“Teaching is just part of who I am,” said Pat Brunelle. Before joining Intercambio in 2013, Pat was an elementary school teacher, a middle school teacher, and taught English composition at Regis University. After she retired, Pat was introduced to Intercambio by her daughter, Jenny Desmond—current Events Manager at Intercambio. For the past two years, […]
Feature Friday: Susan Herbert
Susan Herbert was looking for a volunteer opportunity and “the idea of teaching English to non-English speakers” intrigued her. What began as one-on-one lessons with her student, Maria, in 2014, has since grown when Maria asked if two friends could join. “So now the four of us sit around her dining table. What have I […]
Feature Friday: Rosanne Loukonen
In the beginning, Rosanne Loukonen’s level 1A lessons with her student, Angelica, consisted of smiles, laughing, drawing pictures, hand gestures, and when the message really wasn’t getting across, calling Angelica’s kids in to translate. Rosanne remembers, “Angelica called Intercambio and said ‘Can you send me someone who does speak a little Spanish?’ And they said, […]
Feature Friday: Minna Vallentine
Minna Vallentine joined Intercambio in 2013, and since then, has taught 6 terms of group classes ranging from level 4 to level 7. However, it’s not Minna’s first ESL rodeo. She spent 10 years teaching ESL in Santa Clara County, CA and a summer teaching English in China. When Minna moved to Boulder, she began […]
Feature Friday: Meg Fayen
Meg Fayen and her student, Rosario, have been working together for the last 2½ years. Studying abroad in college gave Meg insight into the challenges and rewards of learning Spanish, and how important it is to have a comfortable environment to do so. “When I found out about Intercambio,” says Meg, “I wanted to become […]
Feature Friday: LaNelle McKay
Teaching with Intercambio is not LaNelle McKay’s first teaching experience. For the first 20 years of her career, LaNelle was a biology teacher. She then spent seven years as a Foreign Service officer, during which LaNelle lived in three different countries and had to learn three different languages (Bosnian, Moldovan, and Portuguese). She realized, in […]
Feature Friday: James Passarelli
James Passarelli started teaching group classes with Intercambio in April, 2014. Having moved from New York to Boulder, James was looking for a way to get involved in the community, to meet people who were different “ethnically, culturally, and linguistically,” and to try his hand at teaching. James hopes to be a history teacher in […]
Feature Friday: Doug Roma
Doug Roma joined Intercambio in 2013. Since Doug spent time in to Germany after joining the army, he brought his understanding—the challenges of living abroad and learning another language—to the classroom. He and his students have moved through levels 5 and 6 together without stopping during holidays and between-semester-breaks, and will continue on to level […]
Feature Friday: Doug Roma
Doug Roma joined Intercambio in 2013. Since Doug spent time in to Germany after joining the army, he brought his understanding—the challenges of living abroad and learning another language—to the classroom. He and his students have moved through levels 5 and 6 together without stopping during holidays and between-semester-breaks, and will continue on to level […]
Feature Friday: Christine Fleetwood
Christine Fleetwood started teaching with Intercambio in January, 2015. Her prior teaching experience included teaching a Spanish co-parenting class to adults going through custody or divorce proceedings, as well as giving presentations and facilitating clinics. Nonetheless, working with a group of Intercambio students at the Lafayette Public library “has been a wonderful mutual learning experience,” […]
