About
(818) 515-4383
Carolina Almánzar -Leal
Summer School Teaching Experience
Summer 2013-2019 Woodbury University Burbank, CA
Spanish 3 Initial Credit
Summer 2012 Woodbury University Burbank, CA
Spanish 3 Initial Credit
Taught Spanish 3 to a class of 33 students. All students successfully passed the class and most students continued to Spanish 4/AP during the Fall.
Summer 2011 Woodbury University Burbank, CA
Spanish 2 & 3 Initial Credit
§ Taught the pilot BUSD program at Woodbury with Spanish 2 and Spanish 3 students. All students successfully completed the class.
Summer 2009 and 2010 John Burroughs High School Burbank, CA
Spanish 2 Initial Credit
§ Taught a class designed for students who wanted to take the Spanish 2 class during the summer in order to advance directly to Spanish 3 during the school year.
Summer 2008 Burbank High School Burbank, CA
Spanish 1 Initial Credit and Remedial
§ Successfully managed two classrooms at the same time.
§ Presented Spanish 1 material to students seeking initial credit.
§ Provided support and guidance to remedial students.
§ All students passed the class satisfactorily.
Summer 2007 Marymount College at John Burroughs HS Burbank, CA
Spanish 2 Initial credit
§ Taught a class designed for students who wanted to take the Spanish 2 class during the summer in order to advance directly to Spanish 3.
§ The class was focused on the main verb tenses and everyday vocabulary that allowed them to communicate in the real world.
§ At the end of the term students had the opportunity to practice their newly acquired skills in Spanish through a field trip to Olvera Street. They had the chance to order food, ask about prices and ask for directions using a treasure hunt activity provided by me.
§ All students passed the class satisfactorily and are currently enrolled in AP Spanish.
Teaching Experience
2006- Present John Burroughs HS Burbank, CA
Spanish Teacher for Advanced Spanish Speakers (1 and 2)
§ Create and design standards based curriculum focused on literacy through literature, culture and language for Spanish speaking students.
§ By the end of the program students have read in Spanish a variety of novels including Gabriel García-Márquez, Julia Alvarez, Isabel Allende and Paulo Coelho.
§ Students are capable of communicating orally and in writing about a variety of subjects in Spanish.
2004-2006 Palm Crest Elementary La Cañada, CA
Spanish Teacher
§ Created and designed standard based curriculum for the PTA sponsored program for 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th grades.
§ Worked cooperatively with parents, teachers and school administrators to tailor a program that allowed students to achieve a high level of proficiency in Spanish before they reached middle school.
§ Started a pen pal program with school children in Colombia in order to expand children’s horizons and create bonds with other culture.
May 2004- August 2004 Stevenson Ranch Elementary Valencia, CA
Short Term Bilingual (English/German) TA
§ Provided in-class, one-on-one support for German speaking student.
§ Translated and explained materials, directions and assignments for this student.
2000-2003 Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles, CA
Museum Educator
§ Coordinated an average of 100 monthly commitments for the 28 Holocaust survivors who lectured at the museum, school and universities.
§ Translated for Spanish speaking groups that visited the museum.
§ Guided school groups, law enforcement personnel, educators and the public in general through the museum’s Learning Center.
§ Facilitated “Steps to Tolerance” a program designed for 5th and 6th graders.
Education
2005-2007 California State University Los Angeles, CA
Charter School of Education, Teaching Credential Program, Spanish
2003-2005 California State University Los Angeles, CA
§ BA Spanish
§ Graduated Summa Cum Laude.
1997- 2000 Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA
§ AA in Art
§ Transfer student
1980- 1996 German School Of Bogotá Bogotá, Colombia
§ Diploma in Languages and Humanities
§ Passed with honors the Sprachdiplom Stuffe 2. (Exam administered by the German Board of Education to evaluate fluency in the German language).
Student and Professional Organizations
California Language Teachers Association (CLTA) – Member
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) - Member
Modern and Classical Languages Association of Southern California (MCLASC) – Member
Spanish Honors Society at John Burroughs High School – Advisor
Highlights
Reviews
Juan G.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
i want to know students’:
1. Motivation
2. Goals
3. Commitment
4. Preferred learning styles
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am a fully credentialed Spanish teacher. I have a BA in Spanish language and literature and I graduated Magna Cum Laude from CALSTATELA. I grew up in Colombia where I attended an international school where I focused my studies in languages and humanities. (German, English as a second language and French)
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
$50 per hour (1-2 students as a group)
How did you get started teaching?
I worked for three years at the Museum of Tolerance in the education department. Teaching little children about history showed me the amazing power of education and inspired me to get my teaching credential. I love teaching languages because it is the most effective and meaningful way to build bridges between people.i have taught about 2,500 children during my teaching career.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked in public education for the last 16 years. My first two years I taught Spanish in a public elementary school to 1st and 5th graders. Afterwards I have taught in a public high school pretty much all the Spanish levels (1-4) and the heritage speakers program. I have taught bilingual students, monolingual students, gifted, special needs and English learners.