ACTFL Teacher Hall of Fame
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> Teacher of the Year Award
Hall of Fame 2006-2009
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2010
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Teacher of the Year Award Winner
Lisa Lilley
Teacher of Spanish
Central High School
Springfield, Missouri
Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CSCTFL)
“Economic well-being and safety are vital reasons for learning another language and have garnered considerable attention as evidenced by the greatest governmental promotion of language study since the Sputnik era. But these challenges also give us the opportunity to increase cross-cultural awareness or “global literacy” as put forward by Dr. Heidi Byrnes of Georgetown University at the 2008 ACTFL Assembly of Delegates. Global literacy values the individual growth that comes through acquiring a language and connecting with other cultures. I used to stress to students how learning a second language could help them to get a job, but I now put equal if not more emphasis on how languages can improve their quality of life far beyond their own economic security.
I feel privileged to guide young people to develop an appreciation of the “Other” and to consider ideas they weren’t even aware of before , all of which build self-confidence. Travel with students to another country is the best performance assessment that can be devised. What better way exists to gauge increased global literacy than a comparison of how a young person viewed the world before a journey and how that a view has been altered upon returning home? Learning language through culture contributes to strengthened personal identity but, paradoxically, can lead to diminished importance placed upon one’s self. Carefully constructed units that intertwine culture and language typically cause language learners to expand their awareness of social and economic injustices in far-away lands. As the result of being able to communicate with the inhabitants of those countries, they may be in a position to do some actual good in the world. The enhancement of the quality of life for all concerned is priceless.
Above all, I believe that language study offers our students an experience they can’t get elsewhere . In a world languages classroom, learners are fully engaged in meaningful, personalized activities that promote proficiency in the target language and its culture. They have the opportunity to delve into individual interests such as art, music, cooking, design, architecture, linquistics, history, and current political, social and environmental issues. Businesses heavily recruit employees with these broader cultural sensitivities, as they are more flexible in a changing work force, and I would submit, are more interesting people.
But we will fail in our efforts to deliver the benefits of global literacy to upcoming generations if we are unable to field a corps of qualified educators. The good news is that interest has never been higher in learning another language and potential recruits are in front of us each day in our classrooms. Our positive example helps to portray world languages teaching as a dynamic career that attracts the best and the brightest of professionals. By encouraging just one of our students each year to consider joining our ranks, we could reduce the shortage of skilled professionals and in turn, offer up a vibrant vocation that is full of rewards. Indeed, what an excellent reward it is to promote global proficiency by opening the doors of the world to others.”
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Lisa Lilley
Teacher of Spanish
Central High School
Springfield, Missouri
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Renee Fritzen
Teacher of Spanish
Campbell County High School
Gillette, WY
Pacific Northwest Council for Languages (PNCFL)
“Building life-long learners who value foreign language learning is imperative in my classroom. I see the value of foreign language learning in three main areas: career, community, and cultural literacy. Careers are the ‘Product’ (as in one of the three P’s) or outcome of what foreign language learning should be and provide a door for job opportunities. Community is ‘Practice(s)’ that helps define, as language learners, who they are and their place in this ‘flat world’. Cultural literacy helps students to see the value of what they are learning and gives them ‘Perspective’ in the world in which they live.
Foreign language learning is vital for an increasing number of careers. There are advantages in the job market for those people who travel and are able to solve problems, or combine work and pleasure because they are able to communicate effectively.
Student need to be able to make the connections with what they are learning as valuable in the world. That is why I like to provide communicative activities where students are role playing “real world” situations. Some days my classroom may transform into a city complete with stores where students practice asking for directions. The next unit might be a restaurant or a museum. By allowing students to make connections through real world scenarios, they are making multiple pathways to future career possibilities and opportunities. Connecting careers to the benefits of language learning makes a tangible product.
One way for students to be part of their community and experience cultural appreciation is by providing cultural activities through the arts. Through the arts, student gain an appreciation for the language of study and become “whole learners”.
Because culture inherently appeals to students through stories, art, poetry, drama, and music, students’ lives are enriched because it allows students to connect with what is in the real world. By providing real-world connections, students experience cultural input and provide output through their own participation, thus providing an ideal environment for whole learning.
Cultural literacy enables students to converse fluently and therefore become familiar with literature, history, a life interwoven with art, language such as slang expressions, and the experiences that have shaped a community. Students will see that foreign language study is an effective tool to overcome the restrictions of monolingualism and limited cultural perspective. Experiencing another culture enables students to find an understanding of their own.”
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Renee Fritzen
Teacher of Spanish
Campbell County High School
Gillette, WY
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Nella Spurlin
Teacher of German
Temple High School
Temple, Texas
Southwest Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (SWCOLT)
“My earliest awareness of a foreign language came around the time I learned to spell. My grandparents switched into German for those conversations that “little ears” weren’t meant to hear. Of course, that piqued my curiosity, but I knew I’d never understand-until a neighbor told me she was taking German in high school. How amazing, that you could actually learn another language! My decision to learn German was made. Our German teacher made class fun, fascinating, and challenging. In addition, she arranged a study trip, and 12 of us spent a month in southern Germany, we lived with host families, attended classes, and took day trips. It was truly a life-altering experience. That summer I decided to become a German teacher—an exciting journey in its own right.
To me, language teaching is not a job—it is truly a Berufung, a calling, offering opportunities and challenges. Language teachers are on a mission to bring the world to their students and to help them comprehend the variety of cultures and worldviews they may encounter.
Learning a new language opens a door to a new lifestyle. Because of my overseas experience, I wanted my students to also have this opportunity. Since 1995, we have had an ongoing exchange program with a partner school in the Rhineland. Through this program, about 160 Germans have visited our school and about 140 of our students have spent a month in Germany. While our students are overseas, they grow in so many ways; their language abilities surge, they become responsible for themselves, they learn to appreciate a new culture, and they become more tolerant of the ideas of others. International issues now have a more personal meaning, since they affect friends. Personal experiences form a context for history, art, and politics. Differences in lifestyle make sense. Most of these students continue their language studies; a sizable portion have earned either majors or minors in German and have traveled back to see their host families or to study. During the Germans’ visit, the impact on the rest of the student body is enormous—suddenly there is a face linked to the concept of “German” (often perceived as a downright good-looking face, at that!); a “foreign “ language becomes the language that Kai and Katrin speak. To me, this is our true purpose as language teachers—to make the world a little smaller, a little more personal, a little more real.
So many other advantages of language learning come into consideration, as well: better understanding of the native language, academic and career opportunities, connections to other subjects such as history and literature, and the chance for a student to learn more about his own cultural heritage. All of these factors are important; but learning to become a citizen of the world seems the most far-reaching, particularly as technology increases international contacts. For language teachers, Christa MacAuliffe’s words ring true: ‘I touch the future; I teach’.”
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Nella Spurlin
Teacher of German
Temple High School
Temple, Texas
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Vickie A. Mike
Teacher of Spanish
Horseheads School District
Horseheads, New York
Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL)
“Learning language and culture has personal, cultural, and educational value. Learning language and culture opens minds and opens hearts. Learning another language is transformational. The study of another language transforms the personal and the professional self. It changes our way about thinking about the world as well as the way we think about ourselves. The process of learning another language teaches us as much about our own language and culture as it does about another language and culture.
The underlying value in learning a second language and culture is preparing world citizens to be contributing members of a global society. Without the study of another language and culture we deny ourselves the necessary skills for living, working, and participating in our diverse global society. Learning another language and culture enables us to better understand ourselves and own language and culture. Language learning also provides us with a more global perspective of the world.
My basic belief is that there is value in learning and studying all disciplines. No one discipline is more or less valuable that another. Furthermore, if in schooling we do not offer opportunities to study all discipline areas, from the beginning, we establish yet another inequity, yet another gap, in the education of our children.
When I began teaching Spanish, and even when I was a student, the study of a foreign language was not a requirement for all students. The study of another language was an elective that was not offered until junior high school, and only then, did some students elect to study another language. Foreign language study was considered ‘fluff’and only an elite few opted to study another language. Now, thirty years later, yes, in my state, the study of a language other than English is a requirement for all students. However, the requirement does not begin until middle school, with a one to three year minimum requirement. Can you imagine our children beginning school and not studying mathematics, science, or social studies, for the first time, until grade seven or eight? Or having to study mathematics, science, or social studies, for only one or two or three years out of their entire twelve years? Of course not! There has never been any doubt about if and when to begin and continue instruction in the mathematics, sciences, and social studies. Including the study of another language and culture as part of the core curriculum contributes to the intellectual development of our students.
Equality in education includes all disciplines. Therein is the true value of learning another language and culture. Excluding the opportunity to learn another language devalues education and limits the access to global opportunities and careers our students will have in the future. Learning must include all disciplines: foreign language, history, art, music, technology, mathematics, and science. An inclusive and comprehensive curriculum includes opportunities in all areas, from the beginning. Anything less is a reflection of inequality in education.”
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Vickie A. Mike
Teacher of Spanish
Horseheads School District
Horseheads, New York
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Linda Zins-Adams
Teacher of German
Highland High School
Fort Thomas, Kentucky
Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT)
“The promotion of language learning is one way our nation can protect itself. During times of war, military protection is vital; however, I feel the learning languages protects us from isolationism and ignorance.
We have touted ourselves as a dominant nation, but how do we dominate in areas like business and academia world? Many of our competitors are multilingual and harvest the benefits. The presumption that many will learn English, speak English and adhere to our American ways, is simply arrogant, and our failure to recognize this is harming our nation.
Too often, we, as Americans, do not see the need to do something unless it will directly affect us. Our nation is not geographically located in a area that forces us to go beyond our comfort zones. Fortunately, technology allows me to shatter my students’ comfort zones and filter in very authentic sources. After 16 years of teaching , I have witnessed an explosion of technological advancements all of which have helped me bring language learning to life. My students are exposed to the global society.
Years ago, I had a student return from a study-trip to Germany, and it amazed her that the Germans actually said the things that we had learned in class! She was extremely fortunate to have won this trip for her performance on the National German Exam. Today, many students can easily make this type of connection to language learning without traveling abroad. My students can speak face to face with others in different countries through the computer. We can access up-to-date news reports in a variety of forms. It is my responsibility to utilize all that is available to me in order to enhance my students’ exposure to language and culture.
Currently, I have a partnership with a school in Germany. Not all of my students can go and study in Germany, so this partnership is a way for me to connect our lessons to the world beyond our classroom in the basement. My students can now blog, use Skype, text, e-mail, and send snapshots from their world on a daily basis. The Germans are here for less than a month, but our connection to one another will hopefully build many bridges that will nurture friendships for years to come.
Students who learn a language are more receptive to both sides of historical events and less likely to repeat the mistakes from the past. I consider my role as a world language teacher is to contribute to the overall well-being of our nation. Without language teachers, children would lack the vision to see beyond our borders. We share this world and we must co-exist, as well as, compete on an even playing field. My goal as a world language teacher is to empower students with the ability to connect with people from other cultures. America needs to realize that we are interconnected to other societies and cannot rely solely on ourselves.”
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Linda Zins-Adams
Teacher of German
Highland High School
Fort Thomas, Kentucky
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Hall of Fame 2006-2009
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