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Susann Shultz

Biography

My love for languages and cultures began back when I was a student here at South Christian and continued as I studied at Calvin College, where I majored in Spanish K-12 secondary education and minored in bilingual education. I had the opportunity to travel and live in both Spain and Mexico while in college, and enjoy incorporating what I learned from those cultures into my teaching. My teaching career began at Traverse City Christian School, where I taught all four levels of Spanish for one year. From 2004-2018, I taught at Calvin Christian High School in Grandville. I received my Masters of Education from Grand Valley State University in 2010.

My husband, Rob, and I live in Wyoming with our two children, Tyler and Noah. Besides speaking Spanish and learning about other cultures, some of my other hobbies include reading, cooking, cycling, and traveling (in fact, I’ve taken trips with students to both Spain and Peru!) Our family attends South Harbor Church in Byron Center. One of my favorite passages from the Bible is Psalm 19:14; “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Faith Statement

The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19 shows Christ calling us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Furthermore, God declares, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34). Surely to accomplish these mandates, members of the body of Christ need to reach out to people who speak a language different than their own. For this reason, students in a Spanish class have a unique opportunity to serve Christ. By speaking Spanish, a Christian can not only share his or her faith with people who speak Spanish, but also demonstrate a love for people in this world by learning more about and communing with them.

Therefore, it is my goal that my students learn not only the Spanish language, but also an appreciation of its people. My students and I will critically think about our treatment of these people, as well as learn and improve our faith from gaining an understanding of a culture different than our own. I pray that each of my students open their hearts and minds using the God-given knowledge of another language and culture to be God’s instrument to change this world.

Spanish
sshultz@schs.org