Biography-Mr. Van Slooten
My hometown is Woodland Hills, where my family has lived since 1954, but Camarillo has been home to me since 1993. After graduation from El Camino in 1971, I spent several years both traveling the world in Europe and Latin America and also getting a B.A. from BYU with a major in Latin American Studies and a minor in Portuguese. I also have some conversational ability in French and Italian. Before coming into teaching in the late 1980's, my job experiences ranged from building homes to helping to manage a business. After a stint as an elementary teacher, I settled into high school teaching in 1992 with a credential in both Spanish and Social
Studies. I have worked at OPHS since 1994, and have also since done tutoring and adult education in night school. In 2007, I finished my M.A. in Spanish from CSUN. Since then, I have also done some mentor teaching through CLU as well. My hobbies are music- I play the five-string banjo and the guitar- as well as surfing, backpacking, bicycling and home improvements.