Meet Mrs. Brooks

(A.K.A. Señora / Madame Brooks!!!)

Mrs. Brooks teaches Spanish Levels one through four and French Levels one and two at New Buffalo High School.In addition, she teaches Conversational Spanish courses at Southwestern Michigan College/Niles Campus . She also has developed and taught Foreign Language Curriculum for the college, including several Spanish in the Workplace courses. (Spanish for Educators, Spanish for Law Enforcement and Spanish for Social Workers.)

AATSP CONVENTION in San Diego in August 2007 committee work for Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica in San Diego highlights

AATSP CONVENTION in San Jose, Costa Rica in July 2008 committee work for SHH

SOCIEDAD HONORARIA HISPANICA scholarship winners trip to Lima and Cuzco, PERU July 2009 . Mrs. Brooks served as one of four chaperones on the trip.

THEORY TO PRACTICE IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM Click here to read about how Mrs. Brooks teaches World Language courses

EDUCATION

1.WATERVLIET HIGH SCHOOL, Watervliet, Michigan.

2.MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY East Lansing, Michigan SPARTANS FOREVER!!!

B.A., M.A degrees

Spanish (major) and Political Science(minor) Also earned 24 credits in French.

Currently in Indiana University Graduate School licensure program for ESL (English as a Second Language); projected completion in Fall Semester 2010

Completed Spanish Foreign Study Program at UNIVERSIDAD DE VALENCIA,in Valencia, Spain (12 college credits in Spanish language and history)

See Universitad de Valencia webpages

3.MTTC CERTIFICATIONS

Due to No Child Left Behind requirements, teachers at the secondary level with a minor in a subject area may not teach that subject unless they successfully pass the MTTC test in that subject area. Mrs. Brooks has taken and passed these tests:
  • Political Science
  • French

AWARDS/RECOGNITION 

  • Michigan Teacher of the Year finalist 1994
  • Region IV Teacher of the Year 1994
  • Published article in Hispania, the Journal of the AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese). "Using Simulations to Teach Culture in the Spanish Classroom" December 1996, Volume 79 Number 4, p.858-859
  • State Director of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica since 1998 (State Director of the Year 2001)
  • Elected Region III Director (Midwest) of the SHH 2006-08
  • SHH Junior Travel Award Contest Administrator 2006-2008; selected 20-24 annual scholarship winners for the national Bertie Green Junior Travel Award (all-expense paid trips to Spanish-speaking country in summer for winners) Will travel to Peru with scholarship winners in July 2009
  • Executive Council of SHH -- participated each summer in national convention of the AATSP to help create foreign language education policy (Summer 2006--Salamanca, Spain, 2007--San Diego,2008--San Jose, Costa Rica)
  • Who's Who in American Teachers recipient six times 

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 

  • Faculty Advisor for Future Educators of America chapter at NBHS
  • Faculty Advisor for Spanish Club/Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica chapter at NBHS
  • Member of AATSP: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
  • Member of ACTFL:American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
  • Member of MIWLA: Michigan World Language Association
  • Member of MEA Michigan Education Association
  • Member of NEA: National Education Association