Spanish teacher Cathy Edge immerses her students in the full language-learning classroom experience

Els Krimsky, Staff Writer

Spanish Teacher Cathy Edge, has brought liveliness to all her classes since she arrived at John Carroll in the fall.

The main aspect of Ms. Edge’s teaching involves strong student-teacher relationships.
She explained, “The classroom has to be a place where students can brave answers, seek help and feel affirmed for their efforts and contributions.”
This trust is an absolute necessity for high school foreign language students. Ms. Edge said, “Students must be willing to be brave, to make and learn from mistakes, to be open to learning about the way another language is structured, and to be curious about the cultures in which that language is spoken.”
To build this trust, Ms. Edge attempts to incorporate fun, nontraditional ways of teaching by truly engaging with her classes, and students seem to be enjoying it.
Senior Mia Rosso, an Honors Spanish IV student, said that she has “enjoyed her class this year and all the different teaching methods she uses,” and likes “how involved [Ms. Edge] gets us in the lesson rather than lecturing or doing bookwork.”
Being a World Language teacher also means that Ms. Edge must consider culture and intertwine it with whatever lesson is being taught.
Manna Hollin, a junior taking her Honors Spanish III class, appreciates the time Ms. Edge takes to insert a global perspective.
Manna explained, “We learn in a way that immerses us in the whole culture and teaches us things that we would never know otherwise.”
The global awareness Ms. Edge incorporates into her lessons is also to teach open-mindedness and respect.
She said, “I hope that my interactions with my students are always respectful and encouraging and acknowledge them as individuals,” making sure students understand that individuals are at the basis of their languages.
Ms. Edge continues to bring enthusiasm and wisdom to each of her classes in hopes of teaching students a new language and allowing them to explore their potential both academically and socially.