2009-2010 Volunteer Teaching Team

BECA is pleased to announce the newest group of teachers who will serve San Jeronimo Bilingual School from July 2009 until June 2010! BECA received an unprecedented number of volunteer applications this recruitment cycle, and the following applicants demonstrated commitment and zeal throughout every stage of the interviewing process. Without further ado:

Administrator


Michael Buttram

Mike is no stranger to Honduras, having taught Music for two years at the Escuela Internacional Sampedrana in San Pedro Sula. While teaching in Honduras, he met his future wife Katie, who will be teaching Middle School at SJBS and working on BECA's curriculum development project next year. Mike was introduced to teaching after receiving a Fulbright grant to study pedagogical methods in Germany in 1999. Since then, he has taught in Denver, Honduras, and Mexico. Over the past three years, Mike has worked as Program Manager for National Geographic/Off The Beaten Path's program at the Grand Canyon, which has ably prepared him for the managerial and logistical duties required of the BECA Administrator. After logging more than 10 hours on the phone with various BECA Board Members, Mike has clearly demonstrated he understands the BECA philosophy and the challenges/rewards he will no doubt encounter as our new Administrator. Mike has written that "the holistic approach BECA employs to bring about an education and in turn a more dignified life seems to me one that is respectful to the cultural and individual pride, and very capable of achieving lasting positive change."

Senior BECA Teachers


In 2009, BECA formally offered current '08-'09 teachers the chance to return for a second year with increased responsibilities and benefits. Three teachers have agreed to return as Senior BECA Teachers, which will build their leadership potential while providing excellent teaching continuity for San Jeronimo Bilingual School's students and new teachers.


Rebecca Bush (Kinder / Preparatoria)

BECA is incredibly lucky to have Rebecca returning for a second year to introduce SJBS's youngest students to the English language. In addition to the organization, commitment, and compassion that she showed throughout the year in the Kinder/Prepa classroom, Rebecca also used her artistic background to teach Middle School Art. A 2008 graduate of University of California Berkeley, Rebecca majored in Art Practice and Iberian Studies and has extensive experience in the music industry. She served as Concerts Manager of SUPERB, UC-Berkeley's student-run entertainment board, where she gained valuable leadership experience and learned firsthand the importance of community-run organizations. She also has held numerous other positions in the music industry, with roles such as union liaison providing her with the opportunity to effectively communicate with and manage large groups. Rebecca strongly believes that every child in the world should have access to a good education, and has used BECA as a vehicle to achieve that goal.


Tim Douglas (4th Grade)

After an extremely successful year instructing SJBS 3rd graders, Tim is delighted to be moving on to 4th grade with his class for the 2009-2010 school year. His kids couldn't be happier as well. Tim is a 2008 graduate of Boston College, where he majored in Political Science and a minor in Faith, Peace and Justice. As a junior in college, he studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador at La Universidad de San Francisco. Over the past five years, he has worked with children in a variety of educational settings and developed a strong interest in teaching, counseling, mentoring and tutoring. For two summers Tim worked as a Camp Counselor and Sailing Instructor at the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore. In this role, he worked as a member of a close-knit team to ensure that the students enjoyed themselves in a healthy and safe environment. While at Boston College, Tim volunteered at the Living and Recovery Center in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts as a Peer Mentor and Drug Addiction Counselor and later as the Center's Assistant Outreach Coordinator. Tim is eager to challenge himself with new teacher responsibilities in the coming year.


Jenna Foster (2nd Grade)

Jenna has thrived as a BECA teacher over the past year and will thankfully be bringing all of that energy and experience back to her students in Cofradia for a second year. In 2008, Jenna graduated with a dual major in Childhood Education and Spanish from the State University of New York College at Oneonta. To complete her teaching certification, Jenna spent four months student teaching first and fourth graders in two different elementary schools in Middletown, New York. In Summer 2005, Jenna worked at the Chautauqua Institution Children's School as an Assistant Teacher. Two years later she returned to work as a Head Teacher at the School. In this role, Jenna was responsible for planning and carrying out academic and general activities for 25 to 38 first grade students. Prior to joining BECA, Jenna volunteered in Nicaragua and studied abroad for a semester in Chile. In the future, Jenna hopes to complete a graduate degree in Bilingual Education and pursue a career in teaching. About SJBS, Jenna wrote, "I feel that the school is very honorable in its mission to provide students with a tool that will allow for future success and opportunity."

First-year BECA Teachers


Katie Buttram (Middle School Language Arts / Curriculum Developer)

Having graduated with a B.S in English Education and a minor in Biology from North Dakota State University in 2000, Katie has since devoted her time and energy to teaching, which she sees as "the single best way to make a positive difference in our world." She is currently the Middle Years Program Coordinator and Level 5 English teacher at Grand Canyon Unified School, Arizona, where she also helps organize intercultural exchanges with students from Santa Ana, Mexico. Her love for teaching has taken her to Monterrey, Mexico, where she taught Language Arts; La Lima, Honduras where she was a US History and Language Arts instructor; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she served as both an English and substitute teacher. In concert with BECA's initiative to devise a new curriculum, Katie will be undertaking the lion's share of that work during her time in Cofradia. Her extensive travel throughout Central America, varied teaching experiences, and desire to make a positive difference in the world make her an invaluable addition to the BECA team.


Sophia Bahlkow (6th Grade)

Fresh from a teaching job with the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, MD, Sophia is excited to be joining the 09-10 teaching team in Cofradia. Sophia graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northeastern University where she was a journalism major. She has a long history of volunteer experience, particularly with environmental and animal welfare non-profits. While at Living Classrooms, Sophia taught summer school and National Science Foundation curricula to Baltimore City public school students. She looks to bring that experience with her into the classrooms at SJBS.


Maureen Gesley (1st Grade)

A Spanish and International Studies major from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Maureen aspires to improve Latin America's public health and educational systems, and sees teaching with BECA as "an invaluable step" in that direction. She spent a year studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador, where she taught English to middle-school students in low-income communities. Thrust into the position of primary teacher, she rose to the challenge by developing creative lesson plans, organizing educational games and connecting with the students. She also served as a community volunteer in rural Paraguay during the summer of 2003, teaching English, health and environmental issues to a school of 60 students. As a tutor in her high school's ESL program, she often relied on hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate with the diverse group of Latino, Mongolian, Iranian and Thai students. Her volunteering activities extend beyond the classroom setting: she has worked with the California Childcare Health Program translating health and safety materials from English to Spanish for childcare providers; researched human rights abuses in Pakistan that were ultimately added to a report submitted to the United Nations; and organized campus events to celebrate Chicano culture and provide children with a bilingual education. We know that Maureen's passion and initiative will be huge assets to SJBS.


Katharine Hudson (Kinder / Preparatoria)

In 2008, Katharine graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in History. Driven by her desire to "positively influence the lives of others and pass on the gift of education to others," Katie helped high-school and middle-school ESL students with their coursework and volunteers in an after-school homework club. Having studied abroad in London, lived in Thailand for a summer and traveled throughout Europe, Katie has developed a great interest in and respect for other cultures, and is looking forward to discovering Cofradia. We know her leadership and teamwork skills will be of great help and we are really excited to have her on board.


Jessica Lin (5th Grade)

Jessica graduates from Washington University in St. Louis this spring with a BA in International Studies with a focus in Latin America and a minor in Economics. She has been involved in teaching for several years now, teaching and tutoring abroad in Taiwan and Tanzania, where she provided instruction for Math, English, and Art, and locally in St. Louis after-school programs. Her interest in education spreads beyond the classroom, and she has shared her knowledge with others in many different capacities, including Colorguard performances, pastel drawing and, most recently, salsa dancing. Jessica is also very interested in international and community development, and has traveled extensively. She spent one month working on housing problems on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana in 2006 and last summer, she distributed clothes and food to several Taiwanese indigenous groups during a medical mission in the mountains. In 2007, she coordinated and worked on development projects in rural Tanzania. She states, "My interests in BECA and education are rooted in my passion for teaching and building relationships with students but are also enhanced by a conviction that education is a means to develop impoverished countries." Her dedication to service and her teaching experience will definitely make a difference, starting at SJBS.


Katy Lois (Resource Teacher - 5th through 9th Grades)

Katy is graduating from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in May with a BS in Neurobiology and Spanish. She has considerable teaching experience, and has plenty to offer the students at San Jeronimo Bilingual School. She volunteered at Mount Horeb Middle School for three years where she tutored 6th to 8th grade students and set up an afterschool homework group. She has also served as a private tutor, helping 6th to 12th graders with their work and mentoring them outside of the classroom. As Katy notes, "Volunteering is not new to me, and neither are the challenges that go with it." This commitment inspires her to participate in many other service activities. For the past two years, she has helped doctors and comforted patients at St Mary's Hospital, worked as the Neighborhood House Food Pantry Coordinator and volunteered with the Salvation Army. We are really excited to have Katy, with her all passion, experience and Spanish skills, join the team.


Katie MacDiarmid (Middle School Science)

Katie graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Environmental Science in 2007. Her study abroad experience in Costa Rica during the summer and fall of 2006 sparked a real interest in Central America, and she has since returned on several occasions, traveling throughout Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. Committed to learning about the communities she visits, Katie is excited to combine her love for Central American culture with her passion for teaching. She worked with the Northwest Outdoor Science School, first as a Program Leader and more recently as a Field Instructor, teaching science to high-school students in an outdoor setting and assisting the other counselors in their lessons. Katie's teaching experience is not limited to the classroom - she has also led wilderness adventure programs throughout Oregon where she taught backpacking, rafting and rock-climbing to high-school and college students. She is currently working as a naturalist at Whiskeytown Environmental School, leading daily hikes and teaching science along the way. During her year in Cofradia, she looks forward to "immersing herself in the community as much as possible and understanding how best to approach her place as privileged citizen in a world with such a highly unequal distribution of wealth."


Brian Schmitt (Middle School Mathematics)

Brian brings plenty of relevant experience to Cofradia thanks to his stints as a language tutor and basketball coach in his native Massachusetts. Just as importantly, Brian served as a trip leader last year for the Appalachian Mountain Club where he managed, supervised, and trained camps of teens on trail maintenance and wilderness first aid. Brian graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2008 with a BA in Economics and a minor in Latin American Studies and spent the first half of 2007 studying in Argentina. Currently the Social Recreation Director at the Boys and Girls Club in Waltham, MA, he helps run the after-school program, organizes weekend field trips and sets up activities for the kids. Such experience makes him a great fit for BECA, where he hopes to "help people, work under unique and challenging circumstances, stretch himself in the classroom and think creatively."


Samira Vachani (3rd Grade)

A 2008 English major from Wellesley College, Samira is currently pursuing a Teacher's Certification for Elementary Education and has been student-teaching and tutoring since September. Her interest in teaching is matched by her passion for service. With Global Learning, Samira traveled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua where she taught classes in a variety of subjects, including English and Environmental Education, and cultivated a real love of learning in her students. She has also volunteered with HandsOn New Orleans and Habitat for Humanity in Louisiana, renovating schools, homes and shelters. Expressing her great enthusiasm for teaching and volunteering, Samira says "Doing this type of work gives me joy and a sense of purpose. I also have a strong commitment to learning about and working in community development."


David Whitaker (Resource Teacher - 1st through 4th Grades)

David graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a BA in Anthropology and Art Practice in 2008. His passion for education, which he first developed as a classroom assistant and tutor for underprivileged students, continues to influence his choices and impact his life. Over the past two years, David has worked at the Education Center of the Presidio Archaeology Lab where he designs and implements educational activities for fourth grade classes and after-school programs, such as ecology hikes, scavenger hunts and artifact cataloging. He is also active with the UC Berkeley Ceramics Studio, where he teaches clay making, kiln loading and studio maintenance, and helps students grow in their artistic abilities. Such experiences, both in and out of the classroom, will make David an invaluable addition to BECA, where he looks forward to "successfully conveying important information to his students, and receiving new knowledge from them as well."