It is well-known that a teacher’s reach goes far beyond the classroom.
For some students, that means a teacher has taken the time to help them learn something, while for others it means that a teacher changed the way they saw themselves or the world.
Mahomet-Seymour’s Ellen Ericson commitment to the study of foreign languages has helped her students learn something new, to find compassion within, and to put that into motion outside of the classroom. But Ericson’s commitment to education has also helped her colleagues do the same in their classrooms.
“Ellen is recognized and appreciated as an outstanding teacher by her high school students, and uses the same techniques and methods when presenting at conferences,” Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL) Executive Director Leann Wilcoxen said.
“She is highly respected by other teachers for the workshops and sessions she presents at ICTFL and Central States Conferences. In 2014 and again in 2019 sessions that Ellen presented were selected as the “Best of IL.” The 2014 session was also selected as the Best of Central States, to be presented at ACTFL in 2016, which was an additional honor.
“When teachers see that Ellen Ericson will be presenting a session, they flock to her room. Her excellence in teaching was recognized as she received the ICTFL Distinguished Service for Language Learning Award for Exemplary Teaching in 2017.”
As the Director for ICTFL Region 4, Ericson has worked diligently to recruit and involve more members in that region by offering popular Professional Development opportunities. After serving as ICTFL 2nd and 1st Vice Presidents, Ericson will become the ICTFL President in January 2021.
“Her dedication and hard work promise an exciting future for ICTFL,” Wilcoxen said.
But before moving into the future, Ericson has also been recognized for the work she has done in the past. For that, she has been named the 2020 Illinois Council of the Teachers of Foreign Languages Teacher of the Year.
Of course, 2020 with all of its pandemic twists and turns, has turned out a once-in-a-lifetime classroom experience for teachers and students.
“2020 is the year that has required educators to grow, to stretch, to learn, to collaborate, and yes, even to cry,” Ericson said. “We have been asked to do the impossible and have risen to the occasion. We’ve taught from our bedrooms, our kitchens, our basements, and our empty classrooms. We’ve taught with children in our laps, dogs by our sides, with masks and shields on, synchronously, asynchronously, and yes… sometimes both at the same time.
“We have continued to connect with colleagues in our districts and around the state. We have done the impossible and are all basically rock stars.”
While Ericson has had to reinvent some of the delivery of her Spanish lessons, the intent remains the same.
Ericson’s teaching philosophy was developed early on in life. She valued education, oftentimes extending the school day into her free play time with friends. But even at that time, she knew the world was bigger than her hometown of Charleston.
“My family hosted a lot of exchange students when I was younger,” she said. “Some lived with my family for a couple of weeks, others for a year. My parents instilled in me a love for other cultures and a desire to travel the world.”
Ericson’s thirst for knowledge paid off when she graduated from high school a year early at the age of 17. Although unpopular at that time, she took a gap year before heading to college, spending 10 months in a small town in the southern part of Spain.
“Upon returning home, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in a field that allowed me to continue to speak Spanish and share my love of the Spanish culture with others,” she said.
“Ironically, I have an older sister who is also a Spanish teacher. She was really the one who encouraged me to explore education. I remember telling her, ‘OK, but I’m not going to be a teacher!’ I guess the last laugh is on me because 24 years later, I’m still teaching!”
In that time, Ericson has been dedicated to making sure elementary, junior high, high school, and community college students walk away being able to use the Spanish language in real-world situations. But, having grown-up with the understanding that there is so much more to language than just words, Ericson also wants her students to understand people in different cultures.
“I want students to develop an appreciation for the Spanish speaking world and to understand some of the differences between them,” she said. “I want them to gain an appreciation of their culture and equip them with the tools needed to be successful in our interconnected, globalized world.
“I want to instill a love of travel and the curiosity to explore places, products and cultural practices different from their own. I want them to be able to communicate and interact with cultural competence and to be able to use Spanish for their own personal enjoyment as lifelong learners.”
Helping students see the world from East Central Illinois isn’t always easy, but Ericson goes the extra mile to help build compassion and empathy for those thousands of miles away.
Over the years, some students have joined Ericson through school-sanctioned trips to Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica and Spain.
“Studying in other countries is the perfect way to improve students’ learning and generate unbridled enthusiasm,” Wilcoxen said.
But the passion to make a difference in the world is also fostered right inside the walls of Mahomet-Seymour High School. Last year, Ericson’s Spanish IV class worked to educate younger Spanish students and the high school community about the need for water in a small, developing community in la Colonia Alden Webster in Roatan.
Not only did the students get to talk to Enrique Valdez, the man who is working to develop the water system, they also got to meet him when he visited Mahomet early in 2020.
“In order for students from East Central Illinois to be competitive in our interconnected world, they must develop intercultural competence,” she said. “Students must learn to read and listen between the lines – to ask themselves why people from other cultures say, react, and respond in ways that are different from their own experiences. Discovery of self and others’ perspectives is transformative. Intercultural competence is how students become better people – how the world becomes a smaller and more harmonious place.”
It’s a theory that she takes into account in all aspects of her life.
“Great teachers don’t just go into their classrooms, shut the door and teach,” she said. “Instead, we’re better when we open the door, continue to be lifelong learners, and participate in collaborative discussions.”
That mindset is why Wilcoxen believes Ericson will be an outstanding Teacher of the Year for Illinois.
“Her knowledge and confidence, training, and highly developed teaching and presenting skills will be the perfect tools to promote World Language learning for all,” Wilcoxen said. “She will be an inspiration to students and teachers alike, working to increase the visibility and importance of learning another language and cultural understanding.”
