The Founders
La Catalina Natural Language
School was founded by Victor Amezcua, a native of
Mexico City and his partner Julie
Catton, an ESL teacher from California.
Victor and Julie bring a rich
background in education and teaching languages to La Catalina School.
They developed their own Spanish curriculum and methodology which is used at
La Catalina and is based on teaching languages through the
“natural” way of familiarization, similar to the way that children acquire
their first language but adding adult skills to accelerate the acquisition
process.
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Victor was educated at the
National University of Mexico, then
at UC Berkeley in California where he received a Master's in
Mathematics. Victor has a strong background in education and has taught language and mathematics for many years.
Victor and his partner Julie are also
part of the founding team of
La Catalina Educational Foundation, which offers free or highly
subsidized education programs to the local people in La Manzanila.
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Julie has a Masters in
Education and a California teaching credential from Dominican University in the
Bay Area of San Francisco. She also has a B.A. in Recreation
Administration, holds her certificate in Teaching English as a
Foreign Language (TEFL) and has taught English in Spain and Mexico.
Julie's other passions include writing, traveling,
reading and working with children.
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Our Staff
La Catalina Natural Language
School looks for bright, friendly and well-qualified teachers and support
staff. Our teachers receive on-going training in our unique natural language methodology to
support their professional growth.
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Spanish Teachers |
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Jose "Valentin"
Chavez Castro is an Engineer with a Master's degree in Teaching
Methodologies. He has been a teacher and Principal at our local middle
school for a number of years, where he is well-liked by students and
colleagues alike. Valentin has brought dedication, knowledge and
heart to La Catalina School since he started with us in 2003.
He is also a founding board member of La Catalina Educational
Foundation. In his free time, he enjoys being
with his wife and two young sons. |
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Alma
“Lety” Martinez Garcia is our newest teacher who joined us in
January of 2007. With her bachelor’s degree from Normal de Jalisco
in Guadalajara
and experience teaching at the middle school in the mornings, Lety
comes prepared with a solid background in education. Outside of the
classroom, Lety enjoys listening to music, painting and being with
friends. Students enjoy her sense of humor and excellent teaching
skills. |
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Angeles
Perez Guzman has been a teacher at La
Catalina School since 2004. She graduated from a four year university
in Guadalajara where she received her teaching credential. Angeles
has her Master's
degree in Education. She teaches in a local middle school in the
mornings and for La Catalina in the afternoons.
In her free time, she enjoys reading and dancing. |
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"Maestros" Miguel
and Chuy Martinez are our most well-seasoned teachers. They
bring 30 and 18 years of teaching experience, respectively.
Miguel and Chuy have retired from the public schools and
have enjoyed teaching classes at La Catalina School since 2003 and running a nursery
with tropical plants. Their vast experience comes with a lot
of heart and humor. |
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Other Support Staff |
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Anna Amezcua is
our part-time U.S. registrar & recruiter, based out of Eureka,
California. Anna is bi-lingual in English/Spanish and has a
liberal arts
degree from Sarah Lawrence College in New York. As much of Anna’s
family is from Mexico, she frequently travels there. Apart from her
administrative duties with the school, Anna paints and exhibits her
work in Northern California. |
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Jessi Immitt is our Teen
Camp Trip Leader/Summer Intern. Jessi has her bachelor’s degree in
Humanities (with an emphasis in International Studies) from a
private university in San Francisco and has worked as a social
worker in Northern California, where she is from. She is an
alumni of La Catalina School and upon falling in love with La
Manzanilla, decided to come back and assist with our summer youth
programs. |
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