Babette Grunwald's Bio:
Babette Grünwald is a German teacher at Philomath High School, as well as a studio artist.
She was born in Paris, France and grew up in Switzerland. After getting married, she moved to California, then Mexico, New York, Washington and in 2004, relocated to Philomath, Oregon with her husband and three daughters.
After a career in agricultural research and farm management, she chose to pursue her passion in art, and went back to graduate school to get a Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Oregon in 2007. In order to supplement her income as an artist, she started subbing in the local high school and really enjoyed it. She began teaching German (levels 1 though 4) in 2010. She finished a Master of Arts in Teaching at Western Oregon University in 2012.
Babette Grünwald is a German teacher at Philomath High School, as well as a studio artist.
She was born in Paris, France and grew up in Switzerland. After getting married, she moved to California, then Mexico, New York, Washington and in 2004, relocated to Philomath, Oregon with her husband and three daughters.
After a career in agricultural research and farm management, she chose to pursue her passion in art, and went back to graduate school to get a Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Oregon in 2007. In order to supplement her income as an artist, she started subbing in the local high school and really enjoyed it. She began teaching German (levels 1 though 4) in 2010. She finished a Master of Arts in Teaching at Western Oregon University in 2012.
Babette's Teaching Philosophy:
Recently, I was looking at my resume and I realized that although I have had many professions and work experiences, teaching has been a constant throughout the years. I enjoy this profession, finding it creative and intellectually challenging. I love the contact with students and how I can inspire them to look at the world from a different point of view, opening their eyes to diverse cultures and a new language. I hope I can be an example for my students to continue to learn throughout their lives, by being a "renaissance women", with a background in the biological sciences, the fine arts, and five foreign languages. But I also am a teacher for a very selfish reason: my students inspire me every day and enrich my life tremendously. I feel like I have become a mentor to dozens of students, whom I get to accompany during very exciting years of their lives. It is a gift they are giving me!
The purpose of education is multi-faceted: each child needs basic knowledge, skills and tools for suitable future employment. Each child should be offered an array of classes, with a strong, broad and challenging curriculum to enrich their lives- a liberal arts and sciences education, with many elective classes. In order to continue having a democratic society, each child should learn about their government and their country and how to be a responsible citizen. Education should be fun, creative, interesting, and challenging. Expectations of each child should be high. Each child should experience the love of learning and they should want to continue to learn for the rest of their lives. Everybody can learn. Students have different methods of learning and it is the responsibility of the teacher and the student to find which way is best suited for each particular student.
It is my conviction that foreign languages are important to every student’s development, as they not only develop the brain in different ways than other subject matter does, but learning a foreign language also helps understand one's own mother tongue. After learning Latin and German in middle school, I understood language structure and grammar much better. Another important aspect of learning a foreign language is what students learn about another culture and another part of our planet. Learning a language opens minds to new horizons and creates citizens of the world. Giving the students opportunities to experience the language and culture through exchange trips is a goal I have for as many as my students as possible. They can then compare their own culture to others.
Currently, I teach at Philomath High School and would like to teach there for many years, as Philomath is the community I chose to live in. I am vested in this town and care deeply about it. Being a teacher is a profession that really is a life style choice. It is a life style of personal commitment to continuing to learn and teaching others to do so as well, of deep caring for young people, of consciousness, and of collaboration with staff and community members to make the future better.
Mission Statement:
To teach high school students effectively and passionately to communicate in German and to learn about Germanic countries and their cultures.
Recently, I was looking at my resume and I realized that although I have had many professions and work experiences, teaching has been a constant throughout the years. I enjoy this profession, finding it creative and intellectually challenging. I love the contact with students and how I can inspire them to look at the world from a different point of view, opening their eyes to diverse cultures and a new language. I hope I can be an example for my students to continue to learn throughout their lives, by being a "renaissance women", with a background in the biological sciences, the fine arts, and five foreign languages. But I also am a teacher for a very selfish reason: my students inspire me every day and enrich my life tremendously. I feel like I have become a mentor to dozens of students, whom I get to accompany during very exciting years of their lives. It is a gift they are giving me!
The purpose of education is multi-faceted: each child needs basic knowledge, skills and tools for suitable future employment. Each child should be offered an array of classes, with a strong, broad and challenging curriculum to enrich their lives- a liberal arts and sciences education, with many elective classes. In order to continue having a democratic society, each child should learn about their government and their country and how to be a responsible citizen. Education should be fun, creative, interesting, and challenging. Expectations of each child should be high. Each child should experience the love of learning and they should want to continue to learn for the rest of their lives. Everybody can learn. Students have different methods of learning and it is the responsibility of the teacher and the student to find which way is best suited for each particular student.
It is my conviction that foreign languages are important to every student’s development, as they not only develop the brain in different ways than other subject matter does, but learning a foreign language also helps understand one's own mother tongue. After learning Latin and German in middle school, I understood language structure and grammar much better. Another important aspect of learning a foreign language is what students learn about another culture and another part of our planet. Learning a language opens minds to new horizons and creates citizens of the world. Giving the students opportunities to experience the language and culture through exchange trips is a goal I have for as many as my students as possible. They can then compare their own culture to others.
Currently, I teach at Philomath High School and would like to teach there for many years, as Philomath is the community I chose to live in. I am vested in this town and care deeply about it. Being a teacher is a profession that really is a life style choice. It is a life style of personal commitment to continuing to learn and teaching others to do so as well, of deep caring for young people, of consciousness, and of collaboration with staff and community members to make the future better.
Mission Statement:
To teach high school students effectively and passionately to communicate in German and to learn about Germanic countries and their cultures.