Johanna Arias-Pinto ~ EL Teacher and Spanish Bilingual Teacher

        ¡Hola! I am so excited be back at Park View this school year! This is the start of my 16th year teaching. I have taught everything from Kindergarten to 5th grade. I have a degree in EL and Bilingual Ed as well as a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.

        I was born in Ecuador and migrated to the US when I was 7 years old. Working with culturally and linguistically diverse students is a passion of mine because I understand what it means to be a bilingual student in this country. I hope to build strong relationships with my students and their families this school year!

Jane Berg~ EL Teacher 

I am honored to have the opportunity to embark on my first year teaching English Learners at Park View. I have been teaching middle schoolers for the last 15 years and am especially passionate about leading students to becoming confident and successful communicators of the English language. 

As an immigrant and former EL student myself, I am committed to nurturing not only students’ linguistic skills and culture, but also the confidence and self-assurance that come with mastery of a new language. 

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is watching students advance from reluctant speakers to fluent and expressive conversationalists. I look forward to celebrating each students’ growth this year.

Buthul Hussaini ~ EL Teacher and Bilingual Urdu Teacher 

Hello! I am so excited to begin my 12th year teaching at Park View School. As an EL teacher, I have worked with students from Kindergarten - 8th grade, fostering and developing academic language in listening, speaking, reading and writing. I have a degree in Special Education, EL, Bilingual Urdu, and Bilingual Spanish Education. Being a bilingual student myself, I have gained a unique understanding and insight on how to support student learning at high levels in all areas of language development.

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Ajete Sulic ~ EL Teacher

Hello! This is my third year at Park View, and my fourth year teaching. I have a degree in secondary education with endorsements in EL and the middle grades.

I was born into an immigrant family where I grew up speaking Albanian.  I was inspired to become an EL teacher when my Kindergarten teacher took the time to help me be successful. I hope to inspire others like she has inspired me! 

Debbie Wiggins ~ Middle School EL Teacher and Spanish Teacher

This is my ninth year at Park View! I am happy to be working with our  students in middle school.  Prior to working at Park View, I taught dual language (Spanish) second grade for twelve years in Highland Park.  It is exciting to be starting my 21st year in education with the Park View community! 

My passion for language learning and supporting multilingual and multicultural students is at the forefront of what I do each day as an educator. I am bilingual in Spanish and began my second language learning experience in middle school. None of my family members are bilingual. Therefore, it was the great support, motivation and inspiration of several wonderful teachers and study-abroad experiences (in Ecuador and Costa Rica) that fostered my love for language-learning and diverse cultures. I hope to have a similar impact on our Park View students.

My goal this year is to continue to establish trusting relationships with my students and their families while supporting English Language Learning objectives in relation to their core classes. It’s going to be a great year!