Traveling between a few classrooms to deliver her best as an educator, Jessica Kolar is one of the Region’s multilingual teachers. The population of people speaking different languages is spread out in Valparaiso, so she specifically travels to four elementary schools within the city. Though the travel might be disorienting, she works efficiently to assist students struggling to balance multiple languages.
Kolar grew up in Monticello, Indiana, and her family also lived in the West Lafayette area. She’s been all over the state, however, having done her undergraduate studies in Spanish at Butler University in Indianapolis. She moved overseas following graduation to teach English as a second language, living in Madrid, the capital of Spain, for three years.
“For the majority of the time I was living over there, it was amazing. I wish everybody could have that opportunity. Getting that cultural exposure makes you aware of so many things that are more important than the bubble we typically get caught up in,” she said. “Time moves slower there, and it was definitely a culture shock when I moved back home.”
Upon returning to the United States, Kolar took on a handful of random jobs. She made a return to education via Indiana’s Transition to Teaching program, which allowed her to better make use of her expertise in a classroom environment without requiring her to get another degree.
The move to Valpo for Kolar was brought about by love. Her husband, whom she met as an undergrad, is originally from the city. The couple made their relocating-related decision out of an urge to both be closer to family and start one of their own. Being now in Porter County’s largest community, the languages spoken are many and vary, opening up opportunities for linguistics teachers, like Kolar.
“One of the reasons I love my job so much is because I get to work with families as a whole, and help them get acquainted with the community to find resources they might need,” she said. “We have one of the biggest other-language populations in our community. There are a lot of languages represented, so I like working to make people feel like they are welcome here.”
Kolar collaborates with newcomers and familiars alike. She uses her classrooms to tackle the complexities of English. She’ll usually start classes by asking students for the date. Some days she’ll devote entire lessons to addressing the difficulty of the language’s letters and their corresponding sounds. Other times she’ll bring in card games such as UNO to expedite listening comprehension. She has her students review the months and their birthdays when speaking, making a new concept easily approachable and available to them.
Teaching in a digital age can also be a challenging endeavor, especially when it comes to keeping students engaged in a world where translation apps are prevalent.
“One thing that has been a challenge for me is slowing down forms of communication. That involves me going in with the students and making whatever they’re doing in their classroom as accessible as possible,” she said. “Making those accommodations and giving that extra support are ways that I do multilingual instruction.”
Some of Kolar’s school corporations consult Compass International, a provider of tutoring services, and she hopes to volunteer with them more directly in the future.
The birth of her newborn son has also occupied much of her time for the past year. Her newly established duties as a mother can be difficult to manage, especially with her vocation, but that’s not to say she’s lacking support around her.
“I think most new moms would say it’s hard to leave your baby in someone else’s care, but it gets easier every day, and I’ve been making these great relationships with my coworkers. They’re always asking for pictures, so that helps,” she said. “We’re looking forward to his crawling because he started on St. Patrick’s Day, so it’ll be an active summer.”
In her free time, Kolar enjoys reading. She’s also a self-identified crafter and enjoys incorporating her hobbies into the classroom where she can. Recently, she’s been doing hand-stitching and making art with handheld devices intended for craft-creating.
All of Kolar’s immediate family resides in Indiana, but they remain closer to her hometown. Her husband’s immediate family is located in Valpo, so she has the luxury of enjoying the presence of members on both sides virtually all the time. As a result, she appreciates the places of her roots and her newfound home.
“It’s really nice that we’re never too far away from family,” Kolar said. “My husband even has a close-knit group of friends he grew up with, so that was another part of our reason for moving up here. We wanted that community for our kids to be able to grow up together.”