About CI Midwest
The Comprehensible Midwest Conference empowers teachers to create joyful, personalized, effective and equitable language acquisition through instruction based on comprehensible input. As a collaborative community, we safely support teachers to connect with each other and to teach in ways that respond to students' cultural and linguistic identities. Every year we bring in some of the nation’s foremost trainers in teaching with comprehensible input while simultaneously lifting up and supporting the voices of local and regional teachers who are striving to make their language instruction more personalized, inclusive and equitable.
Any teacher of a world language, regardless of context, who wishes to increase engagement, joy and effectiveness of their teaching could benefit from attending Comprehensible Midwest. If you believe that each of your students can acquire language and want to learn how to increase retention over time and overall achievement, developing real and measurable fluency, then this conference is for you.
Any teacher of a world language, regardless of context, who wishes to increase engagement, joy and effectiveness of their teaching could benefit from attending Comprehensible Midwest. If you believe that each of your students can acquire language and want to learn how to increase retention over time and overall achievement, developing real and measurable fluency, then this conference is for you.
Meet the CI Midwest CREW
Grant Boulanger
* Email: [email protected]
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrantJBoulanger/
* Twitter: @grantboulanger
* Website: grantboulanger.com
Grant Boulanger is an innovative public educator living in St. Paul, MN. He is a 2017 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Finalist and co-founder of the Comprehensible Midwest Conference. He holds a BA from Gustavus Adolphus College and an M.Ed. in Second Languages and Cultures Education from the University of Minnesota. His joy is pioneering equitable, engaging and effective classrooms where EACH student belongs, acquires confidence and competence, and sees themselves as a natural language learner.
* Email: [email protected]
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrantJBoulanger/
* Twitter: @grantboulanger
* Website: grantboulanger.com
Grant Boulanger is an innovative public educator living in St. Paul, MN. He is a 2017 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Finalist and co-founder of the Comprehensible Midwest Conference. He holds a BA from Gustavus Adolphus College and an M.Ed. in Second Languages and Cultures Education from the University of Minnesota. His joy is pioneering equitable, engaging and effective classrooms where EACH student belongs, acquires confidence and competence, and sees themselves as a natural language learner.
Haiyun Lu
* Email: [email protected]
* Website: www.ignitechinese.org
* Blog: http://tprsforchinese.blogspot.com
* Blog: https://haiyun8.wixsite.com/website/blog
Haiyun has been a Chinese teacher since 1993. She is passionate about employing Comprehensible Input based instructions in her classes and implementing mindfulness in education. She is a mindfulness coach for her school’s track and field team and the volleyball team. She has been training and coaching language teachers with “teaching with comprehensible input based instructions throughout North America and Asia. She is a co-founder of the Comprehensible Midwest Conference. She has also co-founded the Ignite Chinese. She is a blogger and writer. She has written 7 storybooks in Chinese. When she is not teaching, you can find her hiking in nature in preparation for her upcoming pilgrimage trips around the world.
* Email: [email protected]
* Website: www.ignitechinese.org
* Blog: http://tprsforchinese.blogspot.com
* Blog: https://haiyun8.wixsite.com/website/blog
Haiyun has been a Chinese teacher since 1993. She is passionate about employing Comprehensible Input based instructions in her classes and implementing mindfulness in education. She is a mindfulness coach for her school’s track and field team and the volleyball team. She has been training and coaching language teachers with “teaching with comprehensible input based instructions throughout North America and Asia. She is a co-founder of the Comprehensible Midwest Conference. She has also co-founded the Ignite Chinese. She is a blogger and writer. She has written 7 storybooks in Chinese. When she is not teaching, you can find her hiking in nature in preparation for her upcoming pilgrimage trips around the world.
Marta Ruiz Yedinak
* Email: [email protected]
*Twitter: @ProfeYedinak
*YouTube Channel: Marta Yedinak
Marta Ruiz Yedinak currently works as a Spanish teacher for the Ripon Area School District. She has a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Latina de América in Morelia, México, a Master's degree in Education through Viterbo University, and is a National Board Certified teacher since 2011. Marta has been teaching in Wisconsin since 2004, using CI/TPRS since 2012.
* Email: [email protected]
*Twitter: @ProfeYedinak
*YouTube Channel: Marta Yedinak
Marta Ruiz Yedinak currently works as a Spanish teacher for the Ripon Area School District. She has a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Latina de América in Morelia, México, a Master's degree in Education through Viterbo University, and is a National Board Certified teacher since 2011. Marta has been teaching in Wisconsin since 2004, using CI/TPRS since 2012.
Mónica Romero Cortés
* Email: [email protected]
* Twitter: @elespanolmola
Mónica Romero Cortés is originally from Granada, Spain. She attended the Complutense University of Madrid, and got a M.A and B.A with a major in English as a Second Language & English Literature.
She has taught Spanish and ESL in Madrid and Paris. The desire to experience a different educational system, and culture, brought her to the United States in 2004. Since that time, she has enjoyed teaching French and Spanish at Middle and High School levels both in Nebraska and Minnesota. Currently she teaches Spanish I at the Middle school level. Teaching novice level is her favorite!
She loves languages and learning about different cultures, and she is very excited to lead her students on their Spanish journey. Her goal is also teach her students to be a community of world citizens who embrace and respect people differences and cultures. Mónica is passionate about teaching with CI because of the love, joy, and success that it always brings to the class. In her personal life, she enjoys everything that involves being with people, as she is a very social person.
* Email: [email protected]
* Twitter: @elespanolmola
Mónica Romero Cortés is originally from Granada, Spain. She attended the Complutense University of Madrid, and got a M.A and B.A with a major in English as a Second Language & English Literature.
She has taught Spanish and ESL in Madrid and Paris. The desire to experience a different educational system, and culture, brought her to the United States in 2004. Since that time, she has enjoyed teaching French and Spanish at Middle and High School levels both in Nebraska and Minnesota. Currently she teaches Spanish I at the Middle school level. Teaching novice level is her favorite!
She loves languages and learning about different cultures, and she is very excited to lead her students on their Spanish journey. Her goal is also teach her students to be a community of world citizens who embrace and respect people differences and cultures. Mónica is passionate about teaching with CI because of the love, joy, and success that it always brings to the class. In her personal life, she enjoys everything that involves being with people, as she is a very social person.
Erica Peplinski
* Email: [email protected]
* Twitter: @Profepeplinski
* Website: www.Profepeplinski.com
Erica Peplinski has taught every grade from Pre-K to 8th grade, and currently is an elementary Spanish teacher in Ann Arbor Public Schools. She is in her 15th year in the classroom, and enjoys creating joyful, inclusive, brain based Comprehensible Input activities for studetns. Erica received her B.A. from Eastern Michigan University (Elementary Education major, Spanish/Science/Structures of the Discipline minors). She holds a Masters in the Art of Teaching from Marygrove College. Her 30+ additional credit hours focused mainly on Spanish and neurology. Erica has presented at CiMidwest, IFLT, ACTFL, Central States, MIWLA, Comprehensible Online, and Austin Community College, as well as within her own district and other local districts. She co-created MittenCI, and enjoys helping the team organize CiMidwest. Learn about her approach to TPRS/CI and access many resources by visiting her website
* Email: [email protected]
* Twitter: @Profepeplinski
* Website: www.Profepeplinski.com
Erica Peplinski has taught every grade from Pre-K to 8th grade, and currently is an elementary Spanish teacher in Ann Arbor Public Schools. She is in her 15th year in the classroom, and enjoys creating joyful, inclusive, brain based Comprehensible Input activities for studetns. Erica received her B.A. from Eastern Michigan University (Elementary Education major, Spanish/Science/Structures of the Discipline minors). She holds a Masters in the Art of Teaching from Marygrove College. Her 30+ additional credit hours focused mainly on Spanish and neurology. Erica has presented at CiMidwest, IFLT, ACTFL, Central States, MIWLA, Comprehensible Online, and Austin Community College, as well as within her own district and other local districts. She co-created MittenCI, and enjoys helping the team organize CiMidwest. Learn about her approach to TPRS/CI and access many resources by visiting her website
Kelly Ferguson
* Email: [email protected]
Kelly is thrilled to be part of the CI Midwest crew! She loves sharing ideas and improving her teaching while helping others. She teaches Spanish in Madison, WI and is also fluent in American Sign Language. She has also studied French and Russian. When she’s not teaching or helping Sr. Wooly write his next curricular masterpiece, you can find her playing violin or percussion or playing sports.
* Email: [email protected]
Kelly is thrilled to be part of the CI Midwest crew! She loves sharing ideas and improving her teaching while helping others. She teaches Spanish in Madison, WI and is also fluent in American Sign Language. She has also studied French and Russian. When she’s not teaching or helping Sr. Wooly write his next curricular masterpiece, you can find her playing violin or percussion or playing sports.
