Meet Mr. Bolander, a foreign language teacher here at The Winchendon School. This is his second year teaching here, as a full-time teacher teaching Spanish and French.
In speaking with Mr. Bolander, he finds Winchendon a very unique place. With the diversity that is found throughout campus in the student and faculty populations, he expressed how everyone can learn and grow from speaking with others from different backgrounds. He also stated, “What I enjoy most about teaching at the Winchendon School is the fact that everyone here, students and staff alike, are all very focused on and passionate about so many different things, and how people actively pursue their individual goals in this very rich and multifaceted community.”
As a teacher of foreign languages, Mr. Bolander not only wants his students to learn the language, but he wants them to learn the culture and be able to speak about the countries where these languages are spoken. To accomplish this, he uses a mix of assignments and projects that will be engaging for his students. Most recently, his classes worked in collaboration with the other foreign language teachers, Mr. Carmona and Mr. D’Arcey, to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This project focused on the history of Hispanic Heritage Month by using the language skills developed in class. Mr. Bolander expressed, “These types of (shared) projects I believe widen our department’s overall scope and help students to understand the interconnectedness of our world, its beauty and its great value.”
Not only is Mr. Bolander excited about what he is teaching, his students are excited about what they are learning. They will continue to work on assignments and projects that will exemplify their understanding of the language they are learning.
Photos taken and article written by Abigail Stone (senior)
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