About Diane Estrella

Contact Info:
School: Santiago Christian School, Santiago, Dominican Republic
Email: naundiane@hotmail.com

About Me: Hello! My name is Diane Estrella. I was born and raised in a wonderful home in the beautiful, but very cold, West Michigan area of the United States. I was planning on living there for the rest of my life and was very content in my little world. Through some friends, I ended up taking a class in the Dominican Republic my sophmore year of college. I fell in love with the country and the kids immediately. Upon graduating, I moved to Santiago, Dominican Republic and began teaching at Santiago Christian School in the lower elementary. I switched to ECE when I had kids so that I could be part time. I cried my first week-partly because I had to leave my child for a couple of hours, and partly because I didn't think I would ever like teaching preschoolers as much as I liked teaching elementary aged kids. I soon came to love my new position and would not trade it for anything! I have been teaching in the ECE department for 14 years and am blessed to be working with my best friend Betty, a fantastic teacher, who is also taking this class.

I am married and have 4 amazing kids-my husband is amazing too! :) We spend our summers with my family in a little cottage by a lake in Michigan. We all enjoy swimming, playing games together and spending time together as a family. I usually try to take a class or workshop each summer. When we are in the Dominican Republic, the whole family is involved in swimming. I love to attend my kids' swim meets and support them in all that they do. We try to spend time with friends and family and we enjoy playing games here as well. I am very blessed to have a great family as well as 2 wonderful places to call home!

What do I daydream about?! I would love to know everything there is about being a great parent and teacher..NOW! I enjoy learning and am grateful for opportunities to share with and learn from other parents and teachers. Sometimes it is hard to be patient and realize that learning is a process.

Professional Responsibilities: I am currently teaching Kindergarten as well as coordinating the ECE department for our school. I just officially began the coordinator position this past month.

Mano a Mano project I'm Working On: For my Mano a Mano project I am working on adapting ESL strategies to be developmentally appropriate for young learners.