Spanish

Elementary School Spanish ClassesThe DCS Spanish program seeks to expose children to a second language as naturally as possible through listening, speaking, singing, reciting phrases and Bible verses, playing games and a variety of creative and fun activities.  Each classroom has a total of 45 minutes per week for Spanish learning emphasis.  Each year we pick one Spanish speaking country to learn about so the students realize that there are over 20 countries whose official language is Spanish.  We do approximately 4 lessons per year dealing with the theme country.  We also learn the Bible theme verse and/or song in Spanish.  Many of our activities are taught in conjunction with the classroom curriculum such as calendar words, Bible verse, songs, science units, social studies units and even art class!

Private School Spanish InstructionBriefly it is the “5 C’s”:

  • Communication:  learning language for real life situations
  • Cultures:  understanding other people’s points of view, ways of life and contributions to the world
  • Connections: creating links to other subject areas
  • Comparisons:  understanding one’s native culture by comparing and contrasting it to another culture
  • Communities:  emphasizing that we live in a global society

Mrs. Koning’s  Bio

Spanish Teacher Mrs. KoningEducation Background

  •  1980 Graduated from The Reformed Bible College
  • 1985 Graduated from Calvin College, Masters of Arts in Teaching

Teaching Experience

  • 2 years with Grand Rapids Christian School Association, grades K-4.
  • 10 years at Dutton Christian School, grades K-8.

Personal Life

4 children:  2 boys, 2 girls (one boy is married, one girl is at Hope College, one boy is a junior at Calvin Christian High School, one girl is a student at Lincoln Developmental Center.

My husband is a pastor of Trinity Christian Reformed Church in Grandville, MI.  We’ve been married for 31 years.  He is from Minnesota and I am from Vermont.

Since I have two children with disabilities, I am involved in teaching Friendship Club at our church.  We also served as missionaries with Christian Reformed World Missions for approximately 4 years in Central America.

Fun Fact 

I went hunting in South Africa with my husband in 2007!