Bonjour. This 2017-2018 school year is my 15th here at L'Etoile du Nord. I have been teaching in the St. Paul School District for 19 years, previously as an Elementray ELL Teacher for four years at Hamline Elementary. This, however, is the most exciting and rewarding position I have had.
    Although I took French in high school, my love for language learning and discovery of other cultures didn't catch fire until my first voyage to another country. While doing my undergraduate work at UW-Madison I studied abroad twice: once for a semester in Budapest, Hungary and once for a semester in Rennes, France. Both of these experiences were formative, and have led to where I am today.
    Before beginning my teaching career here in the U.S. I spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in a high school in Gabon, Africa. Upon my return stateside I completed a Masters Degree in Education at the University of MN, with a focus on second languages and cultures. I now have a K-12 French license, a K-12 ESL license and a K-8 elementary education license.
French is the language I use at home with my wife, who is from Gabon, and our two sons.   My wife runs a French Immersion Child Care business in our home, so French is all around us all the time.
    The more I become involved in immersion education the more I find it fascinating. To see what these students are able to do with the language, both academically and socially, is amazing.
    Please feel free to come and visit. We love to have guests and our door is always open. You can contact me at 651-774-6989 or by email at nick.gasho@spps.org.