Name: Janet Skrzypek
Job: Language and Culture Spanish Teacher at Saint Zachary School, IL USA
Programme: Child Studies
A typical day in my class starts with greetings in the target language, followed by reviewing vocabulary homework, learning new vocabulary, songs, expressions and cultural unit investigations. As the students build knowledge, they practice what they learn through various methods, including active participation and showing their skills in the target language and the use of technology to reinforce knowledge.
In 2023, I had the opportunity to be a speaker at the webinar “Cultural Celebrations Around the World”, in which I presented “The Pachamama” or “The Earth Mother”, a cultural celebration from the natives of Peru and the Andes regions of South America. In 2024, the American Council of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) recognised me as a Month Member Spotlight. Through the ACTFL, I can share my knowledge of Child Studies as a foreign language and culture teacher with my colleagues around the US. Furthermore, I was accepted by the Floridan Foreign Language Association (FFLA) as a speaker at the 2024 Conference “Building Belonging through Language, Culture and Connections”.
Job: Language and Culture Spanish Teacher at Saint Zachary School, IL USA
Programme: Child Studies
A typical day at work and what else I do
After I obtained my master’s degree, I felt that many opportunities were open to me, and in the end I landed at Saint Zachary School as a teacher.A typical day in my class starts with greetings in the target language, followed by reviewing vocabulary homework, learning new vocabulary, songs, expressions and cultural unit investigations. As the students build knowledge, they practice what they learn through various methods, including active participation and showing their skills in the target language and the use of technology to reinforce knowledge.
In 2023, I had the opportunity to be a speaker at the webinar “Cultural Celebrations Around the World”, in which I presented “The Pachamama” or “The Earth Mother”, a cultural celebration from the natives of Peru and the Andes regions of South America. In 2024, the American Council of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) recognised me as a Month Member Spotlight. Through the ACTFL, I can share my knowledge of Child Studies as a foreign language and culture teacher with my colleagues around the US. Furthermore, I was accepted by the Floridan Foreign Language Association (FFLA) as a speaker at the 2024 Conference “Building Belonging through Language, Culture and Connections”.