Spanish can be a bit difficult for those who have never spoken the language. However, students enrolled in Rachel Delzer’s Spanish class at Maize South High have a teacher who is so good at teaching her class she won an award recognized across the entire state.

Delzer’s Spanish class was flooded with teachers entering her room all at once this week. To Delzer’s surprise, superintendent Chad Higgins and other administrators had shown up to present her with the Kansas World Language Teacher of the Year award. The award is given to a World Languages teacher in Kansas who is an outstanding teacher in their class and gave an outstanding amount of effort to being the best teacher they possibly can be.

“There are so many wonderful language teachers in our state,” Delzer said, “so I feel so honored to win this award. I’m not 100% sure why I got the award, but I know that I am always working to improve every aspect of my classroom. I’m also always sharing my materials, ideas and suggestions with my colleagues and presenting at conferences to help other language teachers grow and learn.”

Because she is so invested in the Spanish language and culture, Delzer’s passion for the language is reflected by how she encourages her students to fall in love with the culture just the same way she did.

“But even more than that, I love getting to know my students and watching them learn and hopefully fall in love with the language and culture as well,” she said. “I’m so fortunate that as I teach the Spanish language to my students, we get to spend every day talking about ourselves and telling stories. It makes the classes much more fun and engaging.”

Delzer gives her best to make sure her students are engaged and interested in the lesson she’s teaching. Delzer is always giving off positive vibes and is there to help students when they need it, junior Vivian Salazar said.

“Mrs. Delzer is very dedicated and ensures that we have engaging lessons,” Salazar said. “She always has a positive attitude and is always willing to help!”

When going into college, Delzer didn’t think she would be a Spanish teacher. She had been majoring in math and engineering but also taking Spanish on the side. However, after realizing she enjoyed Spanish way more, she decided to spend more time in Spanish.

“After my first semester, I decided that I wanted to take more Spanish and less math,” she said. “When my adviser asked what I wanted to do with my major in Spanish, I had no idea.”

One person that helped her move up in Delzer’s teaching career was her adviser, who placed her in some Spanish classrooms to observe. With his help, she was given a clear path and new love and passion for the subject.

“I fell in love with all of those experiences,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to use my passion and energy to inspire others. I’m a very social person. I love talking and listening to others. This job combines my love for Spanish and my love for people.”