By Katy Lester

Diana Navarro is perched upright in a blue chair sized for someone who weighs 50 pounds. She and her guest sit at a table that reaches only 24 inches off of a floor covered by a brightly colored carpet showing a map of the world.

In a Seattle school, lessons in Colombian respect and responsibility

By Katy Lester

Diana Navarro is perched upright in a blue chair sized for someone who weighs 50 pounds. She and her guest sit at a table that reaches only 24 inches off of a floor covered by a brightly colored carpet showing a map of the world.

She leans forward in the tiny chair as she speaks with her guest, her large, dark brown eyes intensely animated, when suddenly the door cracks open and a child peers through.

“Uno momento,” Navarro says to her adult guest.

The moment the door opens, her head whips around. Her demeanor quickly changes from cordial to stern as her eyes address the child. At first, the child looks frightened, but then flashes a grin as Navarro locks eyes with him, and without a word he closes the door and leaves.

Navarro teaches a first- and second-grade combination class at the Seattle Amistad School, a small, bilingual elementary school on the border of Capitol Hill and the Central District. The school offers grades pre-K through second grade, and all teachers conduct lessons entirely in Spanish. While Navarro considers the primary objective of their job to educate students on the basics – everything from vocabulary, to arithmetic, to grammar – she also believes that children need to be educated in issues of character, such as how to respect other people, work with integrity and be responsible for their own actions.

Navarro says she puts special emphasis on issues of character because she was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Although Navarro, 34, has only been teaching in the United States for the past 10 years, education is something she has always been interested in. In Colombia, she attended a vocational high school, where students take normal classes during the day and teaching classes in the evening. She went on to college and studied pedagogy and business administration at Universidad del Atlántico.

“I was always going to be a teacher, it was all I knew,” Navarro recalls. “I also love working with kids, so it’s another bonus to my job.”

After graduating, Navarro married a U.S. citizen, whom she met in Colombia through a mutual friend, and moved to the United States. Although Navarro did not speak a word of English when she arrived, she learned to speak fluently over the next six years. Although she was taught to respect her elders from a young age, teaching herself how to speak English has helped her learn a new sense of respect for herself, and the thousands of other people who have had to learn to speak another language after immigrating.

Navarro and her husband moved between Miami, Las Vegas, and Spokane, before finally settling in Seattle. She has two children of her own.

Navarro makes sure that in addition to the basic grammar and arithmetic lessons, her students also build character by learning respect and responsibility.

“It’s amazing how much it shows,” said Farin Houk, founder and principal of Seattle Amistad School. “She has this way of being both endearing and firm at the same time, which is a tough balance to strike. She makes a fantastic teacher.”

Navarro notes that in many Latino cultures, including her own, teaching core values like these are a basic part of growing up. While parents in the United States also teach core values like honesty, compassion, and respect (for themselves, their surroundings, and adults), there seems to be more room for children to act freely.

“Our son Anthony has been in Diana’s class for two years now, and he’s one of the tough ones,” laughs Mary Nivison . “She cares a lot, and that comes through, and she’s also patient, which our son really needs. She’s helped him grow a lot in these last years.”

Although since coming to the United States Navarro has moved around a lot, she says that Seattle is one of her favorite cities in the world because of how welcoming it is to outsiders. Despite having lived in other place of ethnic and cultural diversity both in Colombia and in the United States, she says it’s been strange to interact with people so focused on her ethnicity and country of origin.

“In Colombia, no one asks about what percent Colombian or what percent African American I am — maybe it is out of respect, but also people just don’t care,” she says.

Navarro has now lived in Seattle for the last two years and has taught at Seattle Amistad that whole time. While the world is still open to her and she may even return to Colombia someday, Principal Houk hopes that Navarro will retire at Amistad and continue to teach generations of children not only the basics, but how to respect their surrounding world.

When Navarro is finished speaking with her guest, they both stand up from their tiny blue chairs and Navarro opens the door of her classroom. As she does, several students come running back in, laughing loudly and surround Navarro. As they all sit down on the carpet covered with the map of the world, the children slowly hush themselves and Navarro resumes her lesson plan.

She leans forward in the tiny chair as she speaks with her guest, her large, dark brown eyes intensely animated, when suddenly the door cracks open and a child peers through.

“Uno momento,” Navarro says to her adult guest.

The moment the door opens, her head whips around. Her demeanor quickly changes from cordial to stern as her eyes address the child. At first, the child looks frightened, but then flashes a grin as Navarro locks eyes with him, and without a word he closes the door and leaves.

Navarro teaches a first- and second-grade combination class at the Seattle Amistad School, a small, bilingual elementary school on the border of Capitol Hill and the Central District. The school offers grades pre-K through second grade, and all teachers conduct lessons entirely in Spanish. While Navarro considers the primary objective of their job to educate students on the basics – everything from vocabulary, to arithmetic, to grammar – she also believes that children need to be educated in issues of character, such as how to respect other people, work with integrity and be responsible for their own actions.

Navarro says she puts special emphasis on issues of character because she was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Although Navarro, 34, has only been teaching in the United States for the past 10 years, education is something she has always been interested in. In Colombia, she attended a vocational high school, where students take normal classes during the day and teaching classes in the evening. She went on to college and studied pedagogy and business administration at Universidad del Atlántico.

“I was always going to be a teacher, it was all I knew,” Navarro recalls. “I also love working with kids, so it’s another bonus to my job.”

After graduating, Navarro married a U.S. citizen, whom she met in Colombia through a mutual friend, and moved to the United States. Although Navarro did not speak a word of English when she arrived, she learned to speak fluently over the next six years. Although she was taught to respect her elders from a young age, teaching herself how to speak English has helped her learn a new sense of respect for herself, and the thousands of other people who have had to learn to speak another language after immigrating.

Navarro and her husband moved between Miami, Las Vegas, and Spokane, before finally settling in Seattle. She has two children of her own.

Navarro makes sure that in addition to the basic grammar and arithmetic lessons, her students also build character by learning respect and responsibility.

“It’s amazing how much it shows,” said Farin Houk, founder and principal of Seattle Amistad School. “She has this way of being both endearing and firm at the same time, which is a tough balance to strike. She makes a fantastic teacher.”

Navarro notes that in many Latino cultures, including her own, teaching core values like these are a basic part of growing up. While parents in the United States also teach core values like honesty, compassion, and respect (for themselves, their surroundings, and adults), there seems to be more room for children to act freely.

“Our son Anthony has been in Diana’s class for two years now, and he’s one of the tough ones,” laughs Mary Nivison . “She cares a lot, and that comes through, and she’s also patient, which our son really needs. She’s helped him grow a lot in these last years.”

Although since coming to the United States Navarro has moved around a lot, she says that Seattle is one of her favorite cities in the world because of how welcoming it is to outsiders. Despite having lived in other place of ethnic and cultural diversity both in Colombia and in the United States, she says it’s been strange to interact with people so focused on her ethnicity and country of origin.

“In Colombia, no one asks about what percent Colombian or what percent African American I am — maybe it is out of respect, but also people just don’t care,” she says.

Navarro has now lived in Seattle for the last two years and has taught at Seattle Amistad that whole time. While the world is still open to her and she may even return to Colombia someday, Principal Houk hopes that Navarro will retire at Amistad and continue to teach generations of children not only the basics, but how to respect their surrounding world.

When Navarro is finished speaking with her guest, they both stand up from their tiny blue chairs and Navarro opens the door of her classroom. As she does, several students come running back in, laughing loudly and surround Navarro. As they all sit down on the carpet covered with the map of the world, the children slowly hush themselves and Navarro resumes her lesson plan.