Christina Crane ~ My family background is partly German, and when I started college, I wanted to take German classes to learn the language of my ancestors. Within a few class sessions, I found that I immensely enjoy speaking and reading the German language and learning about the German culture.
I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and graduated from the College of Charleston last May. I now live on a ranch in Montana and enjoy a wide range of hobbies. In my free time indoors, I enjoy singing and playing music. I absolutely love the outdoors, and enjoy the wide range of outdoor activities including fishing, gardening, horseback riding, or hiking.
I am honored to be on the World Language Initiative team, and I am very excited to work with this next generation and support language learning throughout the beautiful state of Montana!
I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and graduated from the College of Charleston last May. I now live on a ranch in Montana and enjoy a wide range of hobbies. In my free time indoors, I enjoy singing and playing music. I absolutely love the outdoors, and enjoy the wide range of outdoor activities including fishing, gardening, horseback riding, or hiking.
I am honored to be on the World Language Initiative team, and I am very excited to work with this next generation and support language learning throughout the beautiful state of Montana!
Miriam Schlotzhauer ~ My name is Miriam Schlotzhauer. I am 32 years old and my first language is German. I am born and raised in Vorarlberg, Austria, which is in the Western Portion of the Alps bordering Switzerland. I immigrated to Bozeman Montana about three years ago with my husband, who is from here, and our first child. Now we are a family of four and German can be heard at our dinner table every evening. Being born and raised in Austria gave me exposure to many cultures and languages. I enjoy traveling to new places and experiencing culture and language where ever I am.
I have an Austrian degree as a heating and cooling technician, am a certified international climbing teacher/coach, avid climber, mother, wife and own my own climbing apparel business. I also used to compete in Bicycle Ballet as a youth.
I love to Teach! I have a unique, very personal, but professional way to teach. Learning by doing is my Motto. Keeping both parts of the brain active is an important challenge, but also very fun! I am very excited to be a part of the World Language Initiative program and look forward to teaching German sharing my culture.
I have an Austrian degree as a heating and cooling technician, am a certified international climbing teacher/coach, avid climber, mother, wife and own my own climbing apparel business. I also used to compete in Bicycle Ballet as a youth.
I love to Teach! I have a unique, very personal, but professional way to teach. Learning by doing is my Motto. Keeping both parts of the brain active is an important challenge, but also very fun! I am very excited to be a part of the World Language Initiative program and look forward to teaching German sharing my culture.
Anna Lane ~ I grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and began studying German in 2nd grade. After my first class, I was hooked. I continued German throughout middle school and high school, and my senior year of high school I was an exchange student in Langenfeld, Germany. I had the time of my life and knew it was what I wanted to pursue in college. At Macalester College, I received a degree in German Studies and International Studies, spending part of my junior year in Berlin and Vienna. After graduating, I took a break from German and worked on a ranch in Philipsburg, MT, however, I missed the language and decided to go back to the Twin Cities and work as a paraprofessional at the German immersion school. This past year I spent as an English teaching assistant in Austria. I am currently pursuing my M.A. in Teaching German and couldn’t be more excited to start working with WLI-MT.
Gigi Swenson ~ Gigi grew up in a German-speaking household, studied in both France and Mexico, and holds a degree in modern languages from Montana State University. Study opportunities and travel around the world have helped improved her language skills and showed her the value of learning a second language. When her children were small and she began singing German songs to them she realized how easy it was for young children to acquire other languages, especially through music. In 2001 she co-created a program called Music Lingua which teaches foreign languages to young children through music, and she currently teaches French and German parent-child classes for preschoolers in Bozeman, in addition to teaching German as a coach for the World Language program. Gigi is very excited that the Bozeman School District is now offering many different language opportunities in the elementary schools and happy to be a part of expanding language and cultural awareness for Bozeman students.