Meet our Teachers!
All of our classroom teachers have native or near-native fluency in German. They express a genuine love for children in all areas of the daily interaction with our students. With backgrounds in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Art, Music, German Studies, Psychology and Special Education, we are fortunate to enjoy their many areas of expertise and experience, that enrich our classroom environment.
All teachers meet education and experience requirements appropriate to their position, as required by the Child Care Licensing Division of the State of Minnesota. The Germanic-American Institute regularly conducts professional development training for teachers and classroom assistants. Our staff maintains current certification in First Aid and CPR. Criminal background checks are completed on each employee, regardless of their level of child contact.
All of our classroom teachers have native or near-native fluency in German. They express a genuine love for children in all areas of the daily interaction with our students. With backgrounds in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Art, Music, German Studies, Psychology and Special Education, we are fortunate to enjoy their many areas of expertise and experience, that enrich our classroom environment.
All teachers meet education and experience requirements appropriate to their position, as required by the Child Care Licensing Division of the State of Minnesota. The Germanic-American Institute regularly conducts professional development training for teachers and classroom assistants. Our staff maintains current certification in First Aid and CPR. Criminal background checks are completed on each employee, regardless of their level of child contact.
Babett Larimer, Director
Frau Babett is a native German and was born and raised in Nordhausen, Thüringen. She obtained her degree in Early Childhood Education in Germany, and moved shortly after to the United States after meeting her American husband during an exchange year in Minnesota. She has a son (16) and a daughter (19) who love outdoor activities, such as Snowboarding, Hockey and Lacrosse. She loves cooking, baking, traveling and all kinds of Arts & Crafts.
For over 12 years she taught Preschool and PreKindergarten classes in Minnesota. In addition, she held the role of Curriculum Coordinator for three preschools for two years. She has instructed enrichment classes for school-aged children in Art and Drawing. and enjoys teaching GAI Language camps to elementary students in the Summers in her favorite subjects of Arts and Cooking.
Since 2011 she has been part of the Germanic American Institute.
Frau Babett is a native German and was born and raised in Nordhausen, Thüringen. She obtained her degree in Early Childhood Education in Germany, and moved shortly after to the United States after meeting her American husband during an exchange year in Minnesota. She has a son (16) and a daughter (19) who love outdoor activities, such as Snowboarding, Hockey and Lacrosse. She loves cooking, baking, traveling and all kinds of Arts & Crafts.
For over 12 years she taught Preschool and PreKindergarten classes in Minnesota. In addition, she held the role of Curriculum Coordinator for three preschools for two years. She has instructed enrichment classes for school-aged children in Art and Drawing. and enjoys teaching GAI Language camps to elementary students in the Summers in her favorite subjects of Arts and Cooking.
Since 2011 she has been part of the Germanic American Institute.
Emily Ruggles Johnson, Assistant Director
Emily joined our team in 2018. She majored in German at St. Olaf College and holds a K-12 German teaching license in Minnesota. Most of her time in Germany was spent in Hamburg working as Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. She also taught junior high and high school German in Stillwater, and Kindergarten at the Twin Cities German Immersion School. She also has experience as a program director, running the Kinderclub before-and after-school program at TCGIS. She enjoys gardening, watching shows about gardening, playing the violin, and crafting with her two children, Lukas and Anneliese.
Emma Naragon, Lead Teacher, Saint Paul
Frau Emma grew up in a small town in northeastern Indiana but spent a number of years throughout her child- and young adulthood living with her family in Marburg, Germany. The time that she spent living in Marburg was highly influential and instilled in her a love for German culture and language. In May 2012, she graduated from St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. After spending the following year travelling back and forth across the Atlantic, first working as an au pair in Germany, then completing her student teaching in Minneapolis, and finally going back to Germany to work with students in early childhood music programs. She enjoys learning and making music with the children at Kinderstube. Frau Emma has been teaching at Kinderstube since 2013.
Seha Samsa-Bonte, Lead Teacher, St Paul
Frau Seha moved with her family from Munich, Germany to Lakeville in 2016. She is married and has
two teenage sons. She is a trained German educator, specializing in social-educational and curative-educational practices. Up until now, her training and employment has been in Munich, Germany. There, she was responsible for children between the ages of 4 and 17 with light to heavy disabilities as well as normal day care.
She also worked 2 years in a nursery with children 1 to 3 years old. Her last employment was an integration Kindergarten in Munich, specializing in the integration of children from different cultures to include refugees. The work with children has always been her calling. Her native fluency adds exceptional value to our classroom atmosphere. She is a vital part of the Kinderstube teaching team.
Frau Seha moved with her family from Munich, Germany to Lakeville in 2016. She is married and has
two teenage sons. She is a trained German educator, specializing in social-educational and curative-educational practices. Up until now, her training and employment has been in Munich, Germany. There, she was responsible for children between the ages of 4 and 17 with light to heavy disabilities as well as normal day care.
She also worked 2 years in a nursery with children 1 to 3 years old. Her last employment was an integration Kindergarten in Munich, specializing in the integration of children from different cultures to include refugees. The work with children has always been her calling. Her native fluency adds exceptional value to our classroom atmosphere. She is a vital part of the Kinderstube teaching team.
Andrea Wilberding, Assistant Teacher, St Paul
Frau Andrea is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where she studied German. She spent two years abroad in Germany and Austria studying, working with children, and practicing her German. She has experience working with a wide age range of children, from infants to high school age in various capacities (nanny, camp counselor, teaching assistant). In her free time, she enjoys playing music (guitar and the viola), reading, and playing board games. Andrea has been with Kinderstube since 2018.
Vincent Büttner, Lead Teacher, Room 1, Minneapolis
Herr Vincent was born in a small town near Hamburg, Germany. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. One of his valuable experiences was working with children with special needs at Rudolf Steiner School in Scotland. Vincent and his wife Tara have a son, John, who is 6 years old.
His native fluency adds exceptional value to the classroom environment as it allows students to learn from a native speaker. In addition, we enjoy having a male teacher in our program as it provides a wonderfully balanced classroom dynamic for all boys and girls. He enjoys cooking and golfing in his spare time. Herr Vincent has been teaching at Kinderstube since 2011.
Robyn Carley Farrell, Lead Teacher, Room 1, Minneapolis
Frau Robyn joined our team in the Summer of 2011. Robyn was born and raised just west of the Twin Cities, in Victoria. She studied Art and German at the University of Minnesota and graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree. She spent some time living in Sweden and Germany, and obtained amazing fluency of the language. She really enjoys working with children and seeing their creativity in action. She has created a wonderful art program for our preschoolers. She enjoys creating and offering exploratory learning options in the areas of Social, Science, Math and early reading and enjoy daily projects with an array of media to explore.
She enjoys cooking and outdoor activities in her spare time. You will find her hiking and back-packing in remote areas with her friends and family.
Frau Robyn joined our team in the Summer of 2011. Robyn was born and raised just west of the Twin Cities, in Victoria. She studied Art and German at the University of Minnesota and graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree. She spent some time living in Sweden and Germany, and obtained amazing fluency of the language. She really enjoys working with children and seeing their creativity in action. She has created a wonderful art program for our preschoolers. She enjoys creating and offering exploratory learning options in the areas of Social, Science, Math and early reading and enjoy daily projects with an array of media to explore.
She enjoys cooking and outdoor activities in her spare time. You will find her hiking and back-packing in remote areas with her friends and family.
Michelle Weber, Substitute Teacher, Room 2, Minneapolis
Frau Michelle joined our team in the Summer of 2012 and has worked at both Kinderstube locations in the past years. A Minnesota native, Michelle discovered her passion for the German language and cultures in high school. She continued her pursuits through a German Teaching degree at Gustavus Adolphus College, during which she studied abroad in Berlin for one year. After graduating, she stayed in Austria through the Fulbright Program as an English teaching assistant in two schools in Vienna. Michelle also has a passion for all forms of art, interactive play and sports, and lifelong learning. She has taught in many different schools in the Bay Area in California, and is excited to be back as a part of the German community in Minnesota. Frau Michelle provides tutoring to school age children, teaches the Samstagsschule program at the Germanic American Institute and is an active entertainer at Minnesota's beloved Renaissance Festival in the Fall.
Frau Michelle joined our team in the Summer of 2012 and has worked at both Kinderstube locations in the past years. A Minnesota native, Michelle discovered her passion for the German language and cultures in high school. She continued her pursuits through a German Teaching degree at Gustavus Adolphus College, during which she studied abroad in Berlin for one year. After graduating, she stayed in Austria through the Fulbright Program as an English teaching assistant in two schools in Vienna. Michelle also has a passion for all forms of art, interactive play and sports, and lifelong learning. She has taught in many different schools in the Bay Area in California, and is excited to be back as a part of the German community in Minnesota. Frau Michelle provides tutoring to school age children, teaches the Samstagsschule program at the Germanic American Institute and is an active entertainer at Minnesota's beloved Renaissance Festival in the Fall.
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Louise Brask, Assistant Teacher, Minneapolis
Frau Louise is currently studying health sciences, with a goal to obtain a Bachelor's in Nursing from Minnesota State University. She is a graduate of Bachelor's of Arts in Film / Photography with a minor in German Language/ Area Studies from American University in Washington, DC. She has studied in Osnabrück, Germany at Universität Osnabrück. In high school, she was an exchange student at Johannes Kepler Gymnasium partnership with Edina High School. Her interest in German language started at a young age, due to family connections to Bavaria, Germany and Salzburg, Austria. Louise has many fond memories of childhood learning at Waldsee, German language village and at the Germanic-American Institute. She has taught GAI Summer language camps for elementary students for many years. She greatly appreciates giving life to cultural diversity, the arts, music, and language. While teaching at Kinderstube, Louise hopes to inspire children to learn, speak German language, and understand our world, through a cultural lens. |
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Laura Kalsow, Assistant Teacher, Minneapolis Frau Laura was born in Minnesota but moved to Herzogenaurach, Germany with her family for preschool and kindergarten. Attending a German preschool sparked her interest in the German language and culture. Laura moved back to the United States after two years of living abroad. She started learning German in a formal setting in middle school and continued through college. Laura attended Luther College and during her time there, studied abroad in Münster, Germany - living with a host family. She completed a senior research paper exploring the relationship between German culture and social dance in the disco era and graduated with a degree in German and Political Science. Additionally, she worked at a summer camp for kids as a naturalist and enjoyed finding creative and fun ways to teach kids all about nature. In her free time, Laura goes hiking, plays board games, and practices ballroom dancing with her husband. |
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Johanna Foster, Lead Teacher, Minneapolis
Frau Johanna grew up in a bilingual household outside of Chicago and was lucky enough to spend several months of each year with her extended family in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, Germany. During high school, she discovered her love for working with children through a theater group designed to interactively teach youth aged 2-10. She obtained a Bachelor's of Arts in Sociology from Grinnell College and then spent two years as an Americorps member at an educational access nonprofit. Johanna has worked with children of all ages through a variety of organizations in Illinois, Iowa, and the Twin Cities; these positions have allowed her to gain valuable experience teaching both multilingual children and children with disabilities. She especially loves finding ways to help children engage creatively with words and language. In her free time, you can usually find Johanna reading or enjoying the outdoors. Frau Johanna has been at Kinderstube since 2017. |
Carol Randall, Substitute Teacher, Minneapolis and St. Paul
Frau Carol has been a teacher since 1968 and has extensive experience with students of all ages. She speaks German, French and Spanish and has taught Spanish at Century College since 1969. Her travels around the world have taken her to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Peru. We love having her as a substitute whenever she is not traveling the globe. She shares with us her wealth of experience and teaching skills.
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Rebecca Rein, Substitute Teacher, Minneapolis and St Paul Frau Rebecca has joined our team after recently returning from Germany where she lived for a year, and was able to further her experience in working with young children while teaching in a German Kindergarten, focusing on ages 2-6 years old. Her passion is seeing young kids thrive and exposing them to new languages. She was able to expand her knowledge during another international employment opportunity, while assistant teaching in a Spanish school in Madrid, Spain. We are excited to have her on board, and help us as a substitute teacher whenever needed. |
Rihab Naheel, Substitute Teacher, Minneapolis and St. Paul
Frau Rihab was born in Syria and grew up in beautiful Bavaria, Germany, where she obtained her certificate for Commercial Correspondent in English, German and French. After that, she studied English Literature as a Bachelor and received her Master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language at St. Cloud State University. She started teaching early on in Elementary and Middle Schools along English for international students at the IEC (Intensive English Center) at SCSU. She also taught preschool children in Saturday schools and assisted in day cares. She just loves and admires how our students understand German, though they were never exposed to it or not enough. It’s just amazing.
She has three daughters and loves to cook, do sports, arts and travel around the world.
Stefanie Bauer, Youth Yoga Instructor, Minneapolis and Saint Paul
Stefanie has instructed Kinderstube Yoga classes since 2015. She is a mother of three, Her youngest child is a student of our St. Paul Kinderstube.
Stefanie is a native German and instructs at both locations on Tuesday mornings. Kinderstube is proud to be able to offer a youth yoga enrichment program to families at no additional cost.
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Laura Rotering, Assistant Teacher, Minneapolis Frau Laura Lee was born and raised a Minnesota native, with five younger siblings. Her German education started in high school, where she was awarded the AATG scholarship to study at Waldsee German Camp for Concordia language villages. While there, she worked with preschool children who visited the day camp, and taught them the basics of German. In college, she double-majored in English and German, and spent a year studying abroad in Berlin and Salzburg. She is very happy to be involved in the Twin Cities German community! |
