Building Language, Building Community

Taking selfies in Walmart might not sound like a typical teaching experience, but for Tonka Baric, it was a powerful moment in her education career. An English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor at Northampton Community College (NCC), Baric was honored when a former student approached her while out shopping and insisted on capturing the moment.  

“He ran down the aisle and said, ‘you changed my life’,” she recalls.  

It was a special moment with one of many special students that Baric has taught at NCC since she started working in 2024. A special education teacher who works with autistic children in the Pocono Mountain School District by day, Baric teaches multiple intermediate-level English as a Second Language (ESL) night classes on NCC’s Pocono campus.  

Working in the Pocono area, Northampton has always been on Baric’s radar. It was an introduction to NCC’s Center for College & Career Readiness Director, William Schaffer, and Adult Literacy Program Manager, Kevin Molnar, that brought her into the NCC teaching family. 

A child of Croatian immigrants, Baric speaks multiple languages aside from English, including Croatian, Spanish, and French. In her NCC classes, she teaches ESL with a civics component, meaning that she doesn’t just help her students learn English, she prepares them for their U.S. naturalization test. 

“Many of them have that interest in learning more preparation skills for their citizenship, but it also goes beyond that. It’s about understanding their community, how to use a post office, how to fill out a report, and the basics that they can use in their environment,” Baric explains.  

That community education aspect really helps students to get invested in Baric’s classes, which is a big help when most of them are working all day and then studying English at night.  

“You can see how tired they are, but they’re very motivated and very determined,” Baric says. “They want to learn more English. They want to be successful. They want to grow, expand, and work at occupations beyond what they’re doing.” 

Helping her students find and pursue new career paths through their courses feels like a full circle moment for Baric, who is always striving to expand her own education. After earning her bachelor's degree from Saint Francis College and a master’s in history from Queens College, Baric went on to earn a dual certification master’s degree in special education from Marywood University and is currently completing an additional ESL certification.  

This dedication to her craft has not gone unnoticed. Last October, a former colleague nominated Baric for the Kindley ShopRite Amazing Teacher contest, and Baric was honored to be recognized as the winner.  

“I knew I could be nominated, but I was actually chosen. I was so excited to see that,” Baric says, expressing appreciation for the $100 ShopRite gift card that came along with the recognition. “I was very proud, and my family was very proud of me to receive this award.” 

Having a sense of pride is warranted, as her work continues to serve students of all ages, from K-12 to adults, in the Pocono community. Between teaching days and nights (as well as working additional part-time jobs) Baric’s work keeps her busy but also very satisfied. 

She finds it incredibly rewarding to watch her students grow and to see their desire to do better for themselves and their families.  

“They want to do things that are more than just going to work and going to school. They want to be a part of our community.”