Scott Underbrink
2006 Hall of Fame Nominee
Natrona High School
Casper, WY
2006 Finalist from PNCFL
Russian and French
“Teaching languages we are able to stimulate the minds of our students from all angles. Multiple intelligences, mastery learning, TPR, all of the movements of education pass by us and we take from them, adapt what they have to our own kids and grow professionally. I am not the same teacher I was 28 years ago, and that is not at all a bad thing. With each lesson I get a chance to reevaluate, consider what went well and needs to be kept and what could go better. Part of the advantage in having years in the profession is that I have had so many chances at everything I teach, and I hope I haven’t and won’t waste a single one of these opportunities....This year I chaired a cohort group of language teachers studying best practices of the profession. One of our monolingual vice-principals participated in the group. After viewing videos and sharing strategies we turned to him. His reaction was an impressed, ‘I didn’t know that you language teachers had so much to teach!’ How proud I am to be part of such a talented corps of educators. As language teachers we work harder and more passionately. Is it any wonder that so many of our kids grow to love what we teach them?”