Hi there!
I'm Zach Bracken
Bio
Originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania, I grew up in the profession of teaching; my mom was a first grade teacher at my elementary school. I spent countless days in her classroom after school until 5 or 6 pm! Needless to say, my comfort level in classrooms is very high. It's no surprise at all that I've followed in my mother's footsteps and have become an educator myself. My mother instilled a value of respect for all people in me from a young age. This value blossomed into a love for exploring new cultures and languages that I'm proud to be bringing to the next generation of students in our public schools.
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Professional Experience
Las Vegas High School
Clark County, NV
July 2022 - Present
Teacher: French as a Foreign Language (FLE)
Only teacher of French 1, 2-Honors, 3-Honors
Taught French 3-Honors online with Nevada Learning Academy (2022-23)
Student Council Advisor (2023-24)
Association Representative for Clark County Education Assn. (2024-)
Millbrook High School
Frederick County, VA
August 2017 - June 2022
Teacher: French as a Foreign Language (FLE)
Only teacher of French, levels 1, 2, 3, 4-Honors, and 5-AP
VHSL Theatre Coach • VHSL Forensics Coach
Drama Club Director • French Club Sponsor • GSA Sponsor
Co-Building Representative for Frederick County Education Association
Education & Training
August 2024 - Present
Master's Degree
English as a Second Language
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Project P.U.E.B.L.O. Cohort 4 Master's Degree Candidate Project PUEBLO is a Master's Degree in English Language Learning that is 100% completely publicly funded with an anticipated completion date of June 30, 2025.
August 2013 - May 2017
Bachelor of Science
World Languages Education
Penn State University
Bachelor's Degree in World Langauges Education with a specialization in French. 3.82 GPA.
Recipient of Penn State Altoona's "Excellence in Language Award" for academic performance in French 2, French 3, and French 201.
Recipient of Dean's List, all eight semesters.
January - May 2016
French Study Abroad
Université Paul Valéry/Montpellier-3
French language immersion program through the University of Minnesota. 4.00 GPA.
Coursework includes two classes for students of français langue étrangère (FLE), educational courses for native French speaking students, French history, French culture, conversational French, and an educational internship
Teaching Certifications
Pennsylvania
Instructional I
French PK-12
active but unused
Virginia
Collegiate Professional License
French PK-12
exp. 30 June 2032
NEVADA
Professional License
French PK-12
Professional
expires January 2029
England
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
French
Teacher Reference Number
1982044
Why Learn
French?
ONE OF THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS
Connections
Multilingualism allows us to make life-long connections with people from different cultures.
GLOBALIZATION
Whether for work, vacation, or education, languages open the doors to the rest of the world.
CULTURE
Learning about how other people live will have a profound impact on our own daily lives.
OPPORTUNITY
In the modern world, the global economy is a place that is thriving, especially for multilingual workers.
People always ask how I came to decide on being a French teacher.
It all started in high school. When I transferred to public school, I was presented with the opportunity to take French and I took it! After two years, I decided to take a break from French in pursuit of additional music courses (this was, at the time, my intended university major). During my senior year, I had room in my schedule and decided to take French 3. Even after a year away from French, I was one of the best students in the class.
As the year progressed, I discovered both a talent for languages and deep admiration for the French language in particular. I additionally was inspired to pursue a career in world language education because I lived in a fairly closed-minded town. My hope was to inspire people to discover the world and accept the differences of other people and cultures.