Teacher Feature on Ms. Yost

Teacher+Feature+on+Ms.+Yost

Sydney Curry, Staff Writer

At which school in the district do you teach?

I currently teach at Stroudsburg Junior High School.  I taught my first six years at the High School, but transferred to the junior high when it opened in 1999.

What subject(s) do you teach?

I teach Spanish 1 and Spanish 2.

What grade (s) do you teach

I teach students in grades 8 and 9.

 How long have you been teaching at SASD? 

This is year 30 (!) for me in Stroudsburg.

What is your favorite part about teaching

My favorite part of teaching is seeing the progress students make as they learn more and more Spanish.  It is not necessary to grow up speaking Spanish to become proficient in the language.  It is always nice to hear stories about how a student has used Spanish out in the “real world” after they have left my class.

What do you find most challenging about being a teacher?

The part that is most challenging is keeping up with everything.  It seems that each year more is required of teachers.   It is always a balance of creating great lessons, teaching those lessons, grading and giving feedback, posting to the portal and Google Classroom, having a good rapport with students and other staff, and then the paperwork, training, certifications, meetings, etc that also all have to be done!

What is one piece of advice you would share with your students?

I would share that they should do their best in school, while having fun and being involved in all kinds of activities.  The school years fly by so enjoy them, but not at the expense of your grades!

What is your favorite sports team? Why are they your favorite?

My favorite sports team is Penn State. My family has had season tickets to Penn State football for as long as I can remember.  My husband is a Penn State alumnus, so he is happy to have married into a family that loves Penn State!  We go to most, if not all, home football games each season.

Why did you choose the subject that you teach?

I chose Spanish because I took five years of it while in high school. (I also graduated from Stroudsburg.) I did really well in Spanish.  I knew I wanted to do something with the language, but it wasn’t until after I got to college that I added the Education component. Now, I couldn’t imagine myself teaching anything else.  I love taking students on trips to Spanish-speaking countries to see the classroom lessons come to life.  Next up is Belize and Costa Rica in June 2024!