by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
A St. Joseph instructor has been named Teacher of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German.
Matt Beck, also known as “Herr Beck (Mr. Beck in German),” has taught at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville for four years and leads its German camp and summer program.
“Teaching foreign languages to young students is important because it can often spark an interest in other cultures and how those different from us think,” Beck said in a statement.
Beck teaches German 1 through 4, German for International Baccalaureate students, as well as sixth-grade exploratory German. He also advises the German Club.
“The school community is very proud of Matt and the work he does with introducing young people to the wonders of language and culture,” said the Rev. Jonathan Licari, school headmaster.
Beck earned his bachelor’s degree in English and German from St. John’s University in Collegeville and is pursuing his master’s degree in educational leadership at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
“It’s a demonstration of the quality of teaching at Prep and what we offer for our students in other languages and in other cultures,” Licari said in a statement.
Beck has taught English at the Hauptschule Insel Schütt and Willstätter Gymnasium in Nürnberg, Germany, as well as the Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology in Jilin City, China. He also spent three years working in residential life at St. John’s Prep.
“When teaching German, I get to share my passion and expertise with others,” Beck said. “I also get the unique opportunity to teach the same students each year in grades 6-12, which lets me form a community around language learning.”
Students nominated Beck for the Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German award. Beck said he enjoys teaching the students at St. John’s Prep because of their enthusiasm for languages.
“Because Prep students can take languages for seven years, I am able to design a program which results in them being fluent by the time they graduate,” Beck said. “This lets me move on from the basics of the language and start teaching content-driven courses in German.”
Founded in 1857, St. John’s Prep is a Catholic/Benedictine, co-ed, private day and boarding school, providing students of all faiths in grades 6-12, with a college-preparatory curriculum.
Matthew Beck
