Fun with Foreign Language... where learning a language is fun!
About Us
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About Us Fun with Foreign Language (FwFL) began offering classes in Harford County in January 2007. We are excited about the opportunity to fill the need for foreign language education for young children. We are also interested in offering Italian language classes. Please feel free to email us to let us know what you think at comments@funwithforeignlanguage.com.
Teachers at FwFL are individuals that have a desire to teach and share their language and culture with the community, especially children. Teachers are either native speakers or near-native fluent speakers. All near-native fluent speakers must pass an oral examination conducted by a native speaker. All teachers must also complete a Maryland and FBI criminal background check.
Yani Peyton, Founder, Director, and Spanish Teacher. She received her BSBA in Management from Bucknell University and her MBA from University of Maryland, College Park. As the daughter of bilingual Costa Rican parents, she was always exposed to the Spanish language and Latin American culture. While deciding to raise her own elementary-aged kids bilingual, Yani uncovered research that illustrated the many benefits of learning a foreign language, including academic and cognitive benefits. She also learned that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the easier it is for the child to learn it. This research, in addition to the fact that some of the child care centers in Harford County offer minimal or no foreign language exposure, and the fact that Harford County public schools introduce formal foreign language instruction for some in middle school and for all in high school, made Yani realize that many toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary aged children in Harford County are missing an opportunity of being exposed at the most optimal time—the younger years—to something that provides so many life-long benefits. Yani is a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACFTL).
Jing Dai, Mandarin Chinese Teacher. Jing is a native of China where she attended Si Chuan University. She comes from a family of teachers and has worked as a tutor and teaching assistant in China. Most recently, Jing has been teaching Mandarin Chinese to third graders through the Baltimore Chinese School. Jing, along with her husband, speaks to their toddler-aged son in Chinese with the goal of him being bilingual. She loves the Chinese language and culture and is eager to share her love with students.
Carmen Jaen-Paniza, Spanish Teacher. Carmen is a native of Panama and graduated from the National University of La Plata, Argentina with a BA and MA in Spanish Language and Literature. She later earned her MA in Teaching with emphasis in Special Education from the College of Notre Dame in Maryland. Carmen has taught on the elementary, middle school high school, and university levels in Panama, Argentina, and Maryland for a total of 9 years, and many of those of years of teaching were spent teaching Spanish. Carmen knows the importance of learning a second language and has instilled this in her two teen-aged daughters, both of which are learning English and will soon consider themselves bilingual (Spanish and English). Carmen’s passion for teaching comes from her family..her grandmother was an elementary school teacher and her mother and sister are both university professors. Carmen considers it a privilege to share her culture and language with young learners and is looking forward to the opportunity.
Beatriz Korenczuk, Spanish Teacher. Beatriz is a native of Argentina and graduated from the Maria Luisa Clarack College with a BS degree in Medical Biology. She later earned her BA degree in primary education from the University of Buenos Aires. Beatriz knew from very young that she wanted to be a teacher and worked in educational roles in Argentina as a Sunday school teacher, camp Director, and a school teacher. While living in Maryland, Beatriz has had the opportunity to work in educational roles as a Sunday school teacher and as a Spanish teacher to a group of home school students. The daughter of Ukrainian parents, Beatriz is also fluent in Russian and Ukrainian. All three of Beatriz’s children speak, read, and write Spanish—with one daughter having proficiency in the French and Russian languages as well. Beatriz is filled with excitement that she has this opportunity to teach her native language and culture to children.
Yancy Lopez, Spanish Teacher. Yancy is a native of Costa Rica where she attended UNED and Colegio Profesional Heredia. Over the past 5 years, Yancy has worked with children as a senior staff member at children learning centers. She, along with her husband, is teaching her pre-school aged daughter Spanish with the goal of her being bilingual. She is excited about the opportunity to work with Fun with Foreign Language and teach her language and culture to children.
Scholastique Mbaya, French Teacher. Scholastique is a native of the Congo and received her law degree from the University of Kinshasa , DR Congo. Since moving to the United States, she has had 9 years of experience teaching children French in several positions. She, along with her husband, is raising her children in a bilingual environment (French and English). She has had the opportunity to travel and live in many French speaking countries including France , her native Congo , Belgium , Ivory Coast , Senegal , and Luxembourg . She looks forward to this opportunity to teach Fun with Foreign Language students her native language and culture.
Leidy Adriana Moncada (Adriana), Spanish Teacher. Adriana is a native of Colombia where she graduated from Surcolombiana University with a Bachelor Degree in Basic Education with an emphasis in Humanities and Foreign Language—English. Prior to living in Maryland, Adriana was a teacher for the Newark/Fremont YMCA in California. Her 4 year teaching experience includes teaching English to children and adults in her native Colombia, as well as in California, and now Maryland. Adriana loves teaching and especially has a passion for teaching young children. She looks forward to meeting her new students.
Weiyang Ye, Mandarin Chinese Teacher. Weiyang is a native of China and graduated from the University of Arkansas. While Weiyang’s educational background is in computer programming, she has a love for interacting and teaching children. Weiyang ‘s creative and artistic abilities will bring a lot of joy to her classes. She is excited about teaching children her native language and culture.
Spanish and Mandarin Chinese Classes Occurring Now Please visit our schedule for information on dates, locations, and times. Children can join a class at any time and pay a pro-rated tuition. If you would like to schedule a free preview class for your child, you can call us at 443-616- 7343 or email us at info@funwithforeignlanguage.com.