Quienes Somos
Nuestra HistoriaIt all started in someone's living room in Society Hill in 2010. Slowly, it grew into something more and now we're a local business in Queen Village, where children from all over the city come to learn Español. Over the last 5 years Bilingual Butterflies has partnered up with many schools and organizations throughout Philadelphia, including free public libraries, preschools, public and private elementary schools, and children's activity centers. Each year Bilingual Butterflies is responsible for teaching hundreds of children Español. In 2017 Bilingual Butterflies was named Best Toddler and Preschool classes by Philadelphia Family and was a nominee for the Mary Poppins Bestie Award. Bilingual Butterflies won Best Language Program by Philadelphia Family 2018 and 2019. Bilingual Butterflies is proud to offer language scholarships to low income families in Philadelphia.
Our language rich curriculum focuses on immersing children in the target language thus allowing them to absorb it the same way they did their first language. Through conversation, stories, role play, and other age appropriate activities, children forget they are learning and acquire the language naturally. All classes are taught by native or near native Spanish teachers to ensure proper dialect. |
Fernanada Velez Romero-
Maestra Fernanda's interest in education began in Colombia, where she studied Childhood Education at El Bosque University in Bogota. While in Colombia she also attained a Montessori Method Training Certificate at The Provinma School. She has continued her education in Philadelphia and in 2016 she earned an English as a Second Language Certification from The Community College of Philadelphia. Maestra Fernanda has experience working with children ages 0-10 she focuses on the creative arts as a way of teaching a foreign language. Maestra Fernanda is currently employed at Independence Charter as a Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) teacher. |
Laura Karabell
Maestra Laura started learning Spanish as a seventh grader and never looked back. Laura earned her B.A from Bates College in 2011, where she majored in Spanish and minored in Educational Studies. In December 2018, she received her Masters in Education from Temple University. Laura has used her Spanish in various capacities, from teaching elementary and middle schoolers at Montgomery School in Chester County, to being the program director at Mighty Writers El Futuro, a bilingual literacy center/after-school program in South Philadelphia. Most recently, Laura student taught Spanish I to ninth graders at Academy at Palumbo. Laura wants her students to love speaking Spanish as much as she does, and she works to create a classroom environment filled with hands-on experiences that encourage students to ask questions and take initiative. |
Anna Vinaixa
Meet Anna Vinaixa, also known as "Maestra Anna". She is a native of España and currently resides in Philadelphia. In 2013 she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Child Psychology and Early Childhood Education with a minor in ADHD from Ceac Online Education in Madrid. She is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Child Psychology at the Community College of Philadelphia. Maestra Anna is trilingual, she is able to read, write, and speak in Español, English, and Catalán! During her profession she has worked in preschools, where part of her duties were teaching Spanish. Maestra Anna has an amazing ability of managing children and making sure they are feliz, all while teaching a foreign language. |
Jenniffer Espinoza
Jenniffer is a native Spanish speaker from Ecuador. She came to the US as an international student and attended Community College of Philadelphia where she earned an Associate of Arts. She is currently pursuing a BA (social Sciences). She has over 4 years of experience as a Spanish teacher and tutor. She began teaching at Bilingual Butterflies in 2015 and has learned that a good education shapes not only minds, but hearts as well. She strongly believes that learning a different language, especially at a young age, can make students more cultural appreciative and incorporate that respect into their daily and future lives. Jenniffer's goal is to promote consciousness to the students' outside world and to be informed citizens and use their Spanish skills beyond the classroom. |
Mariela Cardenas Sierra
Maestra Mariela is a Colombian native with over 25 years teaching experience. During this time she has worked with children ages 3 and up in various school settings. She enjoys using music and art as a tool for teaching a second language in the classroom. In 1997 Maestra Mariela earned a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education from the University of Manizales, and in 2017 a Master of Family Therapy from Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. Maestra Mariela is currently employed at The Children Center in Philadelphia and for the past 5 years has been their lead Spanish teacher. She now teaches at Bilingual Butterflies on a part time basis. She absolutely loves what she does and makes the most of the time she spends with her students. Maestra Mariela's students appreciate her creativity and free spirit. They rave about how fun she is! |
Francheska Ortiz
Maestra Francheska is a native of Puerto Rico, where she studied Elementary Education and Clinical Social Work. As a former teacher of the Dual Language Program, Francheska has experience providing elementary school students with instruction in their native language as well as a second language. She takes pride in creating a fun and unique environment where students can learn and acquire a new language naturally. Her goal is to support children's ability to develop awareness, respect, and appreciation for cultural differences. |
Naomi Faszczyk
Maestra Naomi is a passionate multilingual teacher who has recently moved back to Philadelphia after teaching and living abroad for the past 7 years. Before moving back, she taught Spanish at the American International School, WBAIS, in Israel. Prior to that, she worked as a Bilingual Community Educator/Training Coordinator in Philadelphia for four years after teaching at UPENN for four years as a full-time Spanish Lecturer. At the start of her teaching career, Naomi worked as a Head Teacher in an Early Childhood Education program at a Philadelphia preschool. Having worked with all ages– across the globe– she also hold a TESOL/TEFL Oxford Seminars ELL certificate to teach English. Although Maestra Naomi's BA and MA are in languages and literature, she has taught and substituted many subjects for elementary through high school. Fun fact: Naomi loves to sing and is also a certified yoga instructor! |
627 s 2nd st. philadelphia, pa 19147Contact us!bilingualbutterflies@yahoo.com |
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