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LinkedInCarmen James, Teacher
| Country of Origin: | USA |
| Education: | BA in Education, MA in Latin American Studies and Anthropology |
Carmen James received her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, the nation’s premiere school in childhood development. The Erikson Institute is at the forefront of local and national initiatives on policy and discussions on how to best educate young children. Carmen’s area of concentration was Spanish language and culture. During this time, she spent a year abroad in Seville, Spain as part of her studies. She later received her Master's Degree at the University of Texas at Austin in Latin American Studies and Anthropology. Throughout her education, she received several fellowships and scholarships in recognition of academic excellence.
Carmen has seven years of teaching experience in the primary grades as well as several years in education-related non-profit organizations. She has worked with older students on a language immersion and community service summer session in Central America. She was a bilingual kindergarten teacher in Chicago at the Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academic Center for three years where she was an integral part of designing a school-wide curriculum. For the past three years she has been an educator at the Chicago Children’s Museum, engaging children in activities based on exhibits and leading art workshops. Currently she is a kindergarten teacher at Erie Elementary School in Chicago.
Carmen’s two passions are education and travel. She was able to overlap her passions by studying about different cultures and travelling overseas while further immersing herself in Spanish and Portuguese. Her love of learning has revealed many interests, which is something she hopes to accomplish with children. She is inspired to help her students explore their own interests so they love learning as much as she does. She believes that a positive classroom environment and caring relationships between students, teachers and parents are essential elements in the primary classroom. She strives to lead students to be well-rounded, eager learners and creative critical thinkers.
Carmen feels a strong affinity to the Magellan International School’s focus on multicultural, multilingual IB program. She is looking forward to contributing her energy, creativity and experience. She is delighted to be a founding teacher and is committed to contributing to the MIS community in setting a strong foundation for future growth and success.
"I’m very excited to join the Magellan International School community as Kindergarten Teacher. When I first learned about MIS, I was immediately attracted to the multicultural, multi-lingual community focus and the adoption of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program curriculum. I was impressed that a small, dedicated group of parents took action in order to give their children the gift of a bilingual and multicultural education."
Carmen has traveled extensively in Latin America and Spain. With each trip, she is inspired to see and do more. She enjoys reading, learning new languages, film, and yoga. Her love of learning extends to these activities and more recently gardening and cooking.
