• CPA, Tiburcio Saavedra Alarcon School of Business, Chile
• Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, Laney College
Ester began teaching at Saklan in 2013. She is a Chile native and has been teaching Spanish to children of all ages for many years. Ester has an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts. She left her career as an Accountant because she truly enjoys teaching. Ester has taught at a number of different schools in the Bay Area, some of which include Beacon, Wildwood, Hillcrest, Mills College Children's School, Washington School in San Leandro, and Happy Valley School in Lafayette. Ester is patient, caring and committed to helping her students learning.
You may already know our K-3rd Spanish teacher and Chile native, Ester Vines, but did you know she loves visiting Mexican ruins and cenotes? Or that she loves spending time in nature and camping? Ester brings her joyful creative energy to all her endeavors at Saklan. In addition to teaching Spanish to our Kinder-3rd grade students three times a week, Ester leads ECE yoga and Lower School creative dance and movement classes as part of our Saklan after school enrichment program. Her creative pursuits don’t end there, Ester is also a talented painter!
How long have you been teaching Spanish at Saklan?
I have been teaching Spanish for 11 years at Saklan.
We know you love nature, camping, and hiking! What hobbies or interests do you like weaving into your Spanish classes?
I like to pass onto my students the love for nature and how important it is to take care of our planet, our home, appreciating our ancestors and their knowledge and wisdom. I love to draw, paint, dance and sing so we do a lot of hands-on projects in my classes, we also sing and sometimes we dance.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to your students as they are learning a second language?
Learning a second language opens many doors to students as they go through life. They can connect to other kids or people and learn about their culture, their way of life, visit ancient ruins, being able to help communities by doing social work, and communicating to them in their language is priceless.
