AHS Teacher Profile: Zosha Falteisek

This is Ms. Falteisek’s second year at Arcadia.  She worked one year at Ingleside Middle School before joining Arcadia’s World Language department last year.  Currently, she teaches Spanish I & II and says her favorite thing about Arcadia is the feeling of community among students, teachers, and parents.  “I know it sounds cliché, but Arcadia truly feels more like a family than other places I’ve worked.”  

Ms. Falteisek’s educational background includes:

• BA Spanish Teaching, Central WA University (Graduated Summa Cum Laude)
• MA TESOL, Central Washington University

Ms. Falteisek believes it’s important to be a life-long learner.  Next summer, she is hoping to take a Spanish class for Educators in order to keep current and share techniques with other adults.  She also encourages her students to learn as much as possible and practice their Spanish outside of class.  She lets them know that when she was in high school, she worked at a bakery and practiced her Spanish with co-workers who were native speakers.  She says that’s when she got fired up about learning Spanish and realized the hard work of learning a second language is worth it -- to communicate with people who you otherwise wouldn’t be able to communicate.

In addition to her formal education, Ms. Falteisek lived in Spain for two years after college and taught English.  She admits that despite her years and years of Spanish education, she had a difficult time understanding the Spanish at first due to the people’s accents.  However, once she relaxed and realized “I really do know this, I just need to pull it out of my head and apply myself more”, the language fell into place.  

Ms. Felteisek is proud that she has been brave and has taken advantage of opportunities when they crossed her path instead of staying in her comfort zone.  

HOBBIES OR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING
To hike, eat, and spend time with family and friends

A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR FAMILY?
**!! Congratulations!!! to Ms. Falteisek… she got married in Jamaica over fall break!!  She will be happy to change her name (next year) to Mrs. Darnell, hoping people will find it easier to spell than Falteisek.  

A RANDOM FACT ABOUT MS. FALTEISEK:
When I was little, I would line my dolls up on my bed and "teach" them like a school teacher.  I guess it was destiny.

​Submitted Fall 2016

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