Lisa Bartels, M.Ed., NBCT
FLANC 2023 Teacher of the Year
lisa@explorecurriculum.com
Like many of my students, my first language learning experience was in 10th grade. My amazing high school French teacher inspired me to explore language and culture, and set me on a path of lifelong discovery. In college I majored in French with a Spanish minor, and it opened opportunities to travel all over the world, to teach in international schools in Africa and in the Philippines, and to build bridges with Spanish speaking families here in the US.
I teach languages because I want to share with students the rich benefits I’ve seen in my own life: the ability to push through limitations, to embrace challenges, and to develop friendships with people around the world. My instructional resources are designed to help kids use real language, and to engage and support all types of learners.
I believe innovative curriculum design can address the most challenging aspects of classroom instruction, and I love sharing my resources with other teachers.
I thought for a long time about starting a business, but the design and marketing aspects intimidated me, until 2021 when I consulted on a corporate project and worked with an amazing graphic designer and brand consultant, Claire Wentzel! Claire inspired me to make my curriculum and instructional approach available to others, and Explore! Curriculum was born!