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Beatriz Foth reflects on 13 years of service

Retired Spanish teacher shares her favorite memories

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[/media-credit] Beatriz Foth and Greg Stobbe celebrate Cinco de Mayo, May 2014.

Half way through first semester, FC’s Spanish teacher of almost 13 years, Beatriz Foth, retired. She taught elementary and high school students everything from beginner’s Spanish to Spanish III. Foth did not only teach a new language, she taught her students about a different culture as well. We were recently able to have a Q&A with her where she reflected on her many years as a teacher.

Quebe: What was your favorite part of your job?

Foth: The interaction with the students, being able to pray and talk and share about God so openly. The smiles and expressions of joy on the students’ face when grasping and mastering grammatical concepts and vocabulary or as they just entered my classroom. Many of them were able to express themselves in Spanish not because they had to but because they wanted to.

The satisfaction that I had as a teacher as I realized that many of my students wanted to learn to speak Spanish and actually used every chance they had to apply it in real life situations, both inside and outside the classroom.

Along the years many of them continued their studies of the Spanish language and culture in university, even spending a semester or a whole year in a Spanish-speaking country. I was able to enjoy their visits afterwards and saw how much they have learned. Many of them came back totally bilingual. It is an indescribable feeling of satisfaction, reward and joy that I have been blessed to experience along those 13 years at FCS.

Quebe: What was the hardest part?

Foth: To teach to those students whose attitude towards learning a second language was very negative. Or the ones whose stereotypes and misconceptions about Spanish speakers and their varied cultures became a barrier for their learning.

Quebe: What were some of the funniest moments in your class?

Foth: They were so many! Students’ presentations, videos, comments, skits, etc. There was never a dull moment in my classroom with the students. There are so many that I cannot come up with just one!

Quebe: What will you miss the most?

Foth: Definitely, the students. I was blessed with so many years of getting to know so many wonderful teenagers and elementary children. Many of them probably will never realize how much they had blessed my life with their comments, smiles, hugs and all the love they poured on me. I will miss the many lunch times with so many students talking about life, God, their future goals, songs, movies and so many other topics. I will also miss sharing my knowledge and passion for the language and culture as well as their interest in learning and sharing about their learning experiences.

The satisfaction that I had as a teacher as I realized that many of my students wanted to learn to speak Spanish and actually used every chance they had to apply it in real life situations, both inside and outside the classroom. –Beatriz Foth

Quebe: Do you remember your first day at FC? If so, what was it like?

Foth: I was very overwhelmed with so many new things. I was excited but confused at the same time. To experience culture shock for the third time in my life was really hard. The expectations that I had about teaching in the U.S. was very different compared to what the reality was. I did not understand the learning culture of my new students. It took me a while to figure it out. It was really hard and very frustrating at times.

Quebe: What was your favorite class to teach? Spanish I, II, or III?

Foth: Every class has its favorite parts. Spanish I was the easiest to teach regarding vocabulary and grammar. There were so many new things they had to learn about culture and language. Spanish II was the hardest regarding grammar but it was always so nice to spend another year with the students.

Spanish III has always been my favorite for several reasons: the students and I had already developed a very friendly and deeper relationship; they were in my classroom for the third year because they wanted to learn more and we always enjoyed each other very much; they had a very solid foundation in both grammar and vocabulary and now they had to take it to the next level. I always looked forward to my Spanish III class. It was always so much fun! I will miss them so much.

After 13 years of teaching Spanish, Foth created many memories with her students. We encourage you to leave comments about moments that you enjoyed with her.

Follow The Feather via Twitter @thefeather and Instagram @thefeatheronline. This writer can be reached via Twitter: @_olivialoren_.

For more features, read the Jan. 28 article, Air quality affects campus, valley.

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