"Speak to your children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful and magical humans on the Earth, for what they believe they will become." Brook Hampton

Ane Echeberría Ibáñez

I am from San Sebastián, a beautiful city located in the North of Spain. I have a Master’s degree in Educational Innovation specializing in Executive Functions and Emotional Intelligence.

I have been teaching for several years in various countries, and that has given me the chance to learn from different educational systems engaging students in their learning process by inspiring them to learn from their own first-hand experiences. 

As a teacher, one of the most important things for me is to ensure my classroom is a safe environment that encourages children to feel part of a community that loves them, listens to them, and respects their thinking.

My classroom is a place in which imagination and creativity have no limits, learning is fun and meaningful!

Annelies Derkinderen

My name is Annelies Derkinderen and I am excited to be teaching the Group 2A class here at AIS alongside Ms. Ane and Ms. Yolanta!

I have been teaching for the past 16 years with children ages 4-12 and in a variety of special education programs. Before arriving in the Netherlands in 2019, I taught in Ottawa, Canada. 

My aim is to create a safe learning environment where all learners can develop their skills to advocate for themselves on the different ways that they learn best.

My goal is to guide children´s natural sense of curiosity through inquiry-based learning and develop values such as tolerance for difference.

I aim to create a classroom climate where diversity and change are welcomed, and that knowing one’s own character is essential to becoming good citizens of the world.

I am originally from Canada with Dutch roots. I moved to the Netherlands in 2019 to live with my partner. Aside from teaching, I enjoy practicing yoga, traveling, downhill skiing, cooking and spending time outdoors in nature.

Yolanta Nalmpanti

My name is Yolanta Nalmpanti, and I am the teaching assistant of group 2A. I am from Greece, and I have been living in the Netherlands for eight years. I graduated from the University of Crete in the field of Byzantine and Modern Greek philology. This will be my seventh year as a teaching assistant and the tenth as an educator.

I believe that all children are unique and have something special that can contribute to their own learning process.

During my free time I enjoy walking my dogs, swimming and reading. I believe that my task as a teaching assistant is to facilitate the development of every child to their full potential.