With the unexpected absence of Spanish teacher Sra. Munsterman, the only Spanish III class offered this semester has been taught by substitute teacher, Mr. Stoesz. Stoesz is biochemist teacher, not a Spanish teacher, but he has been able to give the class some structure using solely the textbook.
“I think the class is going alright so far. It’s not as great as it would be with a normal Spanish teacher,” said Junior Alex Rasset. “He can speak Spanish fine and he knows the language. I don’t mind [the class] too much.”
Stoesz didn’t start out as a Spanish teacher. He first studied biochemistry at the University of Minnesota. It wasn’t until later that he had the opportunity to learn Spanish in New York through the Peace Corps. “I had the opportunity to work in the labs, upstate in New York” Stoesz said, “and I took intensive Spanish in upstate New York for the Peace Corps.”
After learning Spanish in New York, Stoesz went to Dominican Republic. “We worked up in the mountains in Dominican Republic and had a chance to visit some of the farms and the city.” Stoesz explained. “The Peace Corp was going to provide the education for the teachers and Dominican Republic was supposed to give them a pay increase. The Dominican Republic didn’t give them the pay increase and the program fell apart.”
After studying in the Dominican Republic, Mr. Stoesz went to work on his master’s degree in cross cultural science education. “After that I went and taught bilingual education for the Puerto Rican government” Stoesz said. Later after leaving Puerto Rico he went to teach in the Bahamas where he enjoyed scuba diving, where he frequently swam with sharks. Once back in the United States, he taught in New York and Florida for more than 20 years until he retired, because of his retirement he moved back to Minnesota.
Mr. Stoesz has been a substitute teacher for two years now and enjoys foreign languages. He is using his large background in the Spanish language to help teach the current Spanish III class. Stoesz has taught in four different Spanish (and Portuguese) speaking countries. Besides using the textbook, Stoesz is planning the curriculum of the class on projects. “We’re looking at projects because I think that’s how you apply what you are learning.” explained Stoesz. He wants the students to focus on their future travels to Spanish speaking countries, making the plans on their own. “I think projects are a good way to demonstrate your mastery and apply what you’ve learned in class.”
