Mlle Smedstad

Please allow me to share a little bit about myself. I hail from Owatonna, MN, where my high school French teacher, Madame Peterson, fed my growing passion for the French language. During my undergraduate studies at Luther College, I was lucky to study abroad in Nantes, France for a semester while I completed a major in French and Political Science. After graduation, I decided to go back to France, where I was an English language assistant at a high school in northern France for seven months. After a brief stint as a bilingual sales representative in Toronto, Canada, I returned to the U.S. in 2005 and began my immersion teaching career at Normandale! Since then, I have earned my Master's degree in teaching from St. Thomas University and spent a month in Strasbourg, France studying with other French immersion teachers from around the country.

I am committed to creating an environment where every student feels loved, respected, understood, and successful. I have found that proactive and open communication among students, families, and me is the key in tailoring instruction in the classroom with each student's strengths and challenges. I look forward to getting to know your family and your awesome 2nd grader!