Teacher Bio

Teresa Healy Janssen

B.A. Gonzaga University, History and French Literature
Diplome d'Etudes Francaises, University of Strasbourg, France
M.A. Linguistics, University of Washington, Focus: Second Language Acquisition, French, TESOL 
6-12 Teaching Certificate, Pacific Lutheran University  Endorsements: French, ELL, Social Studies

 
"By words the mind is winged." - Aristophanes
 
I grew up in North Seattle where I was able to take French, German, Russian History, and British Literature in my public high school. And that is where my passion for language and cultural studies began....   

In my first years of teaching, I taught ESL and English Composition and Literature in several college and adult education programs, including Embry-Riddle University, Harvard University summer session, and Peninsula College. I also taught English in the Philippines and Ecuador. My favorite language and culture experiences were studying Puget Sound Salish with tribal elder Vi Hilbert and learning African French while traveling in West Africa. I believe language can be a portal to understanding culture at a deeper level. Aside from travel, I enjoy writing and hiking in the Great Northwest.

My favorite age group to teach is teens. Thus I changed my teaching focus to high school French and Social Studies. I value the opportunities I have had to learn about and from diverse cultures, and it is this global perspective that I wish to foster among the students in my classroom. I am delighted to be teaching French and Social Studies at Port Townsend High School and look forward to working with my students and their families this year.
 
 
 
 
Last Modified on November 16, 2013
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