Ms. Billman’s teaching speaks to students

Ms.+Billman

Ms. Billman

Clare Erwin, The Delphi Editor, Class of '21
February 11, 2019

Joining Delaware Valley is the new German teacher, Ms. Billman.

She’s been teaching all ages from kindergarteners to college students for about fifteen years and has taught in both Flemington and North Brunswick. She currently divides her time between Del Val and working as an adjunct professor at TCNJ in the master’s program. Additionally, she’s in the process of earning her doctorate in Education Leadership at Lehigh University.

Here, she enjoys teaching German II and IV Honors. “The students and the staff are the best part,” she says. “I have such a good time here. The students are always willing to participate in whatever silly activities or games that I have for them and they’re huge supporters of each other.”

Ms. Billman studied German as her undergraduate degree at Westminster College, inspired by her German heritage. From there she went on to work in international finance, traveling to both London and Germany where she covered the German mutual funds. Billman frequently traveled in or around Europe and naturally began to teach English as a second language. This inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in TESL, Teaching English as a Second Language. She taught ESL for eleven years before deciding to begin teaching German.

Her teaching style reflects her ability to bring excitement into the classroom, as well as to emphasize practicing the language. “The way that I teach is very interactive. I don’t like to have students sitting for a long period of time because it’s boring for them, and it’s boring for me, too.” Students participate in a variety of activities as well as grouping strategies to become comfortable and familiar with the language. In addition to German, Ms. Billman also speaks bits and pieces of Spanish, Russian, and Dutch. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, and hiking. Ms. Billman’s advice to students is to open themselves up to the challenges of learning a new language and embrace them. “The biggest obstacle is inside you. If you can put aside your fear of making mistakes, you could learn any language. Because really, what’s holding you back is you. Anyone can learn anything and I truly believe that,” she expressed.