Glen Rock High School welcomed a new teacher, Meltem Spicer.

Spicer is the new French teacher, leading the French club as well as Model UN.

She’s received two Master’s degrees, one from the University of Kansas, and the other from University of Missouri. She also has a degree in French Language and Literature from Sorbonne University.

Spicer grew up in France, and she loved it there.

“Thinking back now, I love it even more. I was born and raised there, so that was the only country I knew. I was quite happy and I had a very good time there,” Spicer said.

Spicer has noticed that the education system in France is different from the education system in America. In France, more is done in the classroom, and the work is slightly more difficult.

Spicer likes to play tennis when she’s not in school. She loves shopping, especially for antiques, and she enjoys watching movies. Her favorite movie is Chappaquiddick.

She relates a funny coincidence on how she got into the teaching profession.

“Back in Turkey, I was taking classes from Sorbonne University French Literature classes. Since I was a fluent French speaker, I got an offer from the French Institute, they were giving literature classes and they said ‘Would you like to teach evening classes?’ and I said, ‘Yes! I’d love to’,” Spicer said. “That’s how it started really.”

If she wasn’t a teacher, she’d be a journalist, or maybe even a diplomat, as she enjoys traveling. Even so, she loves being a teacher.

“I love interacting with the students,” Spicer said. “I love how to see how happy they get when they know that they are learning.”