This was previously published in our October 2025 issue.
Tammy Kita always seems to wear a smile on her face. Whether she is talking to a student, a teacher, a good friend, or someone she just met, her kind and friendly nature has an impact on many people. Kita has been a dedicated English Language Development (ELD) teacher at Emmaus High School since 2009, but her impact goes far beyond just the classroom. She understands what it is like for students to adapt and learn something that might be foreign to them. For Kita, ELD isn’t just a subject; it is a tool for students learning about a new language, culture, and life.
Before Kita came to teach at EHS, she spent several years living in Japan, where she developed her fluency in Japanese. She can also speak some Spanish and can say greetings in over half a dozen other languages. Kita then went on and taught sixth-grade science at Whitehall Middle School. Her background helps connect
with students.
“I love working with these students,” Kita said. “They all come with such different stories, different circumstances in life, different educations that they bring.”
Senior Guillermo Lockward was in Kita’s ELD class during his freshman and sophomore years and is one student who still feels her impact.
“It was always just fun and was a great class,” Lockward said. “Everyone had a good attitude, everyone participated… it was nice.”
Lockward was already fluent in English when he entered the class, so the class wasn’t as challenging for him as it is for other students. He enjoyed the class and the environment so much that he was upset when he tested out.
“When they told me that I wasn’t in ELD anymore, I got mad,” Lockward said.
Kita is both a teacher and mentor whose passion for culture and education extends beyond the class walls. She has opened up her
home and her arms to many international exchange students over the years and is currently hosting a student from Japan named Saki Takasi who has the opportunity to take classes at EHS this year.
“Again, everybody is arriving with different levels of English and different degrees of different personalities,” Kita said. “A different personality can affect somebody’s ability to integrate or to learn language.”
In addition to hosting students, Kita also participates in CIEE Global Navigator, which is a high school study abroad program where students can choose a category and travel to different countries and learn through one of the programs. Some of the programs are arts, culture, business, and STEM. This summer, Kita traveled to Morocco as a guide with 18 students from all across the U.S. through the leadership program.
Her ambitions to help others and to impact students continues as she is also the advisor for the Global Citizens Club. When she first arrived at EHS, it was originally called English as a Second Language (ESL) Club and she wanted to make an improvement to the name.
“It was only for ESL students, and it was nice, but I felt like it was a little bit isolating,” Kita said. “So we made it open to everybody.”
Kita is inclusive and wants her students to connect with others. Many of her past students come to club meetings to see her
and makes a point to visit her in their own time. Lockward tries to visit Kita twice a week.
“I like going there to see her, and she always has a smile on her face to see me,” Lockward said. “She strives hard, and if you’re stuck on something, she will always find a way to really help you. She is really special.”
