Two years ago, ISD 200 gained a fantastic champion for our Global Languages Department with the hiring of Senorita Hoffman. She has been sharing her gift of Spanish with students for 15 years and now shares these skills with the students at Hastings High School. “I love that I get to be part of my students’ journeys. It’s a unique gift that we have as educators to witness students overcome challenges and build confidence in new skills,” shares Ashley.
Ashley’s husband is a Hastings alum, and they are raising their two kids in nearby Rosemount. “We made the choice a few years ago to move closer to our “village” of friends and family and enjoy attending many Hastings district events with our kids. When pursuing teaching positions, I was drawn to Hastings because of the amazing team in the Global Languages Department. I wanted to work alongside them,” says Ms. Hoffman.
Our students are fortunate to have educators who nurture the love of learning and stretch their exposure to cultures outside our Minnesota landscape. “As a Global Language Department, we absolutely love our work and care deeply about the growth of each of our students. Our courses and extracurricular offerings encourage students to take risks increase their awareness of other cultures (and their own), and we love to have fun while learning! We encourage students to attend Spanish and French cultural events and to join the Spanish or French Honor Society. In addition, we offer language-focused international travel and an annual trip to the Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, MN”, explains Ms. Hoffman.
And while the movers and shakers inspire Ms. Hoffman, she’s also encouraged by watching the quiet kid in the corner of a classroom, who shocks their peers by doing something awesome or unexpected at the perfect moment!
When Ashley is not sharing her love of the Spanish language at HHS, she can be found cooking or baking with an audiobook playing in the background. She also loves to travel and spend time with family and friends.
Ashley wishes all students could travel and explore language-related experiences. Our lives are enriched and made more colorful when we see and experience the beautiful diversity of the world. We are lucky that our kids are able to get a taste of this diversity because of our amazing teachers like Ms. Hoffman.