Director Englewood Krav Maga Kids Program
Lee Francesca Spagnolo (better known as Ms. Lee) began her training at Englewood Krav Maga in 2015 under head instructor Sensei Juan Berrios. She was looking for a system that could teach a small framed woman how to properly defend herself and fight. She fell in love with Krav Maga after her first class on the mat at EKM.
Throughout her years of training, she began to volunteer in the kids program observing and assisting on the mat with her teacher. Her love of children and her love of children learning has always been a great passion. Lee has an extensive background in teaching young learners. With a Masters in Elementary Education, she spent 8 years teaching in the classroom as a Kindergarten and First grade teacher as well as moving around into different grades and tutoring privately. She has a great love of literacy and in working with young struggling readers she decided to return back to school to become certified as an Orton Gillingham Teacher as well as a Dyslexia Therapist. She was looking to take her academic background and implement it onto the mat working with young learners and utilizing her teaching styles to take difficult concepts and make them more comprehendible to her students. Lee believes strongly in teaching children how to stand up for themselves and advocate for themselves in today’s world which is why she loves what she does on the mat.
As her commitment to her training continued, she was given the opportunity to go through the instructor certification course under her teacher and put in over 600 hours of student teaching on the mat. On December 23rd, 2018 she was awarded her Englewood Krav Maga Instructor Certification as well as the Director position of the Kids Program. Ms. Lee utilizes direct teacher methods, visual learning and a constructivist approach at times in order to reach her multiple learners on the mat. She instills anti bullying training, character education, and boosts confidence and self-esteem in students to help them progress and work to the best of their ability.
In 2020, she achieved another goal she set for herself by becoming the first female blue belt under her teacher and continues on in her training journey. She would love to achieve the goal to be the first female blackbelt under Sensei and will continue to stay committed to her training and fight through her struggles of difficult material. She feels it is a necessity to be her best on the mat and uphold the responsibility to maintain her sharpness of material for her teacher and for herself. Ms. Lee strives to be the best instructor to her students as well as a mentor and role model for them and others that train at the school. She hopes that others look at her and become encouraged and motivated to keep moving forward and realize that you can reach your goals in training, but more importantly, reach your goal to always be your very best self in your life.