Señora Demet, St. Robert School’s Spanish language teacher, announced her retirement earlier this year, making the 2023-2024 school year her last at St. Robert.
While some things at St. Robert School seem to stay the same over the years, in certain areas change is inevitable. For almost 20 years, one constant at St. Robert School has been Sra. Demet as students’ Spanish language teacher. Many St. Robert students have had the great opportunity to learn Spanish from her and gain the gift of learning another language and appreciating other cultures due to her influence. Next year, though, will bring a big change to St. Robert School because Sra. Demet will need to be replaced by another Spanish teacher.
Sra. Demet has taught Spanish at St. Robert School since 2006. Her favorite part of this experience has been “the students and the middle school teams.” Sra. Demet has played an important role in students’ educational experience and expanding their knowledge. As she emphasized, “I love opening up the horizons for my students, and I want them to be aware of the needs of the world.” Anyone who has spent time in her classroom, whether for basic or advanced Spanish, knows that this is the case. Studying another language at school allows students to see the world differently and gain the tools they need to be able to start expressing themselves in another language. Spanish class provides a way of traveling to other places and cultures without actually leaving the classroom.
Because Spanish classes only last for so long, and learning should not stop during weekends or the summer, students should pursue their language learning outside of the classroom. Sra Demet has some interesting suggestions for how students can do this. In particular, she recommends going to Mexican Fest, which happens during the summer on the nearby Summerfest grounds. (Anyone who has spent some time at Mexican Fest could report back that Mexican Fest provides great samples of Mexican food along with cultural exhibitions.) Sra. Demet also suggests listening to music in Spanish and listening to podcasts as ways of gaining familiarity with the Spanish language. As she suggests, traveling presents a good opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with Spanish language and culture.
As mentioned, changes happen over the years. One change Sra. Demet has noticed the ever-developing technology in the classroom.” One change she would like to see at St. Robert is “the student council and leadership [coming] back.” Looking back, Sra. Demet had kind words for her time at St. Robert. She stated that “I will miss the students and my colleagues the most, because they bring positivity.” Finally, retirement is, of course, a big change in itself. Sra. Demet will use that time to “visit [her] grandchildren more.” She hopes to volunteer more too. The students, parents, and faculty thank Sra. Demet for all she has done over the years to help students learn Spanish and appreciate other cultures, and they wish her all the best in retirement.
