STAFFThe Academy’s Team & Teaching Lifestyle
ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORMrs. Josefina Nahoe
Mrs. Nahoe, born and raised in the United States of America, has been living here in Rapa Nui for the last 25 years. She is a well-known archaeological tour guide and since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, began training as an English language instructor at TEA Rapa Nui – The English Academy.
As an American-Rapa Nui, she brings an incredibly unique perspective to the classroom, which makes her teaching style highly valuable and favorable for our students.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTOR, PRESCHOOL STUDENTSMiss Mirentxu Guíñez
Miss Guíñez is currently concluding her university studies as an English teacher for preschool students. She is from Talca, Chile and has been living on the island for the last 24 years while also studying on the mainland.
She has not only helped develop and improve our curriculum for preschool learners, but has also brought a positive dynamic to the classroom through the use of diverse teaching methodologies.
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR & ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORMiss Matarena Rapu
Miss Matarena was a student here at TEA Rapa Nui – The English Academy for about 10 years, and is currently working with us as an administrator and teacher with preschool and elementary school learners.
We are beyond grateful to have seen her grow and progress, both academically and professionally.
Miss Matarena is an esteemed Rapa Nui dancer and an incredible representative of her island culture and heritage. As such, she serves as an outstanding mentor and role model to our students.
CHEF & INSTRUCTORMr. Douglas Ziech
Mr. Ziech is from Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA, and is in charge of our Nutrition and Cooking Classes. Mr. Ziech also maintains our garden, which has fruits and vegetables available for students to eat as an after-school snack and to cook with in class. While he not only teaches Nutrition and Cooking, he also serves as a great mentor for our students by demonstrating the importance of healthy habits, organizational skills, and confidence in the kitchen.
Teaching Lifestyle
Our main objective is to have a rotational team of multidisciplinary and multicultural educators, teaching for a minimum of six months at a time. Since we are a remote island community, it is extremely important to expose our students to a wide range of perspectives, ideas, cultures and educational backgrounds. As a result, we hire language professionals, certified educators and skilled volunteers to come design, coordinate and teach specialized courses and workshops relevant to our student population. Additionally, we teach private and group English language classes year-round and invite all educators to come teach alongside our full-time staff.
Our overall teaching goal is to promote happiness in learning. To accomplish this, our methodology is deeply rooted in the synergy between academic excellence and personal growth. We complement textbook-based learning with various supplementary materials and tools (videos, articles, project-based learning activities, debates, art, cooking, yoga & meditation, sports, public speaking events, collaborative classes with local businesses, outdoor excursions, etc.). This combinatorial approach in addition to each class being 90 minutes long, facilitates a teaching environment that allows students to not only succeed in their English language abilities, but to also gain more confidence and motivation towards setting and pursuing educational goals.
We welcome volunteers from all parts of the world and professional backgrounds to come work alongside our full-time staff. Ideally, we ask volunteers to stay for a minimum of 6 months, which allows for a more stable and complete educational experience for our students. Volunteer positions include teaching in the classroom (academics, art, cooking, yoga classes, etc.), coordinating new programs and workshops, working in reception, and planting/tending to our garden. Lodging is provided, free of charge, for the duration of the time volunteering at the Academy.
Past Instructors and Colleagues
Miss Joliene Adams
Miss Adams is from Oregon, USA and taught all ages, from pre-K to teens and adult professionals. Miss Adams focused on writing and implementing standardized assessment and evaluation exams, strengthening student writing skills, initiating project-based leaning activities relevant to the Rapa Nui community and motivating students to gain confidence speaking English through yoga, meditation, exercise and art. Miss Adams was with the Academy for 2 years and we look forward to having her continued professional support from wherever her journey takes her next.
Miss Trista Schoonmaker
Trista Schoonmaker is a partner-owner of COPIA Coaching and Consulting and taught a 3-month Business Communications course, focused on elevating our students’ capacity in leadership, communication and teamwork skills. This specialized course was aimed at Intermediate and Advanced learners.
Trista is from the USA and visited the Academy two years ago during her first vacation to Rapa Nui. We are grateful to have maintained in contact with her over the years and are so thrilled to have her share her expertise and knowledge with our students.
Miss Gabriela Hucke
Miss Hucke is from Ireland and Rapa Nui. She was in our Teacher Training Program and co-taught both Nutrition & Cooking Classes as well as Academic classes for Elementary and High school students. Miss Hucke brought the perfect dynamic to our team as she represents both her Irish and Rapa Nui culture. As such, she was a highly positive role model for our students and ideal for innovative English-Rapanui language immersion activities and projects.
Miss Belén Rivas
Miss Rivas completed an internship at TEA Rapa Nui – The English Academy, while working on completing her studies in English Pedagogy at San Sebastian University in Santiago, Chile. Miss Rivas loves teaching and learning from her students, and is highly motivated to be the best English language instructor possible.
Miss Rivas lived in Easter Island for two years. Her interests include animals, outdoor activities and exploring the island. Her dream is to one day have a latte at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seattle and also visit King’s Cross railway station in London because she is a huge Harry Potter fan.
Mr. Jesse Tenenbaum
Mr. Tenenbaum is from Reno, Nevada, USA. He was an instructor with us in 2018 and was especially passionate about incorporating Geography into his English lessons. He worked with a wide range of young learners as well as adult professionals. Not only was Mr. Tenenbaum highly motivational for our students, but he was kind, thoughtful and incredibly patient.
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