Jodi Schmalz, middle and high school German teacher in Portage, MI

Jodi Schmalz graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1997, and wasn’t expecting to go into a career involving German at all; in fact, she majored in philosophy and political science at K. However, after spending a year in Erlangen, Germany after graduation, she recognized that her German skills were her greatest asset to getting a job, and found herself first working at the German American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, and now teaching middle school and high school German in Portage, Michigan. She likes teaching, and now sees herself working in German education indefinitely.

Jodi admits that her first few years of teaching were sometimes very difficult, and that she still occasionally finds preparing five classes per day a challenge. However, Jodi strives not only to teach the German language, but to expose her students to German culture, and she finds this aspect – sharing her love of Germany and German culture with her students – incredibly rewarding.

Jodi considers Kalamazoo responsible for her ability to make socially responsible decisions, and studying abroad in Erlangen through the Kalamazoo program equipped her with a deep cultural understanding, language skills, and provided her with many lifelong friends of many nationalities. She originally learned German in order to supplement her philosophy background and because she has German heritage, but through this language she has discovered a love for the German culture, and strives to integrate it into her lifestyle as well as share it with others.