“I went to Wal-Mart and was overwhelmed by everything,” said Kimberly Nickel, new German teacher for SFHS.
Nickel lived in Germany for two years and realized how German she had become when she was trying to adapt back to American society.
“After I lived in Berlin for two years, and after that it was amazing all the little things that were so different in everyday life.”
Nickel often makes references to these differences in class and loves to share her passion with the students.
“I got to go to Germany and some of my best friends are German,” she replied. The fact that her best friends are German and that she took it in high school, helped her make her decision to teach German.
Kimberly has been a teacher for two years, though only one of them has been as a German teacher. Her first year of teaching was as a substitute elementary school teacher. At St. Francis High School, Nickel is teaching German 1 to German 4. She is looking forward to connecting with the students and staff, getting to sing songs and sharing her passion for German.
Nickel is the third German teacher in three years. Melinda Wetteland, head of the foreign language department has been through all three German teachers and talked about how Kimberly Nickel was picked.
“There was a selection of applicants that were interviewed,” claimed Wetteland,”she was the one that we chose after the interview process.” Wetteland also added that Nickel stood out because of her enthusiasm and passion for the German language. Nickel shares lots of her personal experiences with her students and co-workers.
“She fits right in the department and her ideas for teaching can go all across the board” Wetteland said. Carmen Briceno also said she is a fabulous addition to the department.
Briceno is Nickel’s mentor here at SFHS and she talked about how Nickel is doing here.
“She is motivated to get the students to learn German and have fun with it,” Briceno said. Nickel has experienced living in Germany and gives her perspectives to students in a fun way. Briceno added that the year is off to a great start and that she anticipates a good year.