C H A P I N N U TT E R

EDUC131: LANGUAGE TEACHER/PROFESSOR

MRS. NATALIE SIMMONS

• German teacher at Madison Consolidated High School (19 years)• German minor as an undergrad at Franklin

College in Indianapolis• Education graduate program at Indiana

University-Bloomington

EARLY STEPS TO TAKE

• Be active in corresponding language clubs and assume leadership roles• STUDY ABROAD

• First-hand experience dealing with new culture• Fun, new learning environment

• Take Supplementary language courses• i.e. film, literature all in order to gain better sense of

culture• Psychology courses are key

WHAT DOES THE JOB CONSIST OF?

• A teacher/professor typically works from 7-9 hours a day depending on current situation• Introductory Level -teaching the language itself -requires PATIENCE• Intermediate to Advance Levels -find balance between challenge and attainability

WHAT DID I FIND MOST INTERESTING?

• German is important because it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the UN.• Knowing German opens up job opportunities, not

only domestically, but also overseas.• Compared to other foreign languages, German

has significantly fewer teachers.

WHAT DID I LEARN?

• Learning how to teach is just as important as learning the language• Supplementary language courses, combined with

other disciplines (psychology, education) are vital• The highlight of teaching is seeing a kid improve

from one day to the next.