ERMA — Bienvenidos a la clase de español, welcome to the Spanish classroom of Señora JoDee Sattazahn-Hansen, who has been named Cape May County Teacher of the Year for 2025-2026.
The state Department of Education selects the 21 county Teachers of the Year, and they serve as ambassadors for the profession around the state. Teachers who applied submitted a written application, a video submission and underwent an interview.
“It’s such an honor to get this and to represent all the great teachers at my school,” Sattazahn-Hansen said. “The teachers at LCMR are really awesome, and we all learn from each other every day.”
Students returning to Sattazahn-Hansen’s classroom at Lower Cape May Regional High School this year will find her teaching Spanish II and Spanish Honors III and IV, which offer credit for college.
“New Jersey is always at the top for best schools in the nation, and I can see that in our school, how New Jersey can be ranked that way when I see all the work that [our] teachers do,” she said.
Sattazahn-Hansen earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Brigham Young University and a master’s in Spanish from California State University at Sacramento.
“My master’s program [let you] study in different countries,” Sattazahn-Hansen said, adding that she did so in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Spain.
Studying Spanish abroad allowed Sattazahn-Hansen to appreciate other cultures by living with local families and learning their customs. Her studies allowed her to develop a unique and authentic teaching style.
Sattazahn-Hansen began her career at LCMR in 1995. In 2003, she spent a year teaching middle school Spanish at Rumrudee International School in Bangkok, Thailand, before returning to Cape May.
The best thing about teaching “is seeing my students grow and how much they improve and mature,” she said. “It’s gratifying to see all the things they achieve.”
Sattazahn-Hansen’s classroom is never dull, with enthusiasm for learning from her students and fellow teachers.
“Teaching is a gratifying job,” she said. “It’s not even a job, it’s my life.”
To motivate her students, Sattazahn-Hansen uses authentic Spanish materials, including songs, telenovelas, commercials and short films.
Practicing speaking is essential and helping students with pronunciation and building confidence in their accent is pivotal for Sattazahn-Hansen.
“Sometimes students come [into the classroom] and you have to help them get beyond themselves and build their confidence,” she said. “Some of the kids are exposed to Spanish, but a lot don’t have exposure so they’re self-conscious or don’t think they will be able to learn.”
Once students can practice and experience success in communication, their confidence grows.
“It’s a challenge but I love helping them see how far they can go and that they can really speak Spanish and use their [classroom] skills,” Sattazahn-Hansen said.
Throughout her career, Sattazahn-Hansen has had the opportunity to serve as a mentor to both students and teachers. “There are different roles you can take as a teacher, different committees and groups within the school to contribute to the school community,” she said, adding that she is the adviser for the Spanish Honors Society.
One piece of advice Sattazahn-Hansen offers to other teachers is to focus on the positive aspects in the classroom.
“Focus on the effect you have on students, even if you don’t see that on a day-to-day basis and [know that] the effect that you have on kids is a positive one and that you have to remember that,” she said. “You might not see immediately the results of your work, and you might never know that you’ve helped someone, but you have to keep going and doing what you’re there for and that’s to be there for the kids.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
