Nathan Fouquet

Athough Nathan Fouquet will be teaching two Spanish classes this year, his family and his name are actually French. “My great, great, great grandfather came straight over from France,” said Fouquet, “And he actually had a stand at the 1904 worlds fair.”

Despite Fouquet’s French ancestry, he excelled at Spanish during high school and college. “I took a couple of classes in high school but it wasn’t super engaging to me,” said Fouquet. “Then I had some really engaging professors in college that I gravitated towards, and they encouraged me along the way.”

After graduating from college with a degree in economics, Fouquet decided to take a gap year and do volunteer work in Panama. This is when he fell became enthralled with Spanish. “I just fell in love with the language, fell in love with the culture, fell in love with the people, and found that I had a niche for working with kids.” Said Fouquet. Since his first experience teaching kids, Fouquet has worked at three different private schools over the course of 13 years.

Not only does Fouquet have a long history of teaching, but he also has roots in the Clayton school district. “My mother-in-law is a retiree of the Clayton district, she was a kindergarten teacher at Captain for 20 years and spoke very highly of her experience there.” Said Fouquet. Along with having family in the district, Fouquet has also worked with two former Clayton administrators. “After doing more research I realized that Clayton was the place where I wanted to be,” said Fouquet. “They emphasize excellence for their students, as well as creating well-rounded individuals.”

As the new school year begins, Fouquet is excited to get to know his students. “I’ve been teaching at an all-girls private school so I’m excited to teach at a school where gender diversity and racial diversity is a thing, where there is more ethnic diversity.” After spending 13 years teaching only at private schools, Fouquet is eager to step out of his comfort zone. “This is definitely going to push me and my personal and professional development.”

As well as getting to know his students in the classroom, Fouquet is also excited about the possibility of taking his students on some trips. “I definitely would like to see what trips are available and I love the idea of taking students abroad.” Said Fouquet. “The immersion experience is without a doubt the best and most effective way for students to get to know the people, experience the culture, and really have a perspective change.”

Teaching a language doesn’t come without its challenges and Fouquet is ready to help students who may be struggling with Spanish. “Talking with students and identifying some of the more difficult aspects or components in the class and the subject is really important.” Said Fouquet. “It starts with taking a student and saying hey, what are some things that you are struggling with?”

For Fouquet, communication is the key to mastering the art of Spanish.