SVENJA IGLESIAS of Davie on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to SVENJA IGLESIAS. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning SVENJA, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Our students make me laugh on a daily basis. Preschoolers are naturally funny! This is why I enjoy what I do so much. Everything we give to the little ones is returned to us in so many meaningful ways.

We recently renewed our APPLE Accreditation for the third time in the 24 years we have been in business. That was a great achievement, and it made me very proud of what I have built over all these years and of the amazing team I work with.
I also feel proud of what we have given to the German community in Florida throughout these years — a little slice of home and Germany in South Florida — by teaching the German language, customs, and culture.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
At German – American School of Ft. Lauderdale, we offer our students a fully immersive German preschool experience inspired by the Montessori Method.
We are committed to providing your child with the highest quality education and care. All of our highly qualified teachers strive to help every child reach their fullest potential. We believe in the value and uniqueness of each child. Our developmentally appropriate curriculum is designed to nurture the social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical growth of every child, while encouraging their individual interests and talents.

In our Language School, we offer a variety of courses in which children and adults learn the German language, customs, and culture. In addition, we offer art, music, science, and social studies courses in a fully immersive German setting. Classes take place on Wednesday afternoons.

The German-American School of Ft. Lauderdale’s Summer Camp Program offers a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, providing opportunities for fun, friendship, and exploration for children ages 1–9 in a relaxed, full-immersion German language setting.
Our weekly themes are based on the project-based learning method, which emphasizes learning by doing through hands-on activities and problem-solving. This approach encourages independence and allows children to explore each topic in a fun and engaging way.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
When I moved to Florida back in 1999, I had just graduated from the University of Essen with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Teaching was my passion. My first daughter had already been born, and my second daughter arrived in 2001. That was when I joined a German “mummy and me” group in West Broward.

Soon after, they asked me to teach their children how to read and write in German. And that’s how it all began. From a classroom at my daughter’s preschool in Davie with 6 children, I have built a German school and community over the last 24 years with our own building and license for 74 children.

Did I ever imagine that I would found a German preschool and language school in Florida? Did I ever imagine being the principal of such a school? No, I didn’t—but that’s what South Florida needed, and I absolutely love doing it!

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I have to say that the COVID years were our toughest, but they also taught us many lessons. When we had to close our doors, not knowing what was coming, there were many sleepless nights. We worked hard through those years alongside our families and came out stronger in the end.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I protect honesty and loyalty at all costs. I think those values are important in all aspects of life.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people will remember how much passion, dedication, and love were poured into the German-American School of Ft. Lauderdale.

I know there are many children, teenagers, and adults who still remember their preschool years at our school. I hope their memories are filled with all the wonderful moments we shared, the many things they learned, and the friends they made along the way.

I know that many families have remained friends for years — friendships built through all our wonderful events such as the Open House, St. Martin Lantern Parade, Oktoberfest, our annual Christmas and Nikolaus celebrations, flea markets, picnics, and more.

I hope someone will continue celebrating traditional German cultural events in South Florida once I decide to retire.

I truly love what I do — and what I’ve done for the past 24 years.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Michael Pancier

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