Meet our Instructors
Foreign Languages Instructors
Anena Otii :: aotii@sileducation.com
Instructor of French, Italian & Spanish Language
Anena Otii :: aotii@sileducation.com
Instructor of French, Italian & Spanish Language
Born in a small rural village in northern Uganda and raised in East Africa, Europe, and the United Sates, Anena Otii's life of international travel has prepared her well for her current position as a teacher of several romance languages. And we have her to thank for the flowers in the classrooms and the vegetable garden out back.
Ms. Otii holds a B.A. in Anthropological Sciences with a specialization in Historical Linguistics from Stanford University. While at Stanford, Ms. Otii completed the grammars of Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili to augment her background in linguistics, ease communication with relatives in Europe, and assist in gathering international humanitarian aid for internally displaced refugees in Eastern Africa.
One of Ms. Otii's most rewarding experiences as an educator happens when students apply their academic abilities to the task of internalizing grammar, so that they may generate spontaneous expressions of language. To foster this linguistic growth, Ms. Otii employs a conversational method based on Maria Montessori's renowned theory: the teacher is the guide and source of motivation. Ms. Otii believes that empowering students to direct their own progress produces better language learners, and germinates the seeds of independence that SIL strives to cultivate in each student.
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Anthony Gonzales :: agonzales@sileducation.com
World Languages Department Chair
Instructor of Spanish Language, American Sign Language (ASL) & English
Anthony Gonzales grew up between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Santa Cruz, California. He now feels at home in the Bay Area.
Anthony earned his B.A. from the University of New Mexico. His degree was a double major in English / Creative Writing, and Spanish. His career at UNM included travel to a dozen countries, as well as studies in such Humanities as: Philosophy, History, Chicano/Latino Studies, American Sign Language (ASL), and Anthropology.
After graduating, Anthony continued his education in the University of San Francisco’s Master’s of Fine Arts in Writing Program. His M.F.A. thesis was a novel, entitled Movimiento.
Anthony’s current life is a continued investigation into cultural, societal, and individual interaction. As a trilingual individual, he values languages as instruments of expression; he is currently learning Portuguese, French, and Italian in hopes of reading some of his favorite works in the original.
He values the written word, and hopes to contribute to the realm of public ideas. He loves art in all forms.
Anthony is an experienced teacher of students of all ages, from pre-school to college. He believes that every interaction is an opportunity for growth and development. He loves to see students learn, and has learned immensely from his students. His only wish is to continuously grow as a learner and educator, along with his students and all who surround him.
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Ethan Halter :: ehalter@sileducation.com
Instructor of English, Social Studies & Spanish Language
Ethan graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Religion. There he studied Spanish Literature, American Literature, and Modern Western Religious Philosophy. After graduating, Ethan moved to California to become a Teaching Fellow. He received an Americorps award to teach high school English in Oakland, California. He concurrently received a California Teaching Credential in English from San Francisco State University.
In addition to teaching English, Social Studies, and Spanish, Ethan is central to our curriculum re-design efforts. Ethan’s passion for teaching is rooted in his overarching belief in the transformative power of literacy, of the ability to step outside of one’s hodiernal circle and peer back inward. He believes that it is the teacher’s job to--through Socratic dialogue--lead, sometimes push, students to take such cognitive leaps. Ethan loves uncovering big ideas through the exploration of history, philosophy and literature. He especially likes Bellow, Keats, Unamuno, Woolf, Joyce, Marquez, Faulkner, Emerson, Thoreau, Borges, and Kierkegaard.
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Ross Halvorsen :: rhalvorsen@sileducation.com
Instructor of Spanish, French & German Languages
Ross Halvorsen is a native of Felton, California and holds a Ph.D. in German Studies from Cornell University. After earning his B.A. in German Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, Ross taught microeconomics at the University Navarre in Pamplona, Spain until he decided to go back to graduate school in German Studies.
After completing the dissertation "Poetics of Mistrust; Kleist, Büchner, and the Prisoner's Dilemma," Ross has taught German language and literature at Connecticut College and Purdue University. In a comparative approach to work in German Studies, he has also done extensive research in Spanish, French, and English literature.
One of Ross' main interests, and a topic on which he has published, is dramatic theory and the theory of tragedy. In addition to Ross' academic pursuits, he also enjoys taking long rides on his bicycle and even longer trips along the coast and into the mountains on his motorcycle. Ross is happy to be back in California and to have the opportunity to work with a great group of talented teachers and students.
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Will Juola :: wjuola@sileducation.com
Instructor of Social Studies, French Language, Latin Language & English
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Will graduated from St. Norbert College in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a B.A. in French and a minor in History. He spent a year studying abroad in Lille, France--learning, traveling, and meeting extraordinary people.
As a peer tutor in college, Will discovered his desire to teach. His passion for teaching spans three disciplines: social studies, foreign languages (French and Latin), and English Literature.
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