COSSI Instructor Biographies

Laurie Clarcq

Laurie Clarcq is originally from Rochester, N.Y. and has traveled the globe as a teacher and a learner. Her classrooms have always reflected her love for language, learning and laughter. The students are, by far, her favorite part of teaching, but she has a special passion for exploring ways to connect students with the curriculum, and teachers with their students.

Laurie is a graduate of the State University of New York at Cortland, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Spanish and Early Childhood/ Elementary Education, and a Master of Science in Education with a concentration in Reading and Curriculum Development. She has over 36 years of teaching experience in Spanish and English as a Second Language and has enjoyed working with students at many levels from preschool through university, adult education and professional development. She has twice received the President's Award by the New York State Foreign Language Teachers' Association for her contributions to the profession.

Laurie has been a presenter, consultant and trainer on a local, state, national and international level. Her recent work in Australia, France and Canada has successfully introduced the skills of Comprehensible Input-based teaching to teachers in other areas of the world. In 2008, She and Michele Whaley of Anchorage, Alaska began to implement an approach to reading that they titled Embedded Reading. It has been successfully and joyfully shared with and utilized by teachers internationally. A long-time blogger and contributor to written publications on and off-line, her work can be found on her two websites (www.heartsforteaching.com and www.embeddedreading.com).

Most important to Laurie is the message that we are human beings teaching other human beings. It is the heart, imagination and spirit that we honor in the classroom, and in life. It is our ability to develop confidence, curiosity and insight in our students that will change the world. It is our ability to appreciate what we each offer our students and each other that will strengthen and honor the profession. Whatever the topic, Laurie loves having the chance to interact with other teachers and connect with other kindred spirits!!

Skip Crosby, MS, BSED, BS

Skip Crosby has been teaching Spanish in Maine public high schools for 35 years. Skip gained proficiency in the Spanish language during a two-year stay in Colombia after college. While in Columbia, he earned a Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera from the Javeriana University in Bogotá, Colombia in 1989.

In 1998, he earned a Master’s Degree in Spanish from Middlebury College in Vermont. He has taught as an adjunct at the college level for a total of fourteen years. He also teaches high school Spanish online. Skip has coached and taught at national conferences and colleges across the country.

In 2014, Skip was named Maine Foreign Language Teacher of the year, Northeast Conference on the teaching of Foreign Language Teacher of the Year Finalist, Androscoggin County Teacher of the year and in 2015 was the Maine Teacher of the Year, Finalist. He was also the 2015 Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Teacher of the Year Finalist. Skip earned National Board Certification (NBCT) in 2018. In 2021 Skip was recognized with the Richard Williamson Award for Leadership in World Languages by the Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME)

For the past six years, Skip has taken groups of students to Guatemala City to work with Safe Passage, an organization dedicated to helping the families working in the Guatemala City dump with education, food and medical care.

Skip lives in Poland, Maine with Beth, his wife of 31 years, Lexi, the 9.25 pound Mini Dachshund and Neil his 14 year old Doxie “brother.” Gabe, their 23 year old son, is a 6th grade ELA teacher.

Janet Gesme

Janet Gesme is a musician, translator, teacher, wife and mother of two. She earned her Bachelors in Viola Performance from the University of Missouri in 1995 and a Masters in German from Portland State University in 2013. She has played in orchestras across the United States and now makes her home in Bend, Oregon. German, Russian, Spanish, French, Hungarian and Korean are among the languages that she enjoys speaking, reading and translating. She feels blessed to have had the opportunity to translate Christopher Schacht's "Around the World on 50 Bucks" and Martin Schleske's "The Sound of Life's Unspeakable Beauty.

Michele Whaley

Michele Whaley has taught languages in Alaska for more than thirty years. She has mentored teachers for the last fifteen, sharing methodology techniques locally, nationally and internationally at language conferences and workshops. A recent focus is on preserving indigenous languages. Michele believes that languages open our eyes to new ways of thinking and communicating, and she works to find and share the most effective techniques for language acquisition. Michele was the 2016 Pacific Northwest Language teacher of the year and she was a national finalist in 2017. She teaches Russian at the University of Alaska and kindergarten through fifth-grade Spanish at Pacific Northern Academy in Anchorage. She has been part of COSSI since its inception.

Monica Gallup

Monica is a certified teacher and has been teaching Spanish since 2013. She was born in Santiago, Chile and has had the good fortune to study and teach abroad in Germany, New Zealand and now in the United States. She believes that by working with many different cultures, she's been able to reach students in an effective and passionate manner. She likes to make her students feel comfortable in the classroom and loves to see them having fun while learning. She incorporates a variety of activities in her teaching as well having students practice the four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) in the language.

Pedro Parra

Pedro Parra aka “Can Ek”(black snake in Yucatecan Maya) was born in Jo’,Yucatán. He is a Mayan artist, musician, photographer, and designer.

Eileen Poxon

Eileen Poxon graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Spanish. She then promptly moved to Spain for 5 years and continued her education at Mangold Language school and New York University, Madrid. She later became a high school Spanish teacher in California where she taught years one through four, honors and AP. To further enhance her language instruction, she attended the Stanford University California Language Project and the University of Salamanca, Spain.

Since moving to Bend, Oregon Eileen has taught Spanish for Central Oregon Community College, Community Education and tutors adults one on one in the language.

Eileen prioritizes her family, friends and beloved students. She loves to travel, especially to Spanish speaking countries, and has a passion for the beautiful state of Oregon.