Hope McKay

Name of your school:
Burns Jr/Sr High School

Language(s) Taught: Spanish

Years of Experience: 10
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Education:
B.A in Spanish & Secondary Education- University of Wyoming

Tell us a little about yourself - your family, hobbies, passions, etc.
I am blessed every day by my three amazing children (twin 6-year-old boys & a 3-year-old girl) and my supportive husband. Whenever I find time, I adore gardening and aspire to build a massive food forest in our yard. I also enjoy building community with those around me. I guess you could say that people are my passion. 
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What is the most rewarding part of your career as a language teacher?
Our line of work has a high amount of stress, and so it can be easy to be distracted or discouraged by our own and our students' progress. BUT, I find that it is usually in these times of high stress when we are blessed with glimpses of our true impact in the world. Those times a student comes in to talk about something in their life that is hard right now. Or when you see a student who has not been engaging, begin to find success in your class (maybe for the first time in a while in a school setting)! I think I fell into the trap of being to focused on my curriculum for too long, and I missed opportunities to connect with students. As I focus more and more on my students as people, I am better able to meet them where they are and encourage them to stretch their brain muscles a bit further than comfortable. 

Tell us a little about your experience as a WALT member:
I presented/attended my first WFLTA (now WALT) meeting when I had just graduated from high school to promote an after school program for ELL learners in Laramie. As a student teacher of our very own Katherine Boehnke, I remember being blown away by a TPRS presenter, and being encouraged by Jaime Basham to attend my first board meeting after the conference. A few years later (like Jaime had said), I was elected President Elect, and later served as President. Now I am Past President and our current Wyoming Representative for PNCFL. I have been mentored and encouraged by numerous passionate language teachers. I would not be the teacher I am today without this amazing network of lifelong-learning educators! I hope to repay this beautiful favor onto new language teachers in years to come.

What is one personal or professional goal that you have for yourself, your school, your language program, or your state?
I want to balance people and proficiency in my classroom. Each student shows up with a different story, and I want to meet them where they are so that they can grow. I also try to balance the chaos of fun and the structure needed to learn efficiently. 

Tell us about your favorite travel experiences.
Travel is where the love of languages and culture come alive! I was first bitten by the travel bug as a sophomore in high school on a trip to Costa Rica (with a built in host family stay). Later my mom, grandma, and I would return and visit my host mom. (She made some amazing "panqueques" with fresh fruit and honey! I had tried for years to figure out what that delicious breakfast was and then found out it was just her version of pancakes.) Since then, I have visited Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and I studied abroad in Chile for 5 months in college. I took students to Costa Rica in 2024 and had the honor of seeing them get bitten by the travel bug. It is amazing to me how these distant places can become home if we let ourselves embrace the people with open hearts. My best advice for someone traveling is to keep a quote page because by the end of the trip, you will be laughing so hard you will cry from the wonderful and funny moments. I have often wished our eyes could record what we see so that we could revisit amazing memories like these. But for now, we are content reminiscing on these life-changing adventures. 

Do you have any advice for other world language teachers?
We are ALL still learning, so do not be discouraged by the days that go horribly wrong. We cannot grow if we stay comfortable. Reach out for support! This is an amazing organization full of some of the kindest people I have ever met!