and familiar children’s literature. Whenever possible,  I try to integrate many of the concepts and skills students are learning with his/her classroom teacher. I also discuss important aspects, customs, and traditions of Spanish-speaking cultures. Classroom activities can be challenging but they are set up to offer many opportunities for success. My passion is to help all my students foster a love of learning about other languages and cultures! I also strive to help students make connections between cultures because despite the many different languages, we really aren’t so different from one another.