The teacher files
Tour with Spanish instructor Irma Bjerre
STORY AND PHOTO BY MERARI CALDERON RUIZ
She arrived in Salmon, Idaho, 37 years ago with the Amity
Institute Exchange Program. It was 40 degrees below zero.
Today, Irma Bjerre is a Clackam as Com m unity College
Spanish instructor o f and has traveled all around the
world exploring and learning about new cultures.
The Clackamas Print: W here are you from?
Irm a Bjerre: I’m from Caramanta, Colombia.
TCP: H ow long have you been teaching?
Bjerre: I have been teaching now for alm ost 20 years and
at Clackamas for 16 years.
TCP: W h a t’s the m ost interesting thing that has
happened to you as a teacher?
; lackamas
PRINT
O
©
TCP: W hat are your hobbies?
This interview has been edited for clarity and space.
Dave Scott • Certified Arborist
(503) 659-2734
• PRUNE/SHAPE/REMOVE
• TREES/SHRUBS/HEDGES
• AERIAL BUCKET TRUCK
•CONSULTING
• LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE
• BRUSH CHIPPING
• STUMP GRINDING
•BONDED
«LICENSED
«INSURED
«CCB#62576
Megan McCoy
chiefed@clackamas.edu
newsed@clackamas.edu
Arts & Culture
Matthew Rowning
aced@clackamas.edu
Associate Arts & Culture
Blake Swan
Sports Editor
Katie Archer
sportsed@clackamas.edu
Copy Editor
copyed@ciackamas.edu
Read more of this interview at TheClackamasPrint.com
Photo Editor
Austin Boltz
photoed@clackamas.edu
Web Editor
Chelsea Pagan
webeditor@clackamas.edu
Ad Manager
Robin Scott
admgr@clackamas.edu
Design Editor
Brandon Chorum
STAFF WRITERS
& PHOTOGRAPHERS
Cassidy White
Debbie Fox
E
o
u
c
a
(A
(0
E
re
■
■■■■
TRI-COUNTY TREE SERVICE
chiefed@clackamas.edu
Co Editor-in-Chief
Shaylyn Struna
Bjerre: I think P m an eclectic teacher because I teach
foreign language, which is Spanish. 1 use several methods
and several techniques to get m y m essage across. I think
in teach in g foreign lan guages, you learn a lot about
d ifferen t m ethodologies and d ifferen t techniques so
the students can learn the foreign language.
Bjerre: I love to spend tim e w ith m y husband and go
hiking. I love traveling, anytime during the summer when
w e can travel and especially, I like going to Colombia.
We spend some tim e in the country and go to school. My
husband is a form er architect and has worked abroad,
going to Spain and Italy. I don’ t travel just to travel and
be a tourist.
Andrew Koczian
Saige Keikkala
TCP: W here have you traveled?
Bjerre: I have traveled a lot through Europe. I have been to
Italy. I have been in Spain. In fact, I just took my sabbatical
during the spring break and studied in Barcelona, Spain.
I went through 150 hours of Spanish teacher training. We
lived there w ith m y husband for seven w eeks during my
course work and then we traveled to places we have been
before, we went to Italy. I love being in Venice and we went
to Germany. Then we w ent to Denmark. I have been in
Kosovo. I have been in Macedonia, Colombia, Argentina,
Uruguay and South America. Pve been to Peru, too. I took
a group to Peru in about 2008, we w ent to Machu Pichu. I
have also traveled to Central America and Mexico.
TCP: W hat is your teaching style?
Co Editor-in-Chief
News Editor
Bjerre: I think that being a teacher in itself has been very
interesting to me. I feel very happy w hen the students
can tell me they can use w hat they have learned in the
classroom . In fact, this w eek I had a student in one of
m y classes, in beginning Spanish, and she w orks in the
school district. They have this big m eeting w ith parents
and the principal and staff and she was able to use some
of the vocabulary words of some of the sentences we have
learned in Spanish 101. Not only that, but she was able
to greet the Latin parents the way that we learn to greet
people in the Spanish class.
TCP: W hat is your favorite part about being a teacher?
Bjerre: I love teaching my language and m y culture and it
is fine that Pm not a native speaker. I grew up in Colombia
and I still have my family in Colombia. For me, I am always
learning even about m y own culture and I love to teach
new ways of life to m y students.
EDITORIAL
u
■E
u
0
Lily Shaver
Merari Calderon Ruiz
Victoria Tinker
PRODUCTION
Justan Honer
Taras Kovch
JOURNALISM ADVISER
Melissa Jones
melissaj@clackamas.edu
The Clackamas Print aims to
report the news in an honest,
unbiased and professional manner.
Content published in The Print is not
screened or subject to censorship.
Email comments, concerns or tips to:
chiefed@ciackamas.edu
or call us at 503-594-6266
ON THE COVER: Cover design by Brandon Chorum.
19600 Molalla Ave.
Oregon City. OR 97045