Anne Richardson, Director for Early Childhood German Saturday School Program (Pre-K/K)
I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is Anne Richardson and I was born in Cochem near the Mosel, a river in Germany. I spent my childhood in the Eifel region. After I finished secondary school, I went to Prüm to a vocational school where I trained to be a nationally recognized early childhood educator. In 1988 I moved with my family to Colorado, where I completed an apprenticeship as a director for early childhood education. During my time as a director for a childcare organization I really missed the contact with children. That’s why I accepted the preschool position at the Colorado International School. It gives me immense pleasure to work with children and support them in their learning process.
Ich möchte mich gerne bei Ihnen vorstellen. Ich heiße Anne Richardson und bin in Cochen an der Mosel geboren. Meine Kindheit habe ich in der Eifel verbracht. Nachdem ich die Mittlere Reife abgeschlossen habe, bin ich nach Prüm auf die Fachhochschule gegangen und habe dort eine Ausbildung als staatlich anerkannte Erzieherin gemacht. 1988 bin ich mit meiner Familie nach Colorado gezogen, wo ich eine Ausbildung als Direktorin für Kindheiterziehung abgeschlossen habe. Während meiner Zeit als Direktorin für eine Jugendfürsorgeorganization habe ich den Kontakt mit Kindern sehr vermisst, deshalb war die Position bei der Colorado International School als Vorschuhllehrerin die ideale berufliche Veränderung. Es macht mir riesigen Spaß, mit Kindern zu arbeiten und sie in ihrem Lernprozess zu unterstützen. Ich freue mich darauf, Sie und ihr Kind bald persönlich kennenzulernen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Anne Richardson
Laura Smallwood, Director for Upper Level German Saturday School Program (K-8th)
My name is Laura Smallwood. I was born in Romania and raised in West Germany. I grew up, speaking German and Romanian. Playing with other children of other nationalities, as a child I picked up on other languages, such as Arabic and Turkish. In school I was introduced to English and French. And when I attended the University in Braunschweig, I took Latin, which was a requirement for my English, as well as Philosophy studies. So my academic career has lead me to three Masters of Arts, which are English, Philosophy, and Education. I am also holding a professional license for English and Linguistically Diverse issued by the Colorado Department of Education. In addition, I have taken an Early Childhood Education class at CCA. I have been an educator for 15 years, teaching Pre-K through college. I taught formal German in a private school in Germany, and continued to teach it for businesses and in schools in the U.S. My passion for education and, especially, languages makes CoIS the perfect place to be for me. I believe that languages open minds and doors and I am happy that I can be part of that process.
Dennis Chandler, German Teacher
Hello, my name is Dennis. I learned German as a native language as a child, from ages 1-8 and lived in Germany a total of twelve years, including three years in a culinary apprenticeship program in Baden-Baden. I have a Bachelor’s degree in German from Binghamton University and a Master’s degree in Education from UCD. I have been a Public school teacher of German since 1999 and a German tutor since 1989 teaching ages five through fifty. In addition, I successfully passed the Goethe Institute’s “Mittelstufenprüfung and Wirtschaftsprüfung,” both with grades of A.
Eric Draper, Teacher Assistant
My name is Eric Draper and I am excited to be joining the staff at Colorado International School. I am currently finishing my degree in International Relations and Business Administration at the University of Denver, and am thrilled at the opportunity to contribute to the German immersion program here at CoIS. I was born in San Francisco, CA to a French mother and an American father and was raised in a bilingual household. When I was five years old, my family moved to Europe where I spent the next eleven years, spending five of those years living in Munich. My family then returned to the United States and I continued my education in Colorado. In school I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to return to Germany, and spent six months studying at the storied Universität Tübingen, outside of Stuttgart. There I pursued courses in “Wirtshafts and Sozialwissenshaft (Business and Political Science)” with some of the finest faculty and students in Germany. My entire childhood was spent immersed in international schools, which contributed immensely to my development, maturation and cultural sensitivity. I am passionate about the educational possibilities offered by international schools and immersion programs in particular, which I think develop academically inquisitive minds and prepare students for success in later academic and non-academic pursuits.
The German Program Staff can be reached at german@coloradointernationalschool.org