K-8 EXCELLENCE SINCE 1973 2027 7th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710 (map) • 510‑845‑0876
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“The relationship among the adults has more to do with the character and the quality of a school than any other factor.”
Roland Barthes
Faculty
Aïda Garcia-Pons is a native of Barcelona, Spain, and has been teaching languages and translating young adult novels for over 20 years. She graduated from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) with a B.A. in Interpreting and Translation in five different languages (the equivalent of a master’s in the U.S.), and obtained a TESOL certificate in the UK before teaching English and British Literature & Culture in China and Bangladesh. She also has been trained in the Responsive Classroom approach. After returning to Europe, she taught Spanish and English in Oxford, UK. In the classroom, Aïda loves to turn language into a real and fun tool, and she gives her students multiple opportunities to use it in real life-situations. Whether it be role-playing or taking her classes on field trips, K-5 students are constantly exposed to and using Spanish. Aïda is an avid reader and a passionate student of languages. When not teaching or translating, she enjoys going on adventures with her family and friends. Aïda joined the Black Pine Circle community in January 2022 and loves sharing her knowledge and experience with her students, from whom she also learns a lot.
Teaching Since
1999
Pronouns
she/her
Contact
Email >
Why I Work with Children
Children are our future, it is a joy to be learning from them.
A Favorite Book
Viaje al país de los lacetas, by Sebastià Sorribas.
Quick Fact
Aïda attended the same elementary school as opera tenor Josep Carreras.
Third Grade Assistant Teacher
Minimalism is my favorite art movement.
Full Bio >
First Grade Head Teacher, Kindergarten and First Grade Garden Teacher
Learning to play the Celtic Harp and studying Irish Gaelic
Fourth-Sixth Grade Music Teacher
Tamed a mechanical bull in Nashville, Tennessee.
Fourth Grade Head Teacher
When I was 16, I spent three days in the South African bush with just my journal, water, and sleeping bag.
First-Third Grade Cello Teacher
Toured with the Western Opera Theater for eight years
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
First Grade Assistant Teacher
As a child, I wanted to be a farmer when I grew up.
Second Grade Assistant Teacher
Favorite dish to make and eat is “Sin Nam Thok”
Kindergarten Head Teacher
Where I was born, now stands a Yoda statue
Lower School Art Teacher
Started clowning at age 9
Fourth Grade Assistant Teacher
Bicycled across the U.S. in 2014!
Lower School Physical Education Teacher
Has developed a secret pizza sauce
Kindergarten-Fifth Grade Science and Second-Fifth Grade Garden Teacher
Apprenticed at the National Theater of Croatia
Kindergarten-Third Grade Music Teacher
Was a college volleyball coach
First-Third Grade Violin Teacher
Played at the Grammys
BPC String Orchestra Leader
Creates musical arrangements for fun
Second Grade Head Teacher, Lower School Assistant Teacher Coordinator
Mad for dancing
Fifth Grade Head Teacher
Rescued a pug-mix puppy named Soba
Fifth Grade Assistant Teacher
Trying to re-learn Spanish
Third Grade Head Teacher
Took three and a half months to bike across the country with my husband
