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Name:
..........Sra. Gustafson
School:
........Wasatch Junior High
Classes:
.......Spanish 1; Spanish 2
School Phone Number:
......646-5244
¡HOLA!¡BIENVENIDO!
You have now opened the page about ME! “Soy una maestra de español. Me
encanta mi profesión.” For those who have had an introduction to Spanish,
you will understand these sentences. Truly, I love the Spanish language and,
of course, teaching it, especially here at Wasatch Junior High.
MY CREDENTIALS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
I received my BA in Spanish, with an emphasis in Secondary Education from
BYU and my MAed in Technology and Curriculum Design from the University of
Phoenix.
Over the past 13 years, I have taught Spanish in both high school and junior
high in the states of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Utah. In the year 2000, after
moving from Joplin, Missouri to Salt Lake City, I accepted the position to
teach Spanish at Wasatch Junior High. Yeah! Teaching at Wasatch has been a
great experience and joy for me. I love working with our great faculty and,
of course, teaching the best students in Utah.
MY PHILOSOPHY:
Every student has a right to learn in a safe environment. I respect my
students and expect them to respect me, my classroom, and each other. I
believe in immersing my students in the Spanish language. In the immersion
program, I practice a combination of methods introduced by Allan Pavio (Dual
Coding), Dr. James Asher (TPR and TPR-Story Telling), and Steven Krashen
(Secondary Language Acquisition). I also encourage my students to converse
in Spanish and be creative in using the language. I feel students are
successful when parents take an active part in their education.
Speaking Spanish is a skill, and like all skills, Spanish needs to be heard,
read, and spoken in conversational settings. Hence, I have taken
opportunities to expose myself to the language spoken by native speakers,
attended immersion programs, lived and worked in Chile for 18 months, as
well as, serve as a translator with a humanitarian organization (Christmas
Box International). My cultural experiences include several trips to Mexico
and Peru. Over the summer, I was immersed for 6 weeks in the Spanish
language while working with native speakers from Guadalajara and Morales,
Mexico.
WASATCH-CHURCHILL:
Working with the foreign language teachers at both Wasatch and Churchill has
been very rewarding for me. I extend my thanks to our Department Chairman,
Sr. Mc Bride, and to both Sr. Tate and Sr. Bentley of Churchill for
introducing the National Spanish Exam to my students last year. Despite a
few technical glitches, nervous stomachs, and sleepless nights, the Spanish
1 students from both Sr. McBride’s and my classes scored very well (many in
the top 20%).
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST:
In addition to teaching Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 this year, I am excited to
be teaching a study skills class. This course is based on the
successful “AVID” program developed by Jerry Sundly. Dr. Eric Smith,
Superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland says this
about AVID: “The AVID program provides students with powerful instruction
and support networks to help them be successful. Within our district we’ve
found that students who participate in the AVID program are eager and
prepared to enter rigorous coursework in high school.”
¡Vámanos! Let’s have another great year at Wasatch!
---Sra. Gustafson
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