Lily Maribel Mendoza Sancoy
Main Teacher, Kindergarten I
Maribel is from San Marcos La Laguna, she graduated as a Waldorf preschool teacher, and has been working at Escuela Caracol for 15 years. She considers the school as a space full of life and learning, and is grateful to the Waldorf pedagogy that has allowed her to grow as a teacher enjoying the presence of the children.
Marilily, as she used to be called, is the main teacher of our kindergarten children.
She is a kind person and enjoys working in a team. She loves to sing and do arts and crafts.
She was born in San Marcos La Laguna and comes from a family of 10. In 2014 she completed her Waldorf training at the Anthroposophical Center in Cuernavaca, becoming the first indigenous woman to complete this training.
Her classroom style is warm, soft, bright and cheerful, and she enjoys sewing, singing, drawing and painting.
Sandra Pérez
Main Teacher, Kindergarten II
Sandra Patricia Pérez Mendoza is 34 years old. She studied high school in computer science at the school, a professorship in education, closed the curriculum in the Bachelor’s Degree in Education, and graduated as a Waldorf Teacher in Kindergarten.
She is currently a tenured preschool teacher and has been in this beautiful profession for 13 years at her beloved Escuela Caracol.
She is an active person and she likes to be organized specially with her time. One of her qualities is to be punctual and she likes to be with the students and learn with them since they come from different places and a variety of cultures and languages.
One of her nice experiences about teaching at Escuela Caracol is to start with the children through a verse every morning, connecting with the group, nature and with herself. Also, through the years she has been able to meet many families locally and from other countries, and maintain that friendship.
Escuela Caracol, my beloved school, has taught her beautiful things, accompanying the children, respecting their growth and intellectual development. She has learned that through songs they learn, that through a good rhythm they nourish the brain and the whole being of the child.
Thank you Escuela Caracol for all this growth!
Wendy Cecilia Cholotío Alvarez
Main Teacher, Kindergarten III
Wendy is originally from San Juan Laguna, she is 28 years old. She is an Intercultural Early Childhood Education Teacher, has been studying for a year in Waldorf pedagogy, and currently works as a Kindergarten Teacher at Escuela Caracol in San Marcos La Laguna.
She loves her work and being with the children (“my beautiful angels”), I think it is a feeling that was born since her arrival at Escuela Caracol. In her free time she enjoys every moment with her 6 year old son, she loves to embroider, read, do exercises and activities that generate positive energy.
She considers herself a very special person, disciplined, friendly, sociable and above all responsible, capable of doing everything that comes her way.
Escuela Caracol is a magical, unique place, surrounded by so much natural beauty that transmits her a lot of peace. For her it has been very nourishing to be part of the school both personally and spiritually, since she has learned from the Waldorf pedagogy how to see, help and understand the child through the eyes of the Soul.
She loves and will always continue to love being part of this beautiful family called Escuela Caracol.
Heidy Annytha Quiacaín Pérez
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Heidy is originally from San Juan La Laguna, she is 24 years old and her Mayan energy (nahual) is 13 AJ, the nahual of children. She graduated from the Escuela Normal Regional de Occidente de Santa Lucía Utatlán as a Bilingual Intercultural Early Childhood Teacher.
She joined Escuela Caracol 2 years ago, during this time she has learned many new things about Waldorf education through the workshops of our mentors, as well as the talks and the time spent with the teachers.
She is a curious, creative, patient, empathetic person and enjoys reading, dancing, singing and above all sharing with children, she enjoys learning new things from them, playing and spending time with them. Heidy has always been interested in teaching since she was very young.
This year, Escuela Caracol gave her the privilege of traveling to El Salvador and attending the Waldorf teachers’ meeting, which was an unforgettable experience.
“The school has given me a lot, but above all it has given me the joy of having shared with children who have left their mark on my heart”.
Alessia Valentina Mendoza
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
She is 24 years old and is originally from San Marcos La Laguna.
Alessia is a Bilingual Intercultural Pre-Primary Education Teacher and currently works at Escuela Caracol as an assistant kindergarten teacher, this is her third year of joy with the children at the school.
She enjoys doing arts and crafts with the children, and is passionate about transmitting that knowledge, effort and dedication to each child.
Her experience at Escuela Caracol has been very nice, seeing the different emotions of each child is what inspires her to continue working at the school. She has learned new things from both the teachers and the children.
Elementary Teachers
Marnie Jhoselinne Toledo Cain
First Grade Teacher
Jhoselinne is a primary school teacher, she is Guatemalan and 34 year old with two years of degree in clinical psychology and social counseling, she is Guatemalan.
She always introduces herself by saying that she is a teacher by heart, dedicating herself to developing spaces of formal and informal education fills her life with many learnings and above all has given her extremely enriching experiences that strengthen her process of self-discovery and personal growth.
She is a mestizo woman who loves the joy of sharing with children the magical sensation of discovering and building the reality that they experience. She enjoys dancing and singing but above all playing, smiling and sharing the joy with the people around her.
Being at Escuela Caracol and coinciding with the school and those who make it possible has been a wonderful adventure, it is definitely rewarding to feel that I can collaborate in a space being myself and also that every day invites me to deepen in working on the contribution I want to be for the community that lovingly welcomes and accompanies me today.
Santiago Cuc Quiacain
Second Grade Teacher
Santiago Gustavo Cuc Quiacain
Santiago is a native of San Pablo La Laguna, he studied Educational Administration at the
University of San Carlos de Guatemala. He teaches at the primary level and teaches painting classes with the children at Escuela Caracol.
He is a Bilingual Primary Education teacher, he started working at Escuela Caracol in 2018 as a gardening teacher, he is currently a Second Grade and art teacher for elementary school. He is noted for his artistic abilities.
He considers his career at Escuela Caracol to have been an incredible experience because every day there are new things to learn with the girls and the school staff. staff. She likes the way the children learn through the Waldorf methodology where they develop thinking, feeling and will. She also enjoys the way the staff lives together at the institutional level.
Santiago is currently studying to become a Waldorf Elementary Teacher.
Emiliana Puzul Sacach
Third Grade Teacher
Originally from Marcos La Laguna, she comes from a family of 9, joined Escuela Caracol in 2018 and has been for 7 years as a grade and kaqchikel teacher (Kaqchikel is the native language of San Marcos La Laguna).
She is graduated from the school as a Bilingual Intercultural Primary Education teacher, she completed her second year of the career of Teaching Secondary Education at the UPANA university, and she graduated as a Waldorf Elementary Teacher at the Anthroposophical Development Center, Cuernava Mexico 2018-2023.
She is currently a Third Primary Teacher, Kaqchikel language teacher from first to sixth grade, is the Technical Director of the school, President and Legal Representative of the Caracol Association.
Sonia María Quiacain
Fourth Grade Teacher
Sonia is originally from San Pablo Laguna, Sololá, and is 34 years old In addition to being a teacher of Intercultural Bilingual Primary Education, she has a degree in Secondary Education in Pedagogy and Educational Administration and in 2014 she completed the curriculum for a Bachelor’s Degree in Pedagogy and Educational Administration. She is currently a teacher of fourth graders at Escuela Caracol in San Marcos La Laguna.
She is a person who has a passion for teaching children, she is a hardworking woman who focuses on her goals and objectives, she also has the good spirit to motivate and create new things. She likes to serve children with love, always with an open mind and heart for self-education and persistence.
Getting to know Escuela Caracol has been a magical experience where she got to know and use Waldorf pedagogy, being very interesting and unique for her. She enjoys the pedagogical system of the Escuela Caracol, the way to prepare a class since it is based on learning and teaching through head-heart-hands. She loves the school for its space, full of Nature and happiness. At the school she met pedagogical advisors who are experts in Waldorf pedagogy.
“Through time I have learned that teaching is not just about filling children’s heads with knowledge but about preparing them for life.”
Sonia Virginia Sancoy
Fourth Grade Teacher
Sonia Virginia Sancoy is currently the fourth grade teacher. She is originally from San Marcos la Laguna, municipality of Sololá. She graduated as a primary school teacher. Last year she accompanied two groups at the same time, 4th and 5th. She is also a crafts teacher. Previously she worked as an administrative assistant at Escuela Caracol.
Sonia Encarnación Pecher Hernández
Auxiliar Teacher Elementary
Sonia is 21 years old and is originally from Caserio Jaibalito in Santa Cruz La Laguna, and is a person who enjoys working with children, sharing ideas, is responsible, flexible in everything she does and enjoys the experiences and learning received.
She graduated from high school with a Degree in Science and Literature with a focus on education, has worked giving comprehensive sexuality education to young people, since last year Sonia has join Escuela Caracol as a auxiliar and movement teacher.
Escuela Caracol has been a blessing for her, the experiences lived have been the best moments being with the children and with all the staff of the school, she feels blessed to be part of Escuela Caracol.
The experiences at Escuela Caracol never end, being a teacher she has learned a lot from the children and the teachers. It is a magical place where each being develops their abilities, their spiritual energies awaken, the doing, feeling and thinking of each child is born depending on the ages; each child receives love, trust from each teacher.
“Thank you Escuela Caracol” 🐌.
Natan Bernardino Mendoza Yojcóm
Auxiliar Teacher Elementary, Escuela Caracol
Natán is a passionate linguist and educator, born 32 years ago in San Juan La Laguna, a picturesque place near beautiful Lake Atitlán. Since his teenage years, he has had a fascination for languages, a passion he has carried with him over the years.
Skilled in several languages, including Tz’utujil, Spanish, English and a growing interest in French. His ability to speak and teach several languages has allowed him to connect with people from diverse cultures and share his own cultural richness. Natán’s passion for bringing his culture to different parts of the world has led him to work with children and teenagers.
The year 2008 marked a significant milestone in Natán’s life when he joined the ATS English academy during his high school studies in the capital city. Since then, he has had the opportunity to live in countries where the languages he learns are spoken, giving him the valuable experience of immersing himself in new cultures and honing his language skills.
For more than a decade, she has been teaching English and currently serves as a teacher at ESCUELA CARACOL.
With his dedication to teaching and his love for languages, Nathan continues to inspire others to explore and appreciate the linguistic and cultural diversity that the world has to offer.
Mentor Teachers
Gloria Elena Londoño Valencia
Pedagogical Advisor
Gloria Elena Londoño Valencia was born in Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia; She lived most of her adult life in Cali, where she worked as a Waldorf teacher for almost two decades. Her teaching motivation is to have the opportunity to follow the vocation of service she has experienced from a very young age which, as she mentions, is the motor of her life.
Her first approach towards Escuela Caracol was through Nana Göbel from FREUNDE, who recommended her as a Pedagogical Advisor. Before involving with Escuela Caracol, Gloria Elena worked in Luis Horacio Gomez School in Cali, where she finished two eight-year rounds. Her specialty within Waldorf Education lies in language and words.
She has deep studies in Anthroposophy, specifically in Biography studies, a subject she graduated from in 2020; this subject has shown its use as it was a bright tool use by Gloria Elena to help teachers, staff, and students alike.
Thomas Wildbruger
Mentor Teacher
Born in 1946, he studied philosophy, political science and journalism. He conducted research in the field of international politics in developing countries. He later trained as a Waldorf teacher in Mannheim. Since 1979 he has been a main class teacher, art and handicrafts teacher.
A meeting with the painter Lajos Boros gave him the impulse for an art didactics through pictorial media. To this end, he created drawing guidelines for the classroom teacher and teaches courses for teachers and families, advises schools in Central America, Europe, Asia and South America.