Room 236 has been a whirlwind of activity the past six months, as teachers have come and gone. After the semester break, Gibson Southern hired a new Spanish I and II teacher, Amanda Parshall, to replace Veronica Valencia, who went to Owensville Community School to work with ELL students.

This is Parshall’s first year teaching Spanish. Before working at the high school, Parshall held many jobs: being an English Language Learners aid at Owensville Community School, owning Los Pancho’s Mexican restaurant and working for the health department and courthouse in Mount Carmel as a translator. 

As a first time teacher, Parshall is working on establishing her teaching style.

“I try to set a goal each week that helps the students know what is expected of them, even if they are virtual,” Parshall said. “I believe that you work hard when you are trying to reach a goal.”

For Spanish I and II, these goals started out the same. As the semester progresses, the goals change. 

Spanish I students now have goals with vocabulary, learning present tense, knowing how to greet people, and how to ask simple questions. Spanish II students have goals with more difficult vocabulary, the difference between imperfect and preterite and learning how to conjugate in past tense.

“I think her teaching style is very efficient,”sophomore Madilyn Sperling said. “I believe that the way she is currently teaching will help me learn much more and I will be able to speak very fluently.”

Teaching has drastically changed with the hybrid schedules. With students only going every other day, teachers have had to adapt their lessons and teaching strategies to make daily instruction work.

“When we are in hybrid, she gives us warm ups and exposes us to stuff that we might have never done,” sophomore Gracia Jones said. “She doesn’t expect us to get everything, but she wants us to try.”

The year has been different and more challenging than previous years, but Parshall has been able to make everything work.