LHS has welcomed many new teachers this year, one of them being Mrs. Natalie Kraft. She is one of our new English Language Development teachers, teaching students English by playing card games, drawing, and connecting to current events. Previously, Kraft worked at Options, also teaching ELD.
Kraft was inspired to become an English Language Development teacher because of her family’s history; her grandparents were from Mexico and moved to the United States to become beet farmers. Kraft’s father wasn’t allowed to speak Spanish in schools, and her husband who is from Korea would get in trouble in school if he spoke English incorrectly. She wanted to make learning English a better experience for students.
Kraft is a very kind and dedicated person, whose favorite part of working with language learners is meeting new people from different cultures and learning the great things they have experienced. Her main goal is making sure they have a welcoming experience in Colorado.
She is very excited to work with all the students at LHS, and said, “Everyone has been so kind, and it is really fun to get to know people here.”
“I just love all the different cultures and backgrounds that LHS represents. I think there’s just a lot of really interesting students here who experience a lot of different things. They have a lot of interest in sports and performing arts and different clubs and I like hearing about all of those different pieces.” said Kraft.
Kraft teaches English in many different ways, and some examples include directed draws, where students listen to English while drawing superheroes like Spider-Man or The Incredible Hulk! They also play games like Uno or Operation, helping them learn English while building class culture.
One fun fact about Kraft is that she has been to 49 states and just needs Alaska!
