It is a blessing to be part of this wonderful school.  I have many years of administrative experience.  Being bilingual has given me the opportunity to work for international companies and the education system in Mexico, which have enriched my skills. My goal is to keep contributing to this great community.

I began teaching at Spanish With Sarah in the fall of 2014. I teach Science, Social Studies, and Spelling during the English portion of the day. I have been a teacher in both public and private schools for over 20 years. I absolutely love teaching and wouldn’t choose to do anything else. My greatest joy in being a teacher is sharing the excitement of learning about new things with my students.

I have had the pleasure of teaching at Spanish With Sarah since 2011.  It has been so wonderful to be part of this growing school and I have been fortunate to be able to loop with my students and teach at each grade level.  The small class sizes allow me to get to know each student and family on a personal level. When I am not teaching I enjoy spending time with my children: Elsie, Rylan  and Hazel, and my husband Mike.  When I am not taxiing my children from one activity to another I enjoy reading, hiking, and traveling. 

The Pacific Northwest has always been my home. I spent most of my life in the Portland/Gresham area. From a young age, I knew I wanted to work with and help others, specifically children. My life goal was to work as a pediatric oncology nurse. After graduating from the University of Portland, I started my nursing career at OHSU. Later I was recruited by Legacy to join their IV therapy team. Although this wasn’t the original plan for my career, I fell in love with the work, the staff, and the patients. In 2009 I started a family with my amazing husband, Ramon. Together we raise three lively boys: Ramon, Samuel, and Gabriel. As much as I love IV therapy, I decided to stay home with my crew. As my boys grew older, I volunteered at our local schools, foster care, and the Free Clinics of Southwest Washington. During the 2019-2020 school year, I taught Health classes once a month to SWS students. I’ve been thrilled to come back and teach K-5th Health each Wednesday since 2020. It’s an honor to be a part of the SWS community!

My name is Jennie and I’m so excited to be teaching art this year at SWS. I have a Masters in Teaching from Seattle University and have taught various grades and subjects over the past 15 years. Before being the art teacher at SWS, I was the character education teacher for three years (pre-Covid), and long ago taught Kinder/1st grade at SWS for a year before having my third baby! (Long, long ago I taught 1st and 4th grade in the Seattle area). I have also studied art at Gage Academy in Seattle as well as Clark College and am a practicing artist currently. You can check out my work at my website www.jenniewestfall.com  Coming back to the classroom this year after being away for a few years has been such a joy! I love being with kids, seeing their incredible creativity, and they make me laugh and smile each Wednesday. Thank you for letting me be a part of their education! 

I so enjoy teaching at SWS. Before teaching music, I taught engineering with Legos to elementary students for five years. While this was fun, I am enjoying working in my field of study. As a graduate from Warner Pacific University, I employ a hands-on learning approach and outside-the-box thinking.  As a world traveler, having lived in four countries and adventured around the globe, I am passionate about language learning and trying new things.