Ms. Katelyn Klein, who was a former teacher at Oak Prairie Junior High in Will County, Illinois, is now teaching at Oak Lawn Community High School. She taught middle schoolers for three years, and this year will be her first year teaching high school students.
Even though her classroom is located in the English hallway, she actually teaches Spanish and is a member of the ESL department at our school. Even though Spanish is not her first language, it is a passion of hers.
“I have always been surrounded by this language when growing up,” Klein said. “When I was younger, I would attend church that was filled with Spanish-speaking families. I also had multiple friends who spoke Spanish, which caused me to gain a desire to learn this language and its culture.”
Although she wasn’t able to study abroad in Guatemala due to the pandemic, that didn’t stopped her from graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in Spanish. She explained that she has always had a desire to work with children and that she finds great value in teaching teenagers and guiding them through life’s obstacles.
“I chose OLCHS because of its various of language courses,” Klein said. “Oak Lawn is a language distinguished school, and it is known for their diversity of students and their different ethnic backgrounds. The school’s area is also an advantage. Whenever I passed by this school, I had always thought this would be a perfect place to teach and it is.”
She hopes to see students being engaged and to build a comfortable space, in which, everyone could feel confident enough to speak to their peers and to have fun and express their creativity without judgement.
“I want my students to gain a sense of confidence to speak to their peers, to gain enough confidence to go out in the world and to communicate freely with people all over the world,” Klein said.
She prioritizes communication and she pushes engagement and creativity to her students. She wants her students to learn strategies and communication skills, so they could be ready for their futures and to speak confidently to anyone, no matter what language they speak.
