Liebe Eltern und SchülerInnen,
I came to JCHS in 1989, and I love it here. I am accustomed to
the military community because my one and only husband (and we have been married since
1972!) is retired from the Army. We have one daughter, Amy, who is a Kansas
lawyer, a son-in-law who is a computer genius, and 3 grandchildren. I am also from a military family
and moved quite often as a child. Although I am from northwest Arkansas and finished high
school there, the in-between and the since-then have been a whirlwind of experiences in
other places.
In 1975 my husband, daughter, and I were moved to Germany.
Being young and adventurous, we decided to live "on the economy" (within the
German, not military, community). It was the right decision. With constant exposure to
German and a host of friendly German neighbors who spoke no English, I learned German in
record time. Within six months I was helping other Americans, ones who spoke no
German,
to find apartments on the economy. I wasn't surprised at my sudden fluency in German
although I had never studied or been exposed to German or any other foreign language
before. I thought learning German seemed so easy. That was my first lesson in immersion
and its benefits to language learning.
I had two wonderful opportunities to live in Germany - first by a
choice ruled by curiosity and then by a plan based on a love of Germany and its people. In
total we lived on the economy in Germany for nearly 11 years. We loved everything about it
(except the military field time). We returned to the US when we did only because our
daughter had lived most of her life in Germany and was approaching high school graduation.
We wanted her to have an American experience and adjustment before she left for college
and moved away from home. It was the right decision for our family, but each of us has
moments even now of "homesickness" and a desire to feel and smell and live in
Germany again.
Since returning to the US, I have continued to study German and
how we learn language. The best of what I learn is what I incorporate into my teaching of
German. Although my students do not always have the advantages of immersion and will, as a
result, learn German more slowly, I am proud of the accomplishments of my students. They
do well in high school state competitions and national exams, and many are placed
immediately into advanced levels when they enter college German.
Also, because of my interest in computer technology and the
availability of accessing live German sites, my students learn about the best uses of the
Internet, about the best search techniques and sites, and about other software programs
that can help them learn the German language and help them learn about the cultures of the
German-speaking cultures. I further use computer technology in my classes with Email and
my Homework and Extra Credit Web Site, the latter being transferred soon to the JCHS web
page. I want my students to learn German in a context that is as real and as immersed as
it can be, and computer technology offers that opportunity for learning and practice.
I love what I do and I welcome help and suggestions. We love
receiving guests and visitors - especially at our Fests. I also love hearing from you -
both parents and students - on a regular basis.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please give the
school or me a call or send me an Email message at LynnettaSislo@usd475.org
.
For information about the JCHS German classes and activities and for
Extra Credit Opportunities, please link and
explore the following site.
JCHS German Web Page
Grüße,
Frau Sislo