In Remembrance of Frau Michalak

IMSA students, alumni, faculty, and staff were all shocked and saddened by the passing of our beloved German teacher, Agneiszka Michalak, on Wednesday, September 20th. 

Frau joined the IMSA family in 2003, spreading her humor and joy to her students, and to the community at large. She studied German at the University of Wroclaw in Poland and the University of Illinois-Chicago. She was also a long-time member of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), often having students recognized by them for outstanding scores on national exams. A few were even awarded summer study scholarships to Germany.

The Acronym has compiled a selection of memories from current students, alumni, and faculty who wanted to share some of their treasured moments with Frau. We extend our special thanks to all who contributed.

 

 

“Frau always started class by going around asking each student how their day was going.  ‘Wie geht es dir?’ ‘Wie ist dein Wochenende gegangen?’ Those questions to start class were just one symptom of the incredible amount of love and care she showed towards each individual student.

One day, die Papagei, one of her many stuffed animals, went missing. In her sarcastic, overdramatic way, she told us, ‘Jemand hat die Papagei gestohlen! Wir brauchen mehr Sicherheit! Mehr Disziplin! Sucht die Wohnheime!’ And we always joked that Frau didn’t really care if you did the homework or not, but she’d still publicly shame you. Very rarely was the homework graded, but if Frau asked, ‘Wo ist deine Hausaufgabe?’ and you didn’t have it, she’d make you walk in front of the whole class over to the other room to complete it (‘In den anderen Zimmer, geh’). One day after the National German Exam, she passed me in the hallway, said ‘Sprachmeister!’, gave me a thumbs up, and continued on her way. Frau’s kindness and sense of humor made German such a welcoming space that it honestly felt like the German classroom existed in its own isolated bubble in that one corner of A-wing. You stepped foot into that classroom, greeted by the Checkpoint Charlie ‘YOU ARE LEAVING THE AMERICAN SECTOR’ sign, and for an hour a day, nothing outside mattered except that kein Englisch wurde in der Deutschstunde gesprochen.

When ISoMP needed a sponsor at the end of my sophomore year, she happily stepped up and volunteered. I always felt kind of bad, like I was stealing her nights and making her drive 45 minutes out here when she could be at home watching Netflix or something, but she always came in with a smile and laughed at the stupid songs we were writing and she’d talk to us afterwards and say how much she enjoyed it.

We will never have another Frau, but in just a few short years she’s impacted my life so much. The unwavering kindness, love, and commitment she displayed day in and day out, good day or bad day, first mod or eighth mod, continues to inspire and challenge me to always be learning, growing, and serving. She will be truly missed.” 

– Garrett Snedden (‘24)

 

“I never had the chance to take German at IMSA, but Frau was a teacher for far more than the subject. I was blessed to be placed in her Titan Crew for the past two years. She taught me the power of friendship and she showed me how sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference. What I think was so amazing about Frau was her memory to recall the personality and individuality of every student she has taught in her career. I think my greatest joy was having the chance to draw flowers for Frau. Those from the graduating classes of ‘22 and ‘23 in German with Frau may recall the whiteboards filled with colorful flowers during the springtime which I had the honor to draw. I drew a flower for every graduating senior of the class of 2022 in Frau’s German class because Frau told me how much she loved flowers. ‘Every student like a flower has every right to bloom.’  Frau gave us every opportunity to do so. I remember Frau told me she loved roses, so I drew her a red rose because I knew it was her favorite. I would draw a million more roses if it meant seeing you smile one last time, Frau. 💗”

– Sridevi Krothapalli (‘23)

 

“Frau Michalak was an incredible German teacher. She was kind and compassionate, asking us every day how we were doing. She made German fun for her students, introducing us to silly songs, German foods, books, movies, and culture. She was always coming up with creative assignments that brought the class together; I remember filming short videos for her class and always making friends along the way. Every year in her class, we would take the national German exam – while she stressed to us that our performance on the exam didn’t really matter, it was an opportunity to track our learning and growth. My performance on the exam senior year helped me get an opportunity to study abroad in Berlin for a summer, where I lived with a host family and studied at a German school. While in Germany, I shared a meal with my host family and their grandmother, who spoke very little English. I remember how she ordered a whole local fish for me and I had to explain to her that I had never filleted a whole fish before! In that moment, I was thanking Frau Michalak for giving me the skills to communicate with her so that I would not seem disrespectful. Frau Michalak truly touched my heart and she will be deeply missed. Frau, thank you for all that you did for me and for all your students.”

– Nina Denne (‘17)

 

“Frau Michalak was more than just a teacher to me; she was a mentor, a source of happiness, and, above all, a friend. Her passion for teaching the language that she held so dearly to her heart was inspirational. She had an innate ability to get every single student that walked through her door to fall in love with German, learning, and each other. 

I miss her smiles in passing and hugs at graduation. I miss disrupting her lessons when Christo and I played catch in her classroom. I miss our weekly surprise of Schokolade and Gummibärchen. I thank her for graciously writing my college recommendation. I’m learning German in college right now because of Frau.

One of my life’s greatest honors has been being able to call her my Lehrerin und Freund. Thank you Frau Michalak for forever being our Oma.”

– Shikhar Gupta (‘22)

 

“It was always a joy to walk into Frau Michalak’s class and hear her welcoming greeting ‘Meine Damen und Herren!’ Learning German allowed me to go on a study abroad to Düsseldorf in college. I briefly reconnected with Frau Michalak during that summer, and shared some of my experiences via e-mail. At IMSA, she dealt with so many of our class’s shenanigans, but because of her patience and kindness, we absorbed more of the language than we expected. I remember being so grateful to her when I was browsing frozen yogurts at a grocery store in Germany, and an elderly gentleman remarked how overwhelming it was that there were so many flavors to choose from (don’t ask me how to say this 10 years later, but I was delighted that I understood him at the time)! I’ll miss Frau Michalak’s laugh and smile the most.”

– Diana Xu (‘12)

 

“Frau Michalak was an excellent teacher, but more than her teaching prowess, I most remember her enthusiasm and dedication to her students. I remember the belegtes Brot she made for our class senior year, the little gifts she gave us on our birthdays, and when we emailed her at 3 a.m. to ask for an extension on an Aufsatz, she would first ask us if we were okay — she wanted to make sure we were getting enough sleep. Frau Michalak was a teacher who truly cared and a mentor who would send you messages, even after graduation, just to check up on you and let you know she was thinking about you.

My last email conversation with Frau Michalak took place a little over a year ago. We talked about one of our mutual role models, and Frau praised them by writing: ‘So viel kann eine Person tun und dazu sehr bescheiden bleiben…’ She admired that a person could do so much and still remain so humble. These words are fitting because they also apply directly to Frau Michalak herself. She did so much for her students and yet never asked for anything in return. I know that her unending kindness and optimism will continue to inspire me and all of her students for years to come.”

– Parth Dhyani (‘18)

 

“Agnieszka was a wonderful teacher, and was one of my first mentors on a collegial support team when I started at IMSA 16 years ago, before I even added the Driscoll to my name. She was kind and supportive, and helped me learn how to engage students in class in new ways. My experience with her is why I encourage new biology faculty to seek out language teachers for their own CSTs. I have funny memories of her teaching me to pronounce her name with the appropriate accent! We rarely missed an opportunity to say hello and catch up for a minute or two in the hallway or the parking lot, and she always had a smile and a kind word. Our community will be diminished without her, but her impact will certainly live on.”

– Sarah O’Leary Driscoll (IMSA Faculty)