If you’re lucky enough to visit Rebecca’s classrooms at the Y you might hear her speaking Spanish. That’s because she spent 15 years in Mexico as a field linguist working on written and unwritten indigenous language. Her husband and 3 children, ages 8 to 14, are also bilingual. She met her husband, a field linguist from Mexico, as he rescued dogs off the street. Her linguistic skills include the unusual ability to transcribe an unwritten language using the International Phonetic Alphabet, an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script.
Language and communication are tools Rebecca uses every day as the Lead Teacher and Manager for two Y toddler rooms (ages 12 months-2.5 years). She has a special empathy for the little ones. “This age group still needs someone who understands their unique stage of development, going from baby to toddler, and all the big emotions that go with that” she says. Although she understands that children must leave for other classrooms as they get older, she confesses to still visiting them to say hello. “I know it’s the way of nature and I’ve gotten used to it but it’s difficult when they go,” she says.
With 5 years of experience as a Lead Teacher at various organizations, Rebecca loves the Y’s devotion to family and community. “When I take the children swimming, I see different faces from the community every day,” she says. Her favorite Y value is kindness because “it motivates me and makes the world go round.” A college professor also taught her the importance of humility. “He told us to be humble and to not take pride in our positions and titles,” she says.
Outside of the classroom Rebecca enjoys spending time with family and is passionate about world heritage sites, a pastime she nurtured in Mexico where she loved exploring pyramids and ruins.