Growing up the daughter of a German immigrant in Kansas, my great-grandmother’s first language was German, followed by English some time later. Even into her 90s, her first reaction to certain events would be in German, which she of course had to translate for the rest of the family.
All that to say that my great-grandmother would most certainly have know the proper way to congratulate Baylor professor Rita Abercrombie on being named German Teacher of the Year by the Texas Foreign Language Association last month. Abercrombie (pictured), a Baylor professor since 2003, beat out German professors at all levels from all across the state for the honor.
In addition to teaching several sections each semester, Abercrombie — a native of Germany — also hosts a weekly Kaffeestunde (coffee hour) in the German Lounge of Old Main and an annual Klub Deutsch (German Club) cooking event for students at her home, for which students choose a menu, shop for ingredients, prepare the meal using German recipes and have dinner conversation in German.
After hearing of “Frau Abercrombie’s” honor, one former student wrote in to share his experiences in her class. “While I greatly enjoyed my time in her challenging, yet instructive classroom, I have found the benefits continue on in my current life,” wrote J. David Roberson, BA ’06. “Because of my knowledge of the native language, which I attribute to the quality education received from my German instructors, I will be pursuing a post-graduate degree (L.L.M.) in International and European Business Law at the University of Vienna. I would like to credit Frau Abercrombie with encouraging my foreign language development and helping open up such opportunities for me.”
Sic ’em (in English and in German), Frau Abercrombie!
