Lindsey Seawell teaches Spanish I and II to mainly freshmen and sophomores at Frazee-Vergas High School. She is also involved with teaching ESL both at the high school and the elementary. Seawell's innovative lesson plans include a great deal of songs and many actions. Since this is her first year teaching, she was asked if there have been any surprises thus far. She stated, "With teaching, there is great deal of planning. Also, getting used to school policies and procedures has been challenging, and thankfully, I haven't had many issues with misbehavior."
Seawell travelled to Guatemala while in college, and she loved the month-long experience. She lived with a mom and two daughters (ages five and seven). The oldest daughter was learning English while she was staying with them so both benefited from the experience. When Seawell is explaining culture to students, she enjoys sharing pictures and adventures from her trip.
Her favorite book in Spanish is Como Agua Para Chocolate, and the film she enjoys most is Dances with Wolves.
Ellie Matheson is the newest member of the English Department at Frazee-Vergas, and she has been greeted enthusiastically by students. Students have been learning a great deal about Ms. Matheson, like how she uses "focus fingers" to get them to concentrate.
Matheson enjoys creating "jump starts," which can consist of journaling, discussion, and logic puzzles at the beginning of class. She feels that students should be responsible to start class. As energetically as Matheson is for her first year of teaching, she admits it's a great deal of planning and organizing but, "Students have been awesome," she said, "which makes all the work worth it."
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On the personal side, Matheson said "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac is her favorite song. Two films she enjoys are Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. As a child, Matheson loved the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster because her dad used different voices when he read out loud. Her favorite high school novel was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, due to the well-rounded characters, great lines, and some mystery.
Both Seawell and Matheson look forward to directing the one-act play as co-directors. When both were asked about which homecoming day they can't wait to dress up for, they both smiled and said, "Wednesday, Past Proms Day."
The Frazee-Vergas Schools language arts department sends out a warm welcome to both new teachers.
