About Us

Meet Our Talented Teachers!

Nicole, Owner/Language and Art Instructor at Chatty Chameleon
I grew up in Hagerstown, MD and attended Millersville University where I earned my BSE in Spanish Education with a minor in French and a concentration in English as a Second Language. While in college, I lived and studied in both Salamanca, Spain and Tours, France.

I have over 25 years of experience teaching HS Spanish and French in both MD and PA as well as having taught a preschool Spanish class through HCC and designed and taught a Spanish elementary school program at a local school.

I love to travel, experience new cultures, create art, and learn new languages! I have studied Spanish, French, Latin, German, Italian, and Japanese and would love to learn more!

I know the incredible benefits that language learning provides and the importance of learning a language at a young age. I also know that there are many adults who need some language knowledge for either work or pleasure and I'd love to help them too!

It’s been my dream to provide this type of education to the children and adults of the Tri-State area and I'm so excited that I am now able to offer even more to our community through art!

Thank you so much for visiting and supporting my small business! Stop by and learn/create something new!

Nicole

Tom, Coding Instructor
Tom is originally from Pittsburgh, but has lived in the tri-state area for the last 24 plus years. He is a graduate of Millersville University and holds a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College.

He is currently a Computer Science Teacher at North Hagerstown High School where he teaches Foundations of Computer Science, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, and IB Computer Science. He is also the Robotics Team Advisor.

He is very excited to be able to share his passion for Coding with our community!

Charlene, American Sign Language Instructor
Charlene Augustine has been involved in the Deaf community for many years, since dating and marrying her high school sweetheart, a CODA (Child of a Deaf Adult). She holds a degree of Applied Science in ASL. She enjoys using her background to foster a love and understanding of the language and culture in the lives of young children. It is her hope that they will continue to build on what they learn and carry it with them throughout their lives.

Julie, American Sign Language Instructor
Julie Pierpont is originally from Chambersburg, PA. She is a graduate of Shippensburg University. She holds a Masters of Science in Special Education/Deaf Education from McDaniel College. She has been an itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing for eighteen years and counting.

Paint Night Instructor
Suzee Cline White

Pekko Lin, Chinese Instructor
Pekko grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. She is a dedicated and experienced Chinese teacher with a passion for language education. Pekko's teaching journey started in Taiwan as a 6th grade homeroom teacher in 2005. Later, she taught English for four years in Jiangsu, China.

Pekko holds a Taiwanese teaching certificate for grades 1-6 and a PA teaching certificate for PreK-4 and Chinese K-12. She is currently an online Chinese teacher, she has been teaching high school Chinese 1, 2, 3, and AP Chinese to students in several Texas public school districts since 2021. In addition, her fluent Chinese translation has allowed her to serve as a Chinese translator for LIU, which provides important language translation services to children and families in need.

Learning Chinese challenges the mind and enhances cognitive abilities. It improves memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills. The complex nature of the Chinese language, with its tonal system and unique characters, stimulates the brain and provides a valuable intellectual exercise.

Pekko's extensive experience, combined with her fluency in Chinese and her passion for teaching, make her an interesting teacher with a lot of stories. Her dedication to enabling students to learn Chinese language skills both online and in-person classroom environments has made her a dedicated Chinese language teacher. She enjoys helping you open a door to a historical language and vibrant culture.