Lesley Chapman, OFLA Public Relations and Advocacy Chair
French Teacher, Sycamore High School

It is so exciting to introduce our membership to Maria Herman, OFLA’s 2025 Teacher of the Year. Maria is a great advocate of world language education, and we wish her luck as she prepares for her interview for the Central States Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at the Central States Conference in March.

To get to know her a bit better, we asked her to answer some questions about herself, her school, and her teaching philosophies. Please take a moment to congratulate Maria at Central States in March and the OFLA conference in April!

aria, can you tell us about the school where you teach and what your language program is like today?

I teach at Maumee High School, in Maumee, Ohio, which is a suburb of Toledo.  It’s a medium-sized school where I absolutely love to work.  Maumee High School offers German and Spanish, both honors and regular classes. I think we have a strong language program that gives students the opportunity to enjoy learning a world language.  I am the advisor of the German Club, and we sometimes collaborate with the Spanish Club to have meetings where students can learn about both cultures.

How would you say you have directly impacted your language program and your students’ perspective toward language learning?

I am particularly proud of our annual Oktoberfest tradition that the German program offers for students and their families.  I created this tradition years ago with a colleague, and today it is a well-attended pot-luck style event that brings the community together to celebrate learning about the German language and culture. We also have a very active German club.  As the advisor of the German club, I work with students to organize various activities, some of which simply bring the students together, and some of which allow students to learn more about the German language and culture.  I have also worked with the Friendship Connection to help bring German exchange students to our school and assist those students who decide to travel to Germany as exchange students themselves.

What are the struggles you are currently facing as a world language teacher?

On a personal level, I think that we, as teachers, nearly always struggle with that “imposter syndrome.”  We are constantly telling ourselves to do more, be more creative, create the best lessons, etc.  I am constantly struggling to find the magical “work-life balance” that can keep me motivated and satisfied with all aspects of my life.

In the classroom my current struggles are with student motivation. With all the activities our students are involved in, they sometimes come to class feeling tired and struggle to focus.  

What advice would you give to a young person thinking about entering the field of language teaching?

Whenever I encounter a young person considering entering the teaching profession, it always excites me! I would encourage young people to enter our profession, because I find this career very rewarding.  I would tell them to be prepared to work hard, face daily challenges, but to also find joy in that work and in those challenges.  Making a connection with students and helping them to appreciate another language and culture is potentially the most important job in the world today. Knowing the impact and difference I have the opportunity to make every day inspires me to continue through the struggles that we, as teachers, face.

Finally, you are always so energetic and positive. What do you do to keep yourself enthusiastic about your work?

In order to keep myself enthusiastic about my work, I look at my students and remember how important it is to make those personal connections and help them to do the same. I also bring humor and my own personal interests into the classroom, using my own passions to help keep lessons fresh and interesting.  I also constantly remind myself of all the things I have to be grateful for as a teacher. I work at a fantastic school with amazing students, supportive administrators, helpful and friendly colleagues and get to enjoy speaking German, opening young people’s eyes to a new perspective each and every day. It doesn’t get any better than that!