About Us

We are a group of diverse multilingual individuals who are passionate about books and who strive to help World Language teachers MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR CLASSROOM LibrarIES.

Abelardo Almazán-Vásquez (Social media Director) has been teaching Spanish and teaching Latin Dance at The Putney School since 2011. Native from Cuernavaca Mexico where he got his B.A in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language, he also hold an M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies. He is devoted to continue building bridges -not walls- and always finding rooms for meaningful and positive dialogues.

Tashia Buccioni is a middle school Spanish and English Language Development teacher in Southern California. She holds a BA in Comparative Literature with a Latin American Studies minor from UCLA, and an M.A. in Bilingual Secondary Education. An avid reader interested in exploring the link between literacy and language acquisition, she aims to teach her students to always read with a critical lens.

Kristi Lentz is a language and literacy teacher in Spanish and English for Grades K-12. She holds an M.S.Ed. in Elementary Reading and Literacy and is working toward a second Master’s degree at the interreligious Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, with a focus on intercultural studies. She is passionate about working at the intersections of languages, cultures, justice and literacy.

Adriana Ramírez is a Spanish teacher, author and teacher trainer. She teaches all levels of Spanish, from beginners to IB students. She holds a double major in Psychology, a degree in Clinical Psychology and a master’s degree in Education. She has been teaching for more than 15 years. Adriana is from Colombia and currently lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Tanya Alvarado is a K-8 World Language Coordinator for a public school system. She holds a MA in Hispanic Studies and a MA in Educational Leadership. She is a former Spanish teacher with experience in grades 3-14. She is excited to contribute to LLLAB so that she can help educators and school districts think deeply about the books they select and provide to language learners.

Ben Fisher is a German and Spanish teacher based in Seattle, WA. He blogs at MrFisherSays.com and has presented at national, regional, and state conferences on lesson planning and high leverage teaching strategies. In his free time, he is likely to be found reading, or starting to learn a new language (again).

Esmeralda Mora (President) is a Spanish teacher in Chicago, IL, who has taught Spanish since 2010. She has published several literature reviews for a local Chicago magazine. Her deep passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion have led her to the Language Learner Literature Advisory Board (LLLAB)

Ben Tinsley is a French teacher, curriculum developer, and educational consultant specializing in the centering of Afro-Francophone culture and voices. With undergraduate concentrations in French and African American Studies, a Master’s degree in Literacy, and experiences in both urban charter and independent schools, he continues to pursue and develop equitable content and pedagogy for all language learners.

Amanda Benavidez-Williams is a Spanish teacher based in Lawrence, Kansas. She holds a MA in Romance Languages and Literature from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and has taught Spanish since 2002. Amanda is an active member of the Kansas World Language Organization Executive Council serving as both the President and Past-President, and wants to continue to grow and evolve as a human being.

Cécile Lainé (Secretary) is a French teacher, coach, mentor, and author, located in Nashville, TN. She holds a Master of Education and a Master of Business Administration. Her second passion after being in the classroom with students is helping teachers to build joyful, inclusive, and acquisition-driven language classrooms.

Nelly Ossia holds a Ph.D. in French and Francophone studies from Rice University. She is a ”multicultural navigator” who was born in the Middle-East and grew up in France. She has taught language and literature courses at the college level in Houston, TX, at the high school level in Lexington, MA, and mentored minority students.

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