Niru

Hindi / Marathi / Sanskrit Teacher

Dr. Niru graduated from high school with 4 languages – Marathi, Hindi, English and Sanskrit. She has doctorate in Chemistry and and holds a CT state teaching certificate. Currently she is working as lecturer in CCSU and substitute teacher in Cheshire. She has great interest in languages, culture and literature. She is also a published author. Teaching is a passion for Dr. Niru and she is excited to bring Hindi, Marathi, and Sanskrit to Small World Languages.

William

Sign Language Teacher

William is a Waterbury native and Cheshire High graduate. His interest in American Sign Language (ASL) was piqued when international missionaries to the deaf visited his church while on furlough. The couple offered a concentrated session of ASL, which he eagerly completed. To further his studies, he completed his foreign language requirements at Central Piedmont C. C. in Charlotte, NC. “Having worked with both children and seniors, I find there is no end to the desire of learning something new.” When he’s not working or volunteering his time, he enjoys religious studies, local hiking, fitness and nutrition, fine art, movies, and combing the local shores. William recently completed his certification to become a licensed “Baby Signing Time!” instructor!

Carmen

Italian Teacher

Ciao a tutti! Mi chiamo Carmen!!!

My name is Carmen. I was born and raised in Naples, Italy. I got my undergraduate degree in ‘Linguistics’ (Russian, Italian and English) at Orientale University of Naples” and my MA in ‘Italian Studies’ at Central Connecticut State University. I currently work as an Italian teacher in a public high school. I have taught English in a middle school in Italy and tutored college students at CCSU.

As an Italian teacher, I believe in bringing the content to life, making lessons enjoyable, purposeful, practical and most importantly, making lessons memorable. As an educator, I believe in making an impact, molding minds, establish good habits, and creating a learning environment, in which students feel valued, supported and respected. I believe in teaching them the value of communication, in Italian and English. I want to empower students by giving them access to another culture and inspiring them to want to learn more.

Janet

Italian Teacher

Italian is only one of the many languages in which Janet is fluent – she also speaks Arabic, French, and Spanish. Janet has been a resident of Cheshire for 30 years, and her three children all passed through the Cheshire school system. An active community member, she has spent numerous years in the teaching field. She currently is a faculty member at both Quinnipiac University and Naugatuck Valley Community College. She has taught languages on four continents, and continues to accompany groups abroad. Janet was instrumental as a teacher in the town-wide Pupil Enrichment Language Program over the years. She is happy to support early childhood language-learning!

Aida

German Teacher

Hallo zusammen!

My name is Aida, and I am a current Cheshire resident with a Bachelor’s in German Studies from Brown University. While in college, I worked as a German language tutor and a teaching assistant for an introductory German class. Aside from German, I have tutored high school and elementary school students in science and reading. I spent the 2017-18 school year in Mönchengladbach, Germany, where I taught English to students in grades 5-11 with the support of the U.S. Fulbright Student grant. While I was there, I was able to take classes at a local university and immerse myself fully in the German language and culture. World languages and cultural understanding have always been important parts of my life, and I am excited to share my love of German with learners of all ages!

Sabine

French Teacher

Bonjour,

Mon nom est Sabine Rézette Lederer. My husband, my three children, and I have been Cheshire residents since 2014. Before that we lived in California.

I am a native French speaker. I come from Belgium, a French, Dutch and German-speaking country. Since I grew up in a multilingual country – more specifically in Brussels, capital of Europe – I am particularly sensitive to the opportunity and the need to be multilingual : what a wonderful opening to others and their cultures!
We speak French at home, so my children, between 5.5 and 9 years old, speak French and English. They play together in both languages, without any preference. Exposing your young children to other languages, giving them the opportunity to enlarge their world is a great gift!

I studied law in French and Dutch and worked as a lawyer in both languages during almost 15 years before we moved to US 8 years ago.

I tutor both children and adults. I have been teaching French at the Cheshire Adult Education since 2016. I work at Darcey School and volunteer at Highland Elementary School. After school hours, I am … “taximom”.
I am grateful to be able to share my language and culture with our community and love working with all good will of all ages.

C’est un plaisir de vous rencontrer!

Sarah

Spanish & Italian Teacher

Hola! Ciao! My name is Sarah. I am a senior at Central Connecticut State University studying secondary education with a focus in Spanish and Italian. I hope to be a high school Spanish and Italian teacher when I graduate! I have studied Spanish for 10 years and Italian for 4 years. Throughout my undergrad, I have studied abroad 3 times. The first time was in Barcelona & Valencia (Spain). The second time was in Lima & Cusco (Peru). I just returned from my most recent trip to Salamanca (Spain) where I studied at the University of Salamanca and lived with a host family for two weeks! These have all been great experiences for me to be engulfed in the Spanish language and culture. Finally, next summer I will be traveling to northern Italy for two weeks with another intriguing program offered by CCSU!

By being a teacher, I can share my passion for foreign languages and provide others with the treasure of learning another language.

Mollie

Spanish Teacher

Mollie has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Child Development and Family Relations from The University Of Maine. She has experience working with children with a wide range of racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic cultures. After graduating college, she taught children ages 2-6 years at an international private school in Boston, MA. Currently, Mollie teaches preschool in Hamden, creating project-based curriculum centered around the young children, adding in Spanish wherever she can! Mollie is a highly motivated teacher with a passion for enriching the lives of young children.

Claudio

Spanish Teacher

Claudio is a Cheshire resident and is a native Spanish speaker. He was born and raised in Chile. He has been teaching and tutoring Spanish for almost 10 years and has experience with children of all ages and adults. He loves to see how his students improve and learn a second language. He thinks that learning a new language in early years of life is crucial in a globalized world and opens new doors to different cultures. Claudio holds a Business Administration degree and is currently studying Economics – he never stops learning! When he is not teaching his students or studying, he is frequently training for marathons with the Achilles International team. Claudio recently completed the Hartford marathon and he is training for the Cheshire Half marathon in April. Claudio is very passionate about sports and active life.

“…to have another language is to possess a second soul.” -Charlemagne

Jacky

Canta Y Baila Conmigo® – Spanish Teacher

Jacky has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Eastern Connecticut State University and has spent extensive time living in Spain. She also has over 15 years of experience working with children, including tutoring math, science, and reading to special needs children, nannying, and coaching multiple sports for children in grades K-3. Jacky has an energetic, creative, and bubbly personality that your child will love! When she graduated from ECSU, her dream job was to teach Spanish to young children. Life got in the way of that dream for almost a decade, but she is excited to finally realize that dream and share the Spanish language with young and developing minds!