¡Bienvenidos a la clase de Español 1!
¡Hola!
I'm Claire De Leon and I am going into my 11th year of teaching Spanish, my 3rd here at Amundsen. I graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Language and Linguistics and then got my Masters in Secondary Education at the University of Michigan. I have lived all over the US, but have been so happy to call Chicago home for the last 8 years where I stay with my partner and 2 cats. In my life outside of teaching, I enjoy cooking vegan meals, creating art, travel, and singing with the Windy City Treble Quire.
My experience in Spanish-speaking countries includes living in Ecuador, Mexico, and Spain, leading student trips to Costa Rica, Panama, and The Dominican Republic, and traveling to Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guatemala. I am passionate about expanding students' worldview and am excited to support students in finding agency in communicating and connecting across language and culture.
At Amundsen, I also am the Co-leader of Global Glimpse with Mr. Acosta. Global Glimpse is a leadership development program centered around international travel. Students are nominated in their junior year and those accepted will have 14 day summer experiences in Panama, Costa Rica, or The Dominican Republic with other students from all over Chicagoland.
Fun fact: I also speak some Portuguese and am learning Tagalog!