¡Hola! My name is Karen Casner and I am so excited to be part of the team at Willow Elementary this year.
A little about me...
I am from Denver and attended all DPS schools, some in bilingual classes, up until I graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. I discovered my love of other cultures and languages during annual trips to Tijuana with my grandma, as well as during a trip with the Colorado Honor Band to Germany and Austria where I played percussion for multiple music festivals and competitions. During high school I spent a summer living in Nice, France, and traveling around Spain and Italy. It was a great time in language development for me.
After high school, I studied civil engineering for five years at Santa Clara University but just didn't feel that I had found my calling. Eventually I moved back to Denver to be near my family and to pursue my real passion: languages and teaching. I graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a double major in Spanish and French and soon thereafter completed my teaching licensure for teaching foreign language to K-12, with added endorsements in elementary education and linguistically and culturally diverse education. I have a background in Montessori as well as IB.
On a more personal note, I love spending time with my family, especially my amazing husband Craig, friends, and our little dog Cisco. I love to travel, cook, watch the latest movies, snowboard, learn new languages, and spend time encouraging and enriching the lives of youth.
In 2018 I received the award for Excellence in Teaching Foreign Language for Elementary from a nine-state region that includes the Southwest and California (SWCOLT)!
A little about me...
I am from Denver and attended all DPS schools, some in bilingual classes, up until I graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. I discovered my love of other cultures and languages during annual trips to Tijuana with my grandma, as well as during a trip with the Colorado Honor Band to Germany and Austria where I played percussion for multiple music festivals and competitions. During high school I spent a summer living in Nice, France, and traveling around Spain and Italy. It was a great time in language development for me.
After high school, I studied civil engineering for five years at Santa Clara University but just didn't feel that I had found my calling. Eventually I moved back to Denver to be near my family and to pursue my real passion: languages and teaching. I graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a double major in Spanish and French and soon thereafter completed my teaching licensure for teaching foreign language to K-12, with added endorsements in elementary education and linguistically and culturally diverse education. I have a background in Montessori as well as IB.
On a more personal note, I love spending time with my family, especially my amazing husband Craig, friends, and our little dog Cisco. I love to travel, cook, watch the latest movies, snowboard, learn new languages, and spend time encouraging and enriching the lives of youth.
In 2018 I received the award for Excellence in Teaching Foreign Language for Elementary from a nine-state region that includes the Southwest and California (SWCOLT)!