Meet Dr. Stacy Amling
Professor at Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa (also Vice President of Iowa World Language Association in Iowa and Past Chair of the ACTFL Community College SIG).
Level: Community College
I teach: Spanish
Favorite Part of being an ACTFL Member:
I joined ACTFL for professional connections and support during my first year as a Spanish instructor and attended my first ACTFL Convention that year. Being involved with ACTFL has helped me grow as an educator and leader. Working in education is very challenging, but having a supportive professional learning network (PLN) has been invaluable to me. I love getting to know other educators through in-person and virtual PD opportunities and bringing back new ideas to my classroom and my state organization.
Favorite Part of Career:
It's definitely hard to pick one! Being selected for ACTFL's LILL program (representing Iowa) in 2017 has expanded my PLN and challenged me to find new ways to give back to our profession. It motivated me to step up my involvement in Central States (my regional organization) and in the Community College SIG.
One thing I Recently Learned:
My list is long because I love to learn, but probably the most important thing I have learned recently is the fine art of saying "no" to additional responsibilities in order to have better balance in my life and protect my energy. I still need to practice this, though!
Fun Fact:
I LOVE to read and to travel, so my favorite activity on a trip is to visit independent bookstores.
