Herr Bis' Webseite

A little (too much) about me:  This is my 23nd year teaching German (and sometimes biology) at Emmaus High School.  Prior to that, I taught both German and biology at Whitehall High School and the University of Scranton.  I've been learning German since 9th grade (over 30 years!), but my interest in the language began when I was in seventh grade and my older sister enrolled in her first German course.  I visited Germany for the first time during the summer between my junior and senior years of high school.  After graduation, I was accepted to the University of Scranton as a Biology (pre-med) major with a minor in German.  I really enjoyed my science courses, but I LOVED German.  In my junior year of college, I decided I had to follow my passion, and I added German as a second major with the plans of becoming a German teacher.

After getting degrees in German and biology, I enrolled in the University of Scranton's Graduate Program in Secondary Education where I earned a Masters Degree in Secondary Ed and my teaching certificate in both subject areas.  During my graduate studies, I applied for and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, through which I was able to spend a year teaching English as a teaching assistant in a college-prep high school (Gymnasium) in northern Germany.  What an experience!  I was able to travel all over Europe!  When I returned to the U.S., I completed my graduate work while teaching both Elementary German II and the Freshman Biology Labs at the University.  A few years later, I went back to grad school and completed my Masters Degree in German through Millersville University.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two daughters.  Travel is my absolute favorite activity, but I also enjoy fishing, hiking, playing the piano, reading, yard work, collecting foreign currency, and trying new foods.