Principal

Dr. Angrid-Kathrin Henning

I am the principal of the East German Language School, which offers a wonderful program for students and their families who wish to improve their German skills.
As a native of Germany I grew up in Hannover, Germany, and later lived with my family in Stuttgart until we moved to the beautiful Seattle area in 2007. I am a Certified Biologist and Doctor of Civil Engineering specialized in water treatment. After my graduation I worked as an assistant professor at the University of Stuttgart and at a consulting company specialized in projects for developing countries.
Since my sons started school I have been actively participating and volunteering in the German PTA equivalent, representing the parentÕs interest on the school board. When we moved here, I have naturally joined the PTA programs of the local schools. There I help organize school and class projects and serve as a parent leader and art docent.
Living in Seattle has given me and my family the opportunity to appreciate a different language and culture. As I see my sons growing up bilingually I am happy to share those experiences and to support other families who wish to discover the German culture in a friendly and enjoyable environment like the EGLS.

 

The Teachers of EGLS

(Current School year: 2008-2009)

Lernstufe I
18 months  - 5 years

Die Kükenklasse

Regina Graw-Crockett

Regina is originally from Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia, but has called Seattle her home for many years now. Regina has been with EGLS for two years and is looking forward to teaching the youngest EGLS students. She is experienced teaching children ages 3 -14 years old. She is also a preschool teacher and an after school teacher for Level I children (5 year olds) at the SAGA School in Seattle.

Die Raupenklasse

Gabi Priss

I was born and grew up in Braunschweig, Germany. Before I came to Seattle in 1997 I worked as a Certificate Public Accountant. I received my Associate in Arts Early Childhood Education Degree in March 2009. This is my third year with ãRaupenklasseÒ at EGLS; since September 2009 IÕm also teaching in a pre-school in Woodinville. I have two young children who are growing up bilingual. I love to teach the preschool age, because they are so eager to learn everything and there is so much they can discover every day. In my class we dance, sing, hear stories and retell them, do finger plays and felt stories, have art projects and for sure some free play time.

Die Marienkäferklasse

Kerstin Wick

I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany. After finishing high school I worked in accounting and sales at an airline ticket wholesaler and was a tour guide for a youth travel company. In 2000 my husband and I moved to the Seattle area. We have two small children, Sebastian was born in 2002 and Jana in 2005. At home we speak German only and I am very determined to help my children learn and love both languages. In the last two years I have helped organize events for German speaking children and families in the area to help keep our German heritage and festivities alive. Also these events are a great opportunity for children to practice their German. Organizing these events I came to realize that I really enjoy working with children and helping them to understand the German culture and learn the language. Since September 2007 I have been teaching children aged 4-5 at EGLS, This age group is a lot of fun to work with and having my own children at the same age certainly helps to understand their needs and interests.

 

Kerstin Wunderlich

Hi, I am from Hof in Northern Bavaria, Germany. Before we moved here with my husband and my son in 2005, we have lived in London for over 9 years. Though my work background is sales, being with children has always played a big part in my life. I have taught girls gymnastics back in Germany and looked after a neighbors little girl in England on the days I didn’t work. Here, I enjoy helping at the Kinderstube group where we celebrate German tradition and events with our kids. In winter I will be a ski instructor for children in Snoqualmie. We are raising our son bilingually – it’s such a special skill which comes so easy at that age. Teaching at EGLS is a pleasure for me and I am happy to contribute to your kid’s playful journey to another language.

Lernstufe II
6 - 8 years

Die Waldstrolche

Sabine Demissie

I was born and raised near Siegen, Germany. After working as a Kindergarten teacher with children three to six years of age and organizing recreational activities for kids in South Europe and North Africa, I got a further degree in social education (Sozialpaedagogik) at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. I have been working with children and youth in children’s home, youth center and offered vocational counseling for youth and young adults. I also supported foreign children to improve their German language skills and organized multicultural play groups. In 2007 I moved to Seattle with my family. My two kids, born 1996 and 2004, are growing up bilingual/trilingual now and I am always impressed how easily children can pick up a new language and that it is in fact an incredible enrichment for them. I enjoy teaching elementary students and I am persuaded that it’s important to offer a learning environment where learning is fun and children are encouraged and engaged to discover and to try out a new language.  With the help of art, music, stories, games and varied projects children can participate actively and in parallel experience the German culture. As I am also a relaxation teacher, I include brief exercises that support the children’s well-being as well as their learning process.

Die Hasenklasse

Henrica Lajoie

I was born and raised near Munich, Germany. After graduating from High School I got my elementary school teaching degree (Staatsexamen I) at the Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg and my Staatsexamen II in Planegg. I have been teaching 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade. My husband and I live in Bellevue since spring 2007 and I have been teaching Preschool and Kindergarten at the SAGA School since March 2007. As a teacher I enjoy working with children of any age and seeing them grow and learn new things every day. I love to teach the German language as well as social and emotional skills. To help them develop in these areas and make learning German fun, I incorporate all kinds of games, German songs, crafts and different activities.

Die Mäuseklasse

Ursula Recker

I was born and raised in Germany and have attended Universities in Germany and Switzerland. I enjoy working with children and believe in learning while playing. Part of our classroom activities are acting out stories, which we read first in class, playing games with letters and words or touching and holding the objects we talk about. 'Be-greifen' and songs as well as art projects are a big part of our lessons and help students understand German easier.

Lernstufe III
9 - 11 years

Die Ibexklasse

Sylvie McQuade

I was born in Switzerland and have attended various European Universities and graduated from Berne, Switzerland with a degree in teaching (Major in foreign languages). I have been living in Issaquah since 1993 and worked in several local public schools besides teaching at EGLS and French to a home school group. I have a passion for sharing my language knowledge with children. Desiring to see each child succeed, I try to blend language structure (grammar) with TPR, songs, crafts, and various activities that appeal to different learning styles.

Die Räuberklasse

Margarete Chenoweth

I was born in Aschaffenburg, Germany, and have been living with my husband, who speaks and writes German fluently, in the US since 1999. We are raising our three children bilingually. As a teacher, I enjoy educating the students in my native language. My class has to be interesting, fun and at the same time should encompass the German culture. We learn German through play, crafting, reading and writing, celebrating fests and when we get together with other students during break. I have been teaching at EGLS since January 2002 and since 2007 at the SAGA school, and am pleased that most of my students come back each year.

Lernstufe IV
12 years and older

Die Wildschweinklasse

Kerstin Nolder

I was born and raised in Hannover, Germany. After studying in Hannover and Aix-en-Provence, France, I received my Staatsexamen I for high school teaching (grades 5 to 12) at the Leibniz University Hannover and my Staatsexamen II in Braunschweig. I have been living in the Seattle area since 1989 and teaching at EGLS since 1999. I have 2 children who are growing up bilingually. I love teaching the German language, culture and history to children. Songs, crafts, stories, authentic movies, and total physical response are part of the curriculum besides reading and writing. I have been with most of "my" students since 2002, and have seen them make enormous progress. My first priority for them is having fun while learning German.

Anita Dunlap

I am an Early Childhood Specialist educated in Nuernberg Germany. I have two children, who are bilingual. I have been teaching at the East Side German Language School since 1997. Currently I am teaching the youth class. Some of the students have been with me since I started teaching in the EGLS. My students participate in planning and choosing themes for the year and we work through them with reading, writing, hands on projects, discussions and more. In the school year 2007-08, all of my students participated in the AATG test and completed the level IV test.

Die Eulenklasse 

Christine Castle

I look forward to co-teaching the adult class at EGLS.  I was born and raised in Mainz, Germany, and have lived in the United States since 1998, working in the language textbook industry, teaching German and raising a family.  I have two daughters who are growing up bilingual and a husband who is himself a life-long student of German.  Having a background in journalism, I enjoy incorporating current themes and topics into my lessons.  I employ different media to teach the structure of the German language in a fun and meaningful way. Communicating new and old traditions, trends and culture is one of my goals in teaching German. 

 

Shirin Niami

Languages have been a passion of mine ever since I can remember. I was raised with German, my mother tongue, English and Persian, and am fluent in all three languages. This is my fourth year teaching the adult class, and I've enjoyed my students, some of whom have been with me since day one, tremendously. It has been so rewarding for me to follow their amazing progress. I also have been tutoring German for many years, and have students who are all at different levels. This year will be an even more exciting one, as for the first time, we will be reading a novel with a great storyline. This will give students plenty of opportunity to expand their conversational skills. In addition, many interesting cultural topics will be introduced, along with the constant reviewing of grammar. Each year I also include a field trip to some German institution, where my students can hone their language skills, and also have a lot of fun outside of the classroom.