About your teacher:

Kathy Rodriguez

Kathy Rodriguez is not teaching this fall semester 2011 She is a native Spanish speaker from Ecuador, the place she called home until she was 19 years old. Being born and raised in Latin America gives her not only a deep experiential knowledge of the Spanish language, but also a deep understanding of Hispanic culture. English was also an integral part of the curriculum throughout her school years. Subsequently, while in High School, she came to Albany, New York for an intensive course in English as a Second Language.
In 1993, she came to live in the U.S. Shortly thereafter, she received a Certificate in Amadeus Flight Reservation System and worked as a Travel Agency manager, serving both English and Spanish speaking clientele in the New York City metropolitan area. For several years, she also served as director and teacher for Sunday school in her church in Elizabeth, New Jersey. These classes were conducted fully in Spanish, teaching children from ages 2 through 5. It was here that she saw firsthand how quickly children learn Spanish with music, as the Bible stories were interlaced with songs.
Her husband is U.S. born from parents from the Dominican Republic, where he also lived for many years, and currently works as a Spanish Court Interpreter. With backgrounds such as these, it is not surprising that the Rodriquez house is a fully bilingual home. They are currently homeschooling their daughters, two and five years old, in both English and Spanish. Both Kathy and her husband feel very strongly about raising both of their daughters to be not only bilingual, but also bi-cultural.