THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 24, 1995 TAG: 9512240012
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
The school year didn't get off to a great start for Claudia Cosimano.
Days before she was to begin her 21st year teaching Spanish, flames swept through Princess Anne High School and through the collected memories, class notes and study aids of Cosimano's career, all of it spent at PA.
Things have improved for Cosimano, however, first with the widespread community support for the Princess Anne staff and students in the wake of the fire. And more recently came word that she has been named the state's foreign language teacher of the year.
``It's very special. It makes me feel very lucky,'' Cosimano said of the honor. ``There are lots of people who are as good as me or better.''
Her students would say she's being humble.
``I think she's awesome,'' said senior Katie West, who is in Cosimano's advanced placement Spanish class. ``I think she's one of the best teachers I have.''
West might have ended up with Cosimano as a biology teacher, if not for a decision Cosimano made in college.
She said she always wanted to be a teacher, and entered the College of William and Mary committed to becoming either a biology or Spanish instructor.
The decision of which to pursue was made, she jokes, upon learning that, ``In order to teach biology, I'd have had to take far too many math classes.''
Teaching styles have changed dramatically since she started out in the classroom, Cosimano said. The emphasis now is on having students work with each other and having them use the language.
``I don't know how we didn't think of it before,'' she said.
Clearly, she has made her mark on many of her students: Some have gone on to teach Spanish themselves, even completing their student teaching under her.
Watching Cosimano in the classroom at Celebration Station helps explain why she was chosen the state's best at what she does.
Not a word of English is spoken in her advanced placement classes, where the school's 15 best Spanish students take classes that could earn them college credit.
On this particular day, students are doing ``how-to'' demonstrations to practice their skills using commands. They teach their classmates how to make sandwiches, prepare Kool-Aid and tie the perfect Windsor knot.
They play hangman and pair off to work on their vocabulary. Whether joking or giving instructions, Cosimano always speaks in Spanish and her students respond in kind.
The class converses easily with Cosimano as she asks about calculus class, sends one student next door to request that the heat be turned down and inquires about a tutor for a younger student.
The teenagers make a seamless transition from gossiping in English outside the classroom to speaking Spanish inside. Even when they struggle with a word, they don't revert to their native language.
``She's one of my favorite teachers,'' said senior Christina Vitug. ``She understands we have other classes besides Spanish. When she teaches, she does a lot of creative things. She doesn't lecture the whole bell. She doesn't let us get bored.''
Cosimano thinks one of the reasons for her success is her relationship with the young people.
``I really, really like my students. If you don't really like teenagers, they know it,'' she said.
Ann Rolbin, chairman of the awards committee for the Foreign Language Association of Virginia - the group that gives the teacher-of-the-year award - said Cosimano emerged as ``the best of the best'' for a lot of reasons.
``She is a very enthusiastic person. She loves the profession, she loves her students,'' Rolbin said. ``She goes the extra mile to help the kids and make them love what she teaches.''
For her part, Cosimano said she hopes she sends students off with the interest and skills to pursue the language she loves.
``I hope they love Spanish and I hope they want to continue to use Spanish,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
STEVE EARLEY/The Virginian-Pilot
Claudia Cosimano has taught Spanish for more than 21 years. She says
she enjoys her students; they feel the same about her. Cosimano was
named the state's foreign language teacher of the year.
by CNB