I always looked forward to Spanish class because I knew I would get to see my favorite teacher, Ms. Koepke. I was blessed to have her for two years of Spanish both my freshman and sophomore year. Ms. Koepke teaches Spanish at Arrowhead High School. 

She made class so enjoyable and fun by playing learning games to practice our vocabulary or topic that we were learning (from tic tac toe to Jeopardy to matamoscas all of which are very entertaining Spanish games). And the best part of it all was that if you won, you got a chupa chup which is the best Spanish sucker around. 

Speaking of food, Ms. Koepke would occasionally bring in Spanish food for her classes to try. She wanted us to learn and truly experience the Spanish culture in her classroom. I remember one time she brought in Spanish fruit juice and these white snowball candies which were delicious. This shows just how compassionate and devoted she is to helping her students learn. She has taught me to always be hardworking but also enjoy my time eating some Spanish food. 

Every time someone came into her classroom she would say “Hola” or “Buenos días” or some other greeting. She put into words the importance of greetings and simply saying hello to someone. She explained to us that some students have told her how much a simple hello meant to them; some saying that Ms. Koepke’s hello was the only hello they got all day. This made me think; everyone should be kind and just talk with one another because you never know what someone is going through. 

Then came school dress up days…On one special costume dress up day Ms. Koepke wore a bird costume that was hilarious but it made her students smile. She won the best costume in my book! She has a heart of gold. 

Whenever I needed extra help with Spanish, Ms. Koepke would help me during her free periods. When she had a free period where she could be grading quizzes or preparing a fun game for the next class period, instead of doing this, she helped me better understand the topic we were learning. She is dedicated to helping her students fully grasp the content. 

Ms. Koepke would always make sure everyone was included and participating in class which is what I think made her class so enjoyable, because everyone was laughing and having fun. This taught me that everyone has a voice and to listen to others and hear what they have to say. 

Ms. Koepke never failed to put a smile on my face and always made me look forward to Spanish class. 

Thank you for all you do.