Learning French in Kelly Karstrand’s classroom at Shepard High School in Palos Heights is a global experience, her students said, one that draws from other countries that speak the language.
Students regularly converse with each other in French too, going beyond merely practicing verb conjugations and memorizing words.
The Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages recently took notice and named Karstrand the Illinois Foreign Language Teacher of the Year.
“It’s not only her really good teaching skills but also her personality and that she makes everyone feel welcome,” said Wiktoria Baszewski, a senior in Karstand’s AP French class who has studied the language with Karstrand in classes since her freshman year. “Even with struggling students, she always finds a way to make them feel included. She’s always been a kind teacher who I looked up to.”
Those are common sentiments among Karstrand’s students. They affectionately call her simply “Madame.”
“The way she teaches makes me feel she really does care for us and really wants us to learn French,” said Max Kustra, another senior in Karstrand’s AP French class who has also been in her classes for four years. Max added that Karstand takes the time to explain concepts to students and then review the knowledge a day later.
Both students already had an appreciation for foreign languages because Baszewski’s parents are from Poland and she’s also fluent in Polish, and Kustra’s parents are from Ireland.
Karstrand has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French from Illinois State University and has also studied the language at universities in France and Quebec. She consumed herself with French classes throughout high school, college and graduate school.
Her love for the language took off in high school, when she had a French teacher who she now tries to emulate.
“She was such a dynamic teacher,” Karstrand said. “You went into her classroom and it was decorated … all French. She just made me want to get better at learning French.”
From her mentor, Karstrand learned to decorate her classroom with bright pictures of France and various other countries with large French-speaking populations, such as Senegal. She tries to make her classroom cozy and welcoming.
“She was one of the ones who emailed me recent congratulations,” Karstrand said.
One way Karstrand makes the world language curriculum come alive is by teaching themes and real-life conversations. That’s how students learn vocabulary and grammar, in addition to studying both, she explained.
So in a recent beginning French class, Karstrand led students in a discussion with slides about the Louvre heist.
“It’s kind of my job to teach you what the Louvre is and then you’re going to create your own heists,” she said. “It was all over social media and that’s why you folks know about it.”
She went on to express her love for the world’s largest and most famous art museum, which she’s visited many times in Paris.
“The amount of artwork is insane,” she said, adding the Mona Lisa is a relatively small painting, despite being world-renowned.
Karstrand’s AP French students said focusing on the culture and interactive learning were things they loved about her class. Both said they adore renditions of the Eiffel Tower and plan to see it one day.
“It’s one of my life dreams,” Kustra said. “I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower.”
They’ve felt so inspired by Karstrand that they are now fluent in French, as are many of their AP classmates.
They also said Karstrand makes classes fun, including one that took on an art theme, where they recreated French art, or another where they used Play-Doh to make objects, which they named in French.
In addition to her teaching talents, Karstrand has worked hard to mentor other teachers through District 218 World Language programs and as a student teacher supervisor for Chicagoland at Illinois State University.
“I think it’s important we keep that next generation of teachers well-trained,” she said. “That’s how we’re going to keep the professional going and keep good, qualified teachers in our schools.”
Karstrand has also distinguished herself with a Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms Fellowship and as French Teacher of the Year in 2019 from the American Association of Teachers, among other awards.
She was already honored for the recent award at a ceremony at Northern Illinois University and will be representing Illinois at the Central States Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in March. There she’ll compete against 13 other educators to become the nominee of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
“Her passion for foreign language education is infectious, and her dedication to our students is unparalleled,” said Shepard Principal Tim Baker. “This is a tremendous honor.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.