• Oberlin's World Language and Global Studies Teachers

     

    Giovanny Becerra - Spanish Language Teacher

    Email: jbecerra@wcpss.net

    Giovanny Becerra

    ¡Hola a todos! My name is Giovanny Becerra and I was born in Bogotá, Colombia 42 years ago! I love soccer, hiking, and enjoying nature with my family.  I arrived to the United States in an exchange program to teach ELL students in 2009. After this, I started teaching Spanish in Middle School. I have been a foreign language teacher for 19 years and I love to engage in positive, nurturing and meaningful relationships with my students, school families, and colleagues. I will start my third year at Oberlin Magnet Middle and I absolutely love this school! As a foreign language teacher, I consider it important to integrate academic goals as well as cultural background knowledge that can benefit students and make them aware about the importance of learning a second language and the uniqueness of its culture.  That is why in Spanish class we sing, dance, eat, cook and develop our socio-emotional skills together. I might not be the best dancer, singer, or cook but we all do our best to succeed. I got married 11 years ago and my wife and I have 2 kids: Laura - 8 years old and Sebastian - 6 years old. I love that they are already bilingual! I am thrilled to start a new school year and I am confident that things will get better soon! I will always be there to support my students!

     

     

    Marcela Marambio - Spanish Language Teacher

    Email: mmarambio@wcpss.net

    Marcela Marambio

    I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile. I decided to become a Social Studies Teacher.  I love to be with teenagers, to help them be their best version of themselves. I have a Bachelor Degree in Education and in Social Studies. I spent 17 years teaching Social Studies in different types of schools in Santiago. I love to travel, so I went on a lot of study tours with my students including Scotland, UK, Spain, and the amazing southern part of my beautiful country (Patagonia). I really enjoy meeting people and learning from other cultures, languages, and places. I also love cooking and all kinds of outdoor activities: trekking, biking, skiing, camping, among others. I got married 12 years ago and I have two kids: Amanda (7 years old ) and José Tomás (10 years old). I came to the United States in 2019 to teach Spanish and Social Studies at Oberlin Magnet Middle School, and to also share my culture and background with my students and their families as a Cultural Ambassador. We also want to travel and learn from this gorgeous country!

     

     

    Diego Rodriguez - Spanish Language Teacher

    Email: drodriguezmoreno@wcpss.net

     Diego Rodriguez

     ¡Hola! My name is Diego Rodriguez and I was born in Tunja, Colombia! I love soccer and travelling.  I have been teaching Spanish at Oberlin Magnet Middle School for 2 years. I travelled to Australia to get my Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I have visited 52 countries where I have learned about culture that I plan to share with my students. I have been a foreign language teacher for 5 years and I love to create an atmosphere for successful learning.  I will start my third year at Oberlin Magnet Middle and I absolutely love this school!  As a world language teacher, my class is a place to learn about Language and Culture . It is not a class that is only about words and structures, but a space to learn about many countries where Spanish is spoken. Using authentic material with different accents to prepare students for real life Spanish interactions through activities and projects that allow students to be creative while learning. The program here at Oberlin gives me the chance to provide interaction with students from Spanish speaking countries and our students, allowing our students to practice real conversations with Spanish speaking students the same age. I believe that having conversations about familiar topics pushes students torward language proficiency.

     

     

    Geneviève Domalain - French Language Teacher

    Email: gdomalain@wcpss.net

    Geneviève Domalain

    I grew up in the western part of France and discovered at a very young age that I enjoyed learning how to say things in other languages. My family loved to travel and I wanted to help with the shopping and handling of different currencies. It was fun to discover different landscapes, architectures, and foods. These were limited experiences that grew a little more serious as I was officially learning English and Spanish in Middle and High School. Every student learned at least 2 world languages. It was not optional, but it was my favorite subject to learn and it was what I chose to major in later on.  I didn't even know then that I would some day live in the USA.  Once on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, it made perfect sense for me to share my knowledge of the French language and culture with young learners.
     

     

    Rui Guo - Mandarin Language Teacher

    Email: rguo@wcpss.net

     Rui Guo

    nǐ 你hǎo好！（Hello） 

    nǐ 你hǎo好 ma吗？（How are you?） 

    I am from Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province in the southwest central area of China. Chengdu is famous for its Panda base and all kinds of delicious spicy food like hotpot. I started my English education when I was in middle school and had a great experience in English immersion summer camps organized by Sichuan University.  The University's teachers were from the American public school system.  I had the chance to talk to the teachers about their different cultures and learn about their families and daily lives. During our communication, I  realized how making connections through the learning of a foreign language and its culture can help me to explore and understand deeper of my own language, culture, and history. This summer I graduated from Elon’s Master of Education Program and it is my 4th year teaching at Oberlin Magnet Middle School. I am so excited to explore the different languages and cultures together with our first Chinese immersion program! 

     

     

    Sean Wheat - Global Studies Teacher

    Email: swheat@wcpss.net

    Sean Wheat

    My fascination with different cultures began when I was very young as a "military brat" living in Japan for 3 years.  I then joined the Air Force myself, and have had the opportunity to experience people and cultures all over the United States as well as Great Britain, Guam, Okinawa, and Diego-Garcia.  I have also made personal trips to Mexico, Belize, Australia, Jamaica, and the Grand Cayman.  I have always been interested in how geography, history, religion, politics, and trade have impacted the development of people and cultures.  I hope to show how these things, and others, help cultures develop as we try to look at things from the point of view of other cultures.