Nominated for the office of President (1 candidate)

Beth Kautz-Candidate for President (informatin to be posted)

Since 2006 I have been the Director of Language Instruction in the Dept. of German, Scandinavian and Dutch at the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities. I also work in the College of Liberal Arts Language Cener, where I teach courses and workshops, including the CARLA Summer Institute, on applications of technology in language teaching. I earned my PhD in German at the U of M in 1997 and taught for two years at Valparaiso University in Indiana before returning to the Twin Cities in 2000. I taught Beginning German at Plymouth Middle School for one year and then resumed my affiliation with the U of M, first on a part-time basis and now as a full-time Professional and Academic Staff member.

Over the past seven years, I have worked on a variety of outreach projects at the U of M. I interviewed undergraduates in our department and created GSD's "Opening Doors" brochure; I created FAQ Pages for high school students on our department website; I served on the organizing committee and taught at World Languages Day; and developed a powerpoint presentation and staffed the GSD booth and Torwandschiessen at the 2009 U of M Homecomming Open House.

I want to help maintain Minnesota's many strong, dynamic K-16 German programs, support the creative, energetic teachers that make the programs thrive, and serve as a liaison to a variety of national organizations related to German, technology and education.

Nominated for the office of Vice President: (1 candidate)

Jae Cody- Candidate for Vice President

I am currently in my 3rd school (Apple Valley HS) and 4th year of teaching German in Minnesota. I have an MA in Second Languages and Cultures from the University of Minnesota, as well as a certificate in Immersion education. I decided to run for this position because, in my first years of teaching, I have received so much support and information from the local and national German-teaching communities. Because most other teachers have subject-area colleagues in their buildings, I think they take for granted the conversations they can have on a daily basis with colleagues. For the first three years I was teaching, I was the only German teacher in my building, but I was always able to work with other teachers, and their ideas, support, and shared resources made my first three years of teaching four preps possible and even positive experiences. Now that I have a position where I can work with a colleague every day and teach only two preps, I have some time to give back to those who have given to me.

I have several ideas that I think will build on the positive things that the German-teaching community is already pretty good at. First, I know that lots of teachers share resources; many of us teach 3/4 on a cycle, using certain materials every other year. I’ve seen multiple teachers request to borrow certain novels via email. I would like to see us maintain a list of available novels, where teachers could record the materials they are willing to share and when they are/aren’t available. This would facilitate sharing and also give teachers a chance to pilot novels in their classes without committing to buying a class set. Individual teachers could always decide if they are willing and able to share, and the list could also be a source of ideas for people looking to update their curriculum.

Also, I know that I always feel like I have no time to meet with other teachers, but, whenever I do, I’m glad that I went, even when it gives me a little less time for my other work. I would love to see us host (maybe quarterly) some informal gatherings with food and idea sharing. I know this has been tried before, but I think having more events will make people feel that membership in the MN chapter is valuable.

Nominated for the office of Treasurer (2 candidates)

Barbara Melbye Janssen, Candidate for Treasurer

Barbara Melbye Janssen began her 32-year teaching career with high school French in Independence, Iowa and Little Falls, MN. Starting in St. Paul in 1981-82 she taught German and French in junior high and continued with both languages and both secondary levels in Wayzata. She is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and earned her M.Ed. in Languages and Cultures at the U of M. Recognitions include Employee of the Month in Wayzata, and 25 years of bringing students to Village Weekends at Concordia Language Villages. She is a long-time member of MCTLC, AATG, and AATF. She studied at the Goethe Institute in Munich and has a key part of the 34 year old Wayzata-Dusseldorf Exchange Program.

Statement for Treasurer Candidacy

I would like to be able to give back to AATG-MN. I am competent in Math and am a dedicated worker.

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David Rutledge- Candidate for Treasurer

Dave Rutledge has been treasurer of MN AATG since 2002 and is willing to continue serving MN AATG in that capacity.

He has taught German at Tartan high School since 1985. Since 1994, he has accompanied high school students to Germany for 3 - 4 weeks each summer. Since 1998, he has been in charge of the Tartan Exchange in Essen and Berlin, for which he is responsible for all planning of the exchange in the US and Germany. In addition to Germany, these exchange trips include visits to France, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and occasionally Iceland.

He is also a dedicated language learner, and has had courses in Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, Irish and private study in Hebrew. Additional experience includes farm work / family stays for the purpose of learning language in Iceland, Mexico, France and Russia.