Most people dream of traveling the world and experiencing different cultures. Streetsboro’s very own French teacher, Bella Wagner, has done both of these things.

Wagner is from Mantua and is a graduate of both Crestwood High School and The University of Mount Union. 

Wagner studied French and education at Mount Union. 

During her first two years of college, Wagner was studying math and education, before deciding they were not for her so she switched over to French. 

Growing up, Wagner lived with her parents and her younger brother, who is now 18. She said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher and that was always her goal.

Wagner has traveled all over Europe to places like Italy, Monaco, Germany, Spain, Ireland, England, Switzerland, Canada and of course, her favorite, France.

Wagner first went to France to take classes for six weeks because it was a better learning opportunity for her there, she said. The second time she went, she lived there for four months.

“I think one of the biggest things that I really took from traveling is all of the different culture shocks, because wherever you go, is so different,” she said. “The atmosphere and the vibes are so different.”. 

Wagner described the world as “smaller” and “accessible” for her because she has had  the opportunity to go to many places.

While in France, Wagner was a teaching assistant in the English high school classrooms. She described this experience as “more difficult” than teaching French to English speakers, because English is so “instinctual” for her and she did not necessarily learn the language. 

This summer, Wagner’s aunt, Streetsboro Middle School teacher Gail Hand, , introduced her to this long-term substitute teacher gig. 

Senior Mason Kamlowsky has Wagner for French IV first period 

“Every time I would walk into the French room, no matter how bad of a day I was having, it was immediately gone by just how fun the class was,” he said.

Kamlowsky also said his favorite thing about Wagner is how much she cares about her students. 

Junior Mallory Rice, who has French III with Wagner fifth period, “She is young, so she can relate to the students more,” she said.

Wagner is only going to be the French substitute teacher until the full-time teacher, Alisha Bohn, returns after Christmas break. The things she was going to miss the most is the relationships with her students she has developed since the start of school. 

Wagner said she loves her job at Streetsboro and hopes there is more to come for her.