This year, Jess Nickelsen, a fundamental employee of Buffalo High School’s library, recently found herself in the Spanish classroom yet again. In previous years, Nickelsen had only been seen working in the library; what many students may not know is that before she began to work in the LLC, Nickelsen taught Spanish classes for 21 years.
Before Nickelsen began to teach, she had been a Spanish major in college. Throughout college, Nickelsen studied abroad in Spain for a year, where she was exposed to the Spanish language and culture. Nickelsen found that experience to be the best way to become fluent in the language.
“It was invaluable,” Nicklesen said. “You have to be submerged into the language when you want to become fluent. That way, you can’t revert to your own language whenever you feel like it.”
Throughout her time living in Spain, Nickelsen experienced unique aspects of the culture that were different from what she was used to. Nickelsen thought the experience to be one of her greatest accomplishments and a memorable year that she will cherish forever.
“That [living in Spain] was one of the most exciting and unforgettable years of my life,” Nickelsen said. “The whole idea of traveling for yourself and figuring out how to navigate things that are so different, like food and culture and mannerisms and everything. It was a lot, but it was definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
Nicklesen didn’t immediately become a teacher after this experience. She first worked in the private sector, though that did not last long. Nickelsen soon got into teaching because of her passion towards helping others, and she continues to teach because of the students.
“I was a Spanish major for the first time I went to college, and I worked in the private sector for a few years,” Nickelsen said. “I wasn’t as happy doing that; I decided it could be a good idea to get into teaching because I liked to help people. After I made that decision, I went back to get teaching-certified.”
After 21 years of teaching Spanish, Nickelsen began working in the library following a job posting that was announced a couple of years ago. The job included teaching AVID classes, instructing peer coaches, and performing other library tasks.
“I had an interest in going into AVID for a long time, and then the posting came up,” Nickelsen said. “The peer coaching was a great opportunity because I really loved the idea of working with kids so that they could help their peers.”
Nickelsen found her involvement working in the LLC to be a position that was more than fulfilling.
“I have connected with people that I never would have if I had only stayed in there,” Nickelsen said. “It’s nice to be able to make connections with students that don’t take a language, yet are still very important people in our school.”
Nickelsen found herself in the classroom once again after Buffalo High School was in need of a part-time Spanish teacher, which fit in perfectly with Nickelsen’s schedule in the library.
Although Nickelsen teaches multiple classes of Spanish 3, she continues to work in the LLC. The balance between teaching the language that she loves and immersing herself deeper into the school’s environment is what makes Nickelsen continue to love her job each day.
“The interactions with students are my favorite part about working in the school, which was part of the reason why I wanted to get out of the Spanish room; I wanted to get a variety of different students and see how many I could have broader impacts and relationships with,” said Nickelsen. “That has been the best part about working in more than just the Spanish classroom.”
