About Us
We are committed to providing great teachers for our children. Our instructors are at least native-level speakers, experienced and trained by Polly-Glot Tots, Inc. so that you and your child develop a positive relationship with foreign language learning.
Tanya Knudsen, Founder and French Instructor
Tanya has spent most of her life overseas. Born in England, raised in Germany, and educated in France, Tanya moved to Seattle in 2003 with her husband. Prior to that, Tanya worked for over ten years in London and also in Brazil, Holland and Spain. While on bed rest with her daughter, Tanya created Polly-Glot Tots with a dream of providing language instruction to neighborhood children at the young age when their ability to learn is most natural. Tanya is raising her two young children to be bilingual. She is a native-level French and German speaker and has taught adults, teenagers, and children. She has an MA from Boston University.
Laura Johnson, Business and Marketing Director
Laura was first introduced to Polly-Glot Tots by taking classes with her twin daughters. Not bilingual herself, she wanted her girls to benefit from the intellectual and developmental advantages that learning a second language provides. Laura has a Bachelors and a Masters degree from UCLA, as well as a long and successful career in marketing at some of the top corporations in the medical industry. She is passionate about making the enriching experience of foreign language immersion available to her greater community.
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Ines Andrade, Movement Specialist, French and Spanish Instructor
Ines was born and raised by her French mother and Venezuelan father in Paris. She grew up speaking French, Spanish and English. Ines is a movement specialist and has performed, choreographed and taught young children in Paris and Miami before moving to Seattle in 1999.
She received her dance BFA from New World School of the Arts (Miami ) in 1997.Ines currently teaches in schools and dance centers all over the the Puget Sound, including American Dance Institute, Creative Dance Center and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Her passion for teaching kids, her training in childhood development through movement and her love for languages makes her a great addition to our team.
Daniel Miller, French Instructor & Music Coordinator
The son of a French mother and an American father, Daniel grew up bilingual in the US and travelled to France every summer from birth into his twenties. Daniel gained dual citizenship and feels equally at home in Paris or Seattle. He holds bachelor's degrees in International Studies from the University of Washington and in music writing and production from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Daniel brings over five years of experience teaching children to Polly-Glot Tots, incorporating both his bilingual and musical background into a comprehensive immersion experience for children.
www.danielmiller.org
Antonia Mallarino, Spanish Instructor
Antonia first came to Seattle from Colombia as an exchange student in 1990 to learn English. She returned home to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in design in 1996. After many professional experiences as fashion marketing consultant, teacher at a local university and speaker for many design seminars around her country, she discovered her love for teaching after volunteer teaching children weaving techniques and promoting Colombian art and culture. Antonia now lives on the Eastside with her family and her passion for teaching children fits in well with the Polly-Glot Tots' mission. Antonia believes teaching is a very important part of her life and it is a way to give back some of what she has received.
Elizabeth Hernandez, Spanish Instructor
Eli came to Seattle from Mexico City and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work. She works part- time as a Girl Scouts program assistant as well as a Polly-Glot Tots instructor. Her experience with young children stretches back nearly ten years in resident camps, academic centers, preschools and youth at risk facilities. Eli's Spanish background has always been a part of her work. Eli plays the piano and is known for frequently toting her guitar to class for some added fun.
Camille Vergne, French Instructor
Originally from Paris, Camille moved to Seattle in 2008 from Toulouse in Southern France. Camille completed both engineering and management school and worked as a change management consultant in Aerospace. Boy did that all change when She moved to Seattle! Camille started teaching French language to young children in La Petite Maison pre-school in Ballard. While there, she was responsible for curriculum developmen, all activities and taught classes. Camille has two children. We are grateful that such a highly qualified professional is equally committed to teaching children.
Yanchun Zhao, Mandarin Instructor
A native Mandarin speaker from Beijing, China, Yanchun graduated with a medical degree and Masters in Endocrinology from Tianjin Medical University and was a resident at Beijing Diabetes Hospital in China before coming to the U.S in 2007. Before moving to Seattle, Yanchun taught Mandarin at a preschool in San Francisco. She was an instructor with Polly-Glot Tots in 2009 when she was offered a job in medicine. Despite her medical background, Yanchun's love of teaching has drawn her back to the classroom. Since March 2009, Yanchun has been teaching Mandarin at Washington International School and at a Mandarin-immersion daycare in Seattle. Welcome back Yanchun!
Iris Yen, Mandarin Instructor
Iris is a native of Taiwan. After her studies, she worked as an assistant pre-school teacher in Taiwan. Upon moving to Seattle, she earned her certificate in Early Childhood Education and an Assistant Certificate from the North Seattle Community College Early Childhood Education program while also working at the NSCC Childcare Center. Iris enjoys her work in childcare settings, especially language instruction and helping children discover the fun parts of Mandarin culture and language.
Mai Takahashi DeBlieck, Japanese Instructor
A native of Japan, Mai has been teaching foreign languages to children since 2002. Soon after moving to Seattle in January of 2008 with her husband and two young children, Mai started a Japanese storytime at the Greenwood Public Library. She is passionate about teaching her native language, and about sharing Japanese culture. Mai also speaks Italian, and has performed internationally with the taiko group Fujisan Kaen Daiko.