Q & A with Spanish teacher, division chair Maggie Lay

Lay+is+in+charge+of+many+different+classes+throughout+the+building.+

James Dralle

Lay is in charge of many different classes throughout the building.

James Dralle, Staff Writer

Q: As the division chair, what are some of your responsibilities?

A. I oversee the teaching and curriculum for most of our elective areas. I’m responsible for interviewing new teachers, overseeing the writing for new test material, and your final exams. I also recruit new students to our classes, so I talk to 8th graders about their elective course options. My responsibilities include teaching. I teach a class of Spanish each day. When there are new things going on in the building, I help communicate those things to teachers. I wear a lot of hats in the building.

Q: What are some of the pros and cons of being in charge of so many activities?

A: It can be a lot to keep track of. There are seven different areas I oversee, and to know what’s going on in each of those areas is really challenging. I oversee everything from foreign language, business, food classes, so it’s hard to keep track of who’s doing what. But, I love it because it gives me the chance to help people.

Q: What are the seven areas you oversee?

A: World language, art, music, CTE (which is business), family and consumer science, and our Computer Aid Design classes.

Q: How long have you been working at South, and what were some of your past positions?

A: This is my 9th year. I was a Spanish teacher for several years, and it’s my third year as division chair. When I first started here, I also coached cheerleading.

Q: What do you enjoy most about teaching a foreign language?

A: I love listening to my students when they learn how to produce the language. My favorite days are actually test days when the kids come up to my desk and produce the language they learned from my class. Being able to hear someone talk in a different way they couldn’t before is really neat.

Q: What are some of the languages you can speak?

A: I can speak Spanish. I took two years of German when I was in high school, and I just know a tiny bit of sign language.