We are natives of Venezuela and Spanish is our native language. Carmela has a B.A. in Education from Universidad de Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela. She has 20 years of teaching experience including 3 years with the Union County (NC) School System. Carmela designs and develops the curricula, themes, activities and material used in class.
Ricardo holds degrees in Business Administration and Hotels Management. After several years in the corporate world, he returned to his true passion: working with children. During his college years in Caracas, he taught English as a second language, including two years at a private school where he worked with 5th and 6th graders, and as a private tutor working with Middle and High School students.
On a more personal note, we met in September 1992 and married in December 1994. In January 1995 we settled in Charlotte and began to build a future in this wonderful city we now call home. In April 1997 The Lord blessed us with a daughter, Marianna, who is fully bilingual. In September 2003, we were blessed again with another beautiful girl named Victoria.
We are totally committed to the success of PlaySpanish® --it is our present and our future. A key part of that commitment is our objective for the program: To make PlaySpanish® the best foreign language program for children in North Carolina.
The foundation of that objective is our staff. We have selected a group of highly qualified professionals who teach some of the classes. These individuals have been carefully screened --including thorough personal and criminal background checks-- and have received extensive training in the PlaySpanish® methodology. They are native Spanish speakers who bring to the classroom vast knowledge and experience.
Occasionally, we also have American teachers, with impeccable domain of the Spanish language, who bring a different perspective to the classroom -the perspective of an American with first-hand experience about the life and culture of Latin American countries.
Additionally, all our teachers receive training in First Aid and Child/Infant CPR through the Red Cross –one of our requirements before they can begin working with the children.
This is a partial list of the current teachers and their credentials and qualifications:
