¡Bienvenidos!
Welcome! I'm Amy Hamilton. This is my 19th year teaching Spanish under the International Baccalaureate (IB) umbrella & my 15th year at Lincoln Park. My first 4 years of teaching in CPS were on the West Side, at Michelle Clark. I have a masters from DePaul University in secondary education (6-12) & my undergraduate is from Western Michigan University. I am also a National Board Certified Teacher & mentor for new & recertifying NBCT candidates. I am currently the department chairperson & instructional team lead. Before teaching my careers were in restaurants & the special event industry, here in Chicago. I'm originally from Southwest Michigan where my brother & sister, with their families, still live.
I love being a proud aunt & traveling with my sister & my nieces (currently 1 is an alumni of the University of Michigan & working in Higher Education @ the University of Montana; the other is studying @ the University of California Santa Cruz). Together we've been to the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, Canada (to list a few) & around 25 + of our own states here in the US. I lived in Sevilla, Spain for 6 months during my undergraduate & I purposely travel to Spanish speaking countries to continue to build my language and cultural knowledge. For 10 + years as a teacher I've traveled with our students to Spain and Morocco; I also helped organize our Spanish exchange between Lincoln Park & a high school outside of Madrid, Spain (2008-2015).
I love being a proud aunt & traveling with my sister & my nieces (currently 1 is an alumni of the University of Michigan & working in Higher Education @ the University of Montana; the other is studying @ the University of California Santa Cruz). Together we've been to the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, Canada (to list a few) & around 25 + of our own states here in the US. I lived in Sevilla, Spain for 6 months during my undergraduate & I purposely travel to Spanish speaking countries to continue to build my language and cultural knowledge. For 10 + years as a teacher I've traveled with our students to Spain and Morocco; I also helped organize our Spanish exchange between Lincoln Park & a high school outside of Madrid, Spain (2008-2015).
Locally, I like to vacation in good old Michigan Harbor Country between New Buffalo & Saugatuck! I love to bake & was raised on a farm so ... I can use seasonal Michigan fruit in almost all my baking endeavors...but I prefer chocolate. My students hear many "farm stories" (in Spanish & English) from me in our class & they often share their own experiences. The compare & contrast between urban & rural (country) helps us begin to build community as we enter each new school year!
I believe in a student centered/driven curriculum with the teacher as a facilitator &/or coach. In recent years, I've been participating in professional development centered around proficiency based grading in the classroom, growth mindset, instructional team leadership, culturally responsive teaching, as well as communication & community building (restorative justice). Student engagement (behavioral, cognitive & social emotional) are also on my radar for development school wide. Engaging regularly in action research has helped me take the lead in building new curriculum that supports student needs & helps me model & manage a comfortable classroom environment for learning.
Communicating in Spanish for practical purposes begins at the freshman level and our language curriculum offers Honors, IB, AP & Heritage Speakers programs over 4 years of high school! As diverse teachers, students, & staff we support each other in all areas. I love that most about Lincoln Park.