The VOICE of WAFLT
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American Association of Teachers of German – Wisconsin President Melanie Lasee Ashwaubenon High School mlasee@ashwaubenonk12.org
Past President Jeffery Dyer Oregon High School jmd3@oregonsd.net
Vice President Derek Schaefer Slinger High School derek.schaefer@slingerschools.org
Secretary Sarah Seidler-Halwas Ripon High School seidlers@ripon.k12.wi.us
lowly, but surely, we are emerging from what has definitely been the two most interesting, yet challenging years of teaching for most of us. Hopefully we are all getting back to some sense of normalcy. When I reflect on the past two years, I have to admit that it hasn’t been all that bad. Maybe I could equate it to childbirth. It was really painful while we were living it, but now that it is somewhat behind me, I find myself focusing on the good rather than the bad. I can’t help but sing the song by Kelly Clarkson, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…” (You’re welcome for the Ohrwurm!! :) I can definitely think of more positives as the fog lifts. In a very short amount of time, we all became “Virtual Teaching Wizards.” My tool box has changed quite a bit, has increased quite a lot, and has the latest IOS update (insert laughing/crying emoji). In all seriousness, I have learned more about being a virtual teacher than I ever thought I would. I can honestly say it’s not really my favorite. I much prefer face-to-face teaching, but there are quite a few things that have made my job go a little smoother. I can’t even imagine what the past 2 years would have been like, if this would have happened 20 years ago.
S
I hope everyone had a great New Year and a great fall semester. WI-AATG started the year off with a few new officers. I would like to welcome to the executive board Derek Schaeffer from Slinger High School as our new vice president and David Coury from UW-Green Bay as our new treasurer. I would like to thank Jeanne Schueller for serving on the executive board for the past six years and I look forward to working with our new executive board. Thank you to Sarah for serving a second term and to Jeff for continuing as our past president and serving his final two years on the executive board. I have some big shoes to fill and I won’t be able to do it without you! We also have other exciting news to share. Our membership has so many amazing examples of what excellence in education means. I am so proud of the work all of you do every day. I would like to celebrate our colleagues around the state who were awarded for their accomplishments this past year. Each year the Wisconsin Chapter of AATG bestows upon one of its members the Distinguished German Educator Award. Recipients of this award have demonstrated over their careers excellence in the teaching of the language and culture of the
Treasurer David Coury UW-Green Bay couryd@uwgb.edu
German-speaking world, advocacy for teaching, learning and professional development, professional contribution to the profession, fostering positive relationships, and service to the organization. This year's recipient has been an enthusiastic and passionate German language teacher with more than 31 years of experience teaching high school and middle school German. Her advocacy for the teaching of German has been critical in maintaining German programs and her participation in and contribution to the organization, in particular, her significant involvement in the and legacy of the WI-AATG German Speaking Contest. Among her accolades are the WAFLT Recognition of Merit and twice a Duden Award recipient. This year's recipient of the Wisconsin-AATG Distinguished German Educator Award is Sabine Beirold.
