Educator of the Year

Going into a foreign language can be intimidating on the first day of freshman year, especially when your teacher says this is as much English as you’ll ever hear her speak. German is a big part of my heritage and my family basically forced me to take it. I wasn’t against it, but I would’ve rather taken a soft romantic language like French, instead of a spitting, yelling, and harsh language like German.

My feelings immediately took a sharp turn. And this is because of my teacher Frau Schueth. German is such a beautiful language and is the most fun class you could be in. With her short blonde bob and glasses, there is no one in the world with as much patience, understanding, and happiness. She is always excited to see us everyday, and has such a passion for what she does. This is why she is my educator of forever.

After three years of German, Frau and I have come to know each other very well. From bonding at German club events like the Christmas market in Chicago and eating at German restaurants, Frau always makes whatever we’re doing special. Frau Schueth is a wife, and a mother of two daughters. But really she acts like a mother to all the students she teaches. She is filled to the brim with knowledge, and shares so much with us everyday.

There are always some people in class that goof off and don’t listen (once in a while I am guilty of that). But Frau is never mean or rude in those situations. She will simply say, “Leute!”, meaning “people” to quiet everyone down. Everyone has such high respect for her that when she says to be quiet, they usually listen right away. I really don’t know how she does it! There is not one mean bone in her body, which is something everyone aspires to be like. For Frau, friendliness just comes naturally. She always gets along with her students, which makes me feel so important in her class, and I’m sure everyone else does as well.

The technique of Frau Schueth’s teaching is entirely her own. She will literally jump up and down and run around to get you to understand something. I am amazed every day at how she does it. She tries so hard to teach us, and it really pays off.

Every semester in German, I have earned an A. It is the one class that I know I can trust to succeed in. This happens with the help of Frau Schueth. I could not achieve what I have today without her!
Frau Schueth is like the apple to your strudel. The schnitzel to your noodle. Her love for German and teaching just makes you love it too. So I would like to say thank you Frau Schueth, for everything you’ve taught me, because it will stick with me forever.