About
Carmenza was born in Bogota, Colombia and has lived in the United States for 10 years. She studied Fashion Design in Bogota, although she practiced design only briefly she has kept her artistic spirit throughout her life. Children have always played an important role in her life; as a teenager she had her first nephew and since then has been surrounded by babies and children of all ages. Carmenza is now the mother of two young women whom she has enjoyed raising initially as a stay at home mother and now as an educator and entrepreneur.
In 2003, Carmenza began to work as a volunteer with displaced children in rural areas of Cundinamarca, Colombia. She worked with a recreational library or “Ludoteca”. In these recreational libraries she worked with children between the age of 2 and 17. She assessed their psychological traumas and worked in recognizing their situation in order to remit them to a social worker. Because these children were going through extreme hardships and were only going to be at the center for a short period of time, Carmenza began to focus on ways that would help them learn in a healthy and comfortable environment. Here she became sensible towards children’s personalities and rekindled her artistic formation. She began to focus on arts, yoga, and music as non-traditional teaching methods. Soon she discovered that these provided a better approach to teaching and working with children in general.
In 2007, Carmenza and her family moved to the United States and she began her preparation to become a Pre-School teacher. Transitioning to the United States also meant adapting to a new language and culture. Carmenza was fortunate that her daughter’s had attended a bilingual school and thus were fluent in English. However she soon realized that speaking a second language opens a door for any child, teenager or rising professional. She dedicated herself to learning a second language and became passionate about teaching her mother tongue, Spanish.
Carmenza began her career with her nieces, nephews and daughters but has grown into a professional who hopes to change traditional schooling into comprehensive, sensible and inspiring activity for both students and teachers. Today, children of all ages are often over stimulated by media and the busy life of adults and they are often robbed of the most delightful moments of childhood like getting dirty in the playground or painting with their hands.
Through her experience and knowledge in education she promises to educate children in an interactive way that is joyful with the magic of learning a new language. Carmenza became passionate about early education and has developed a teaching philosophy that allows children to express themselves, learn a language and be kids. Mi Pequeña Academia is a dream come true and an opportunity to share her knowledge and experience.