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.