2023 Spring Voice of WAFLT

Spring 2023

The VOICE of WAFLT

Volume 50 Number 1

Table of Contents

WAFLT Statement on Equity and Inclusion

As the state language teachers' association, WAFLT values inclusion, compassion, openmindedness, unity, peace, and hope in our increasingly interdependent world. So much of our work is predicated on our commitment to these values. We stand united with our BIPOC colleagues and students as we continue to work together to achieve a global society that ensures equity and justice for everyone. We see you. We support you. We stand with you.

WAFLT Mission:

The purpose of WAFLT shall be to promote, strengthen, and facilitate the teaching and life-long learning of world languages and cultures in schools and communities to meet the needs of our increasingly interdependent world.

WAFLT Executive Board & Contacts for Wisconsin Association For Language Teachers

President

Victoria Carter Onalaska High School president@waflt.org

President-Elect

Andrea Behn Parker High School, Janesville awards@waflt org

Past-President

Dan Tess Brookfield Central High School tessdanielp@gmail com

Secretary

Josh LeGreve Green Lake School District joshlegreve@gmail.com

Treasurer

Kellie Villalobos Muskego High School treasurer@waflt.org

DPI International Education/ World Languages Consultant

Pamela Delfosse pamela delfosse@dpi wi gov

NNELL Representative OPEN

Finance Committee Chair

Cathy Stresing

Fond du Lac School District stresings@aol.com

New Visions

Josh LeGreve joshlegreve@gmail com

Membership Committee Chair

Linda Havas

Greendale Schools

linda havas@greendaleschools org

Fall Conference Program Committee Co-Chairs

Rebecca Mai Cassville School District

Cathy Stresing Fond du Lac School District program@waflt.org

Local Arrangements/Exhibits Sub-Committee

Lee Belanger-Gonzales Kenosha Unified School District lbelange@kusd.edu

Lynn Tennie tennie5@athena net Communications & Publications Chair

Lauren Rosen University of Wisconsin webmaster@waflt.org

The VOICE of WAFLT Subcommittee Chair/Editor

Katy Dueppen Middleton High School voice@waflt.org

eVoice Subcommittee Chair

Kara Torkelson Wausau West High School ktorklsn@wausauschools org

Advertising Subcommittee Chair

Josh LeGreve Green Lake School District advertising@waflt.org

Public Relations / Advocacy

National Chair

Pablo Muirhead MATC advocacy@waflt.org

State Chair

Joslyn Hegelmeyer Brookfield East High School advocacy@waflt org

Discover Languages Contest Coordinator

Devin Pettys Onalaska High School petde@onalaskaschools com

Grants & Scholarships

Bobbette Leu-Timmerman grants@waflt.org

Professional Development Chair

Jamie Gurholt Stateline Community Foundation, Beloit/French Alliance, Milwaukee profdev@waflt org

HS Guests Subcommittee Chairs

Danielle Chaussee Oconomowoc High School chausseed@oasd.org

Amber Little Stoughton High School amber little@stoughton k12 wi us

Summer PD Chair

Iva McLean

Academies of Racine at Park High School iva mclean@rusd org

MOPI Training Coordinator

Jodi Ziemann jziemann@berlin k12 wi us

Mentoring/Virtual PD

Julie Horvath Beloit Memorial High School jhorvat1@sdb k12 wi us

Language Association Representatives

AATF-WI President

Cathy Stresing Fond du Lac School District presidentAATFWI@gmail com

AATG-WI President

Melanie Lasee Ashwaubenon High School mlasee@ashwaubenonk12 org

WiATJ President

Patty Breun

Madison Country Day School pbreun@madisoncountryday.org

WLTA President

Nate Kolpin

Wauwatosa School District kolpinna@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us

OWL

Vacant

WACLT President

Yongyan Liu

Milwaukee yongyan liu85@gmail com

AATSP-WI President

Jessica Santiago

New Berlin West High School jessica.santiago@nbexcellence. org

The VOICE of WAFLT appears twice annually, in the spring and fall, with copy deadlines of January 1 and June 1 Manuscripts describing world language pedagogy as well as study and travel opportunities and experiences are always welcome, and, if accepted, generally will appear in the next issue Submissions for publication should be saved as a Google document or Microsoft Word document and sent as an email attachment to voice@waflt.org. Any photos or graphics must be sent as separate attachments in a jpg format

From Your President ...

Iam excited to introduce myself as your current WAFLT President! I have enjoyed my time serving on the WAFLT board in the roles of Membership Renewals, Grants and Scholarship Chair, and over the last two years as President-Elect and Awards Chair. I am looking forward to the next two years serving as your WAFLT President. I have been teaching Spanish at Onalaska High School for the last 18 years, and I have also served as Spanish Club and Spanish Honor Society Advisor as well as Curriculum Chair. Additionally, I was involved with the AATSP-WI board in the role of NSE Coordinator for several years, until the National Office absorbed this role.

As we head into spring, I find myself reflecting on what WAFLT has meant to me. Through professional development at Fall Conference, Summer Institute, MOPI Workshops, Curriculum Writing Days, the opportunity to network and collaborate with other amazing educators from around the state and beyond, as well

as opportunities for grants, scholarships, and awards, WAFLT has impacted me both professionally and personally. It serves as a reminder of where we want WAFLT to be in the future and how it can serve its membership. As we all are aware, everyone has experienced hardships, whether it be individuals, families, businesses, or organizations

Unfortunately WAFLT is not immune to these same challenges. We have certainly seen a decrease in our memberships over the last few years, impacting our ability to offer the same amount of scholarships and grants, causing us to make very difficult decisions in order to balance our budget.

This has me asking the question: What can we do? Well, we can all continue to maintain our membership, present sessions at Fall Conference, attend Summer Institute, encourage our colleagues to become members, and look for ways to volunteer within

From Your Conference Program Co-chairs ...

The 2023 WAFLT Fall Conference will be held November 2-4, 2023. This year's conference theme is Reconnect, Reflect, Renew! We are so very excited to invite you all back to Appleton for a weekend of collaboration and professional growth.

We are planning a full day workshop on Thursday, November 2, with a workshop presenter certain to fill your professional bucket. And, our keynote

speaker is sure to make you sigh, laugh, and maybe shed a tear. Yes, she is that powerful!

As always, we are working to bring the best professional development possible to everyone. To that end, we will showcase the expertise of our members willing to share what they do in their classrooms. WAFLT is an organization made up of teacher volunteers, from our executive board

the WAFLT board or subcommittees

We can nominate our colleagues and our students to be honored with our multitude of awards, scholarships, and grants. We can network and collaborate with each other and make meaningful connections! I have so much enthusiasm when I think about WAFLT. Let’s do this together!

With this excitement, I ask you to join me at the Summer Institute, at Fall Conference 2023, to propose a session, and to contact me with any ideas that you might have to keep WAFLT moving forward.

Remember: We are WAFLT; more than a conference.

Victoria Carter

to conference volunteers and presenters. The continued success of our conference is thanks to these professionals who willingly give their time and ideas as presenters.

The program committee and entire WAFLT board are anxious to share this event with you.

Cathy Stresing & Rebecca Mai

Victoria Carter

DPI Updates and Resources

by Pamela Delfosse, DPI World Language & Global Education Consultant

As the end of the school year approaches, let’s reflect on what went well and what stretched us. Let’s think about where we want to reinvest our energy and where we will choose to let go. Letting go creates space for something new in our practice and keeps us engaged as lifelong learners within our profession.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one area for new learning which is already impacting our field, and education as a whole. Our inquiry might lead us to examine the role of artificial intelligence in language learning environments and also, the role of language learning in a world supported by artificial intelligence. Let us explore and define what is unique to human language and intercultural communication that goes beyond the current capacity of generative AI systems. Let’s center those elements of intercultural communication such as empathy, perspective taking, collaoration, cooperative decision making, and conflict resolution within our world language programs. Let’s also identify ways to harness the assets of AI technologies for technical skill developent and assessment. AI, and its cousins and descendants, are here to stay Our relevance, and sustained presence, in the AI enabled educational landscape may depend on this new learning and related new tricks. Change can happen through us, or to us. I believe it is usually best if we lead from within.

The relevance of world language learning is not limited to the world of artificial intelligence. One central pillar for advocacy of world language programs has always been the promise of enhanced career opportunities for bilingual individuals. Evidence from employers and job reports support this

claim. The Wisconsin Seal of Biliteracy serves as a student talent marker to colleges and employers. This precollege credential honors the linguistic and cultural assets of multilingual learners and adds value to sustained language learning within our schools. We have an opportunity to make clear connections between language learning and language use through careerconnected learning experiences in our programs. Let’s find ways to make language use within our communities and workplaces visible to learners There are so many ways to approach this work When planning units of study, consider how one or more careers intersect with the unit theme. Plan learning experiences that include those intersections and provide opportunities for career exploration and for direct observation of job-related language use. Global competence, including intercultural communication, was recently integrated within our state’s CareerReady Standards. World language educators are well-positioned to support this learning within our school communities. Day two of this year’s WAFLT Summer Institute will include time to explore and integrate career- connected learning within our programs.

Schooling during the global health pandemic expanded our toolbox and capacity for innovation through virtual teaching and learning. Now that virtual learning is no longer a necessity, it is time for us to revisit its incredible value to our discipline. Imagine new ways to leverage technologies for relationships across space and time for language, intercultural, and global learning. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is developing new partnerhips to support you with this work. We plan to renew our sister-state

agreement for education with Hessen, Germany and Bordeaux, France. Focus areas for engagement will likely include professional learning communities, connected classrooms, project-based learning cohorts, and study tours. The goal is for these programs to support, but not be limited to, language learning environments. Planning, facilitating, and evaluating reciprocal international learning experiences is complex. Our state is fortunate to have the opportunity to build our collective capacity for this work in partnership with The Stevens Initiative. This partnership will provide training and sustained systems of support for global learning through virtual exchange. You are encouraged to identify potential collaborators to discuss how virtual exchange might support global learning across the curriculum within your school community. Stay tuned for updates on these exciting opportunities

Finally, a shout-out of gratitude for your professionalism and persistent commitment to helping young people find their voice and place in our interdependent world through language learning. Your work matters Your work has an impact you rarely get to see, as it plays out throughout the lives of your learners. Thank you for that gift to the world.

Pamela Delfosse pamela.delfosse@dpi.wi.gov

Pam Delfosse

Advocacy: Share Your Story

by Pablo Muirhead, National Advocacy Chair

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.” - Maya Angelou

At such a divisive time in our state and national politics, our students sadly become pawns and pay the ultimate price. With depleted funding for our K-12 schools and universities, we have to remember the role we can play in advocating for change. Beyond voting and supporting candidates that support education, we must work toward creating change by telling our stories.

Act Locally: Tell Your Story

Provide your students with great opportunities that recognize their linguistic and cultural proficiency by adopting the following programs in your school:

Wisconsin Seal of Biliteracy Global Scholars

They are wonderful ways of celebrating the progress that students make, the heritage languages many speak, and further strengthen their credentials as they move forward.

Increase your program’s visibility by: Sharing your program through social media, at school board meetings, and at planned events.

Keeping parents and guardians in the loop about what their children are doing in your class. They can be your biggest cheerleaders

Advocate: At the State and National Levels

The 2021-23 biennial budget included zero increase on per pupil funding. Due to years of neglect, underfunding, and inflation, it would take an increase of at least $1,500 per pupil for our schools to be properly funded (Source: Legislative Fiscal Bureau). That is what we must ask for in the 2023-25 budget to avoid the continued cuts to programs. Reach out to your local legislators. See WisconsinNetwork.org/Budget to learn more about the 2023-25 budget and how you can make a difference.

Every February, a delegation of WAFLT members represents Wisconsin at Language Advocacy Days (LAD) on Capitol Hill. See a short video overview of our work here LAD continued in a virtual format for the third year in a row to ensure that all 50 states were represented. As a result, all 100 U.S. Senate offices met with a delegation from their state. Additionally, our 50 delegations met with over half of the Congressional offices advocating for the following:

1. Congress must pass the forthcoming World Language Education Assistance Program (World LEAP).

2. Congress must pass the soon to be reintroduced Biliteracy Educational Seal and Teaching Act (BEST).

3. Congress must pass the soon to be reintroduced Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act

4. Congress must provide at least an additional $15 million for the World Language Advancement and Readiness Grants (WLARA) Program in FY24.

5. Congress must provide $3 million for the recently established Native American Language Resource Center at the US Department of Education.

The Wisconsin Delegation included:

Joslyn Hegelmeyer

Brookfield East, Spanish Teacher Wisconsin Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT) State Advocacy Chair

Emma Kasza-James

Port Washington HS, Student Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Semifinalist for 2023-24 to Germany

Pablo Muirhead

Milwaukee Area Technical College, Spanish Faculty Executive Board of the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL-NCLIS).

Board Member of Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES).

We met with staffers from the offices of both Senators Baldwin and Johnson as well as the offices of the following congressional representatives: Gwen Moore, Glen Grothman, and Mark Pocan. Congressman Mark Pocan would love to be invited to a World Language classroom in his district (Madison).

Every action you take has a ripple effect. Make some noise. Sing the praises of your students. Celebrate your colleagues. And most definitely, toot your own horn. After all, we owe it to the kids.

Pablo Muirhead

Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers & Discover Languages Wisconsin

Student Postcard Contest

2022 Discover Languages Student Postcard Contest Theme: Level Up: Embracing Change, Empowering Learners

This contest was open for students enrolled in world language classes in Wisconsin in these categories: Elementary (PK-5) ~ Middle School (6-8) ~ High School (9-12) ~ Post-Secondary (Undergraduate)

Discover Languages is the national campaign to raise public awareness about the importance of language learning and the understanding of cultures.

Congratulations to our 2022 winners!

Daisy R. – Stormonth Elementary, Milwaukee

Ella N. – Green Lake Schools

Laura D. – Green Lake Schools

Samantha G. – Muskego Lakes Middle School

Jane R. – Muskego High School

Adeline L. – Onalaska High School

Alexis S. – Onalaska High School

Taylor M. – Onalaska High School

Ella V. – Onalaska High School

Charis W. – Lincoln High School, Manitowoc

Linguiphile ($100+)

Donna L. Clementi

Benefactor ($50-99)

Danielle Chaussee

Linda Havas

Josh LeGreve

Janet Rowe

Paul Sandrock

Thank You, Contributors!

WAFLT thanks the following individuals for their contributions in 2022–23

General Endowment Fund

Sponsor ($25-49)

Anne Chartier (in memory of Jim Oakley)

Jaci Collins

Katy Dueppen

Barb Olsen

Lauren Rosen

Deana Zorko

Professional Development Scholarship Fund (Honoring Dr. Roma Hoff, Dr. Connie Knop & Dr. Irène Kraemer)

Linguiphile ($100+)

Donna L. Clementi

Benefactor ($50-99)

Deborah Hoem-Esparza

Peter Hoff

Karen Luond Fowdy

Sponsor ($25-49)

Sy Kreilein

Michelle Nielsen

Lauren Rosen

Deana Zorko

Contributor ($1-24)

Anne Chartier (in memory of Jim Oakley)

Kelly Ferguson

Karen Luond Fowdy

Katelynn Jensen

Vera Klekovkina

Pablo Muirhead

Kelsie Pattillo

Cathy Stresing

Contributor ($1-24)

Katelynn Jensen

Vera Klekovkina

Pablo Muirhead

Kelsie Pattillo

Cathy Stresing

Robbie Twohig

Student Travel Scholarship Fund (Honoring O. Lynn Bolton)

Benefactor ($50-99)

Peter Hoff

Janet Rowe

Sponsor ($25-49)

Katy Dueppen

Julie Larson-Guenette

Thomas Rusch

Lauren Rosen

Deana Zorko

Your Contributions Are Appreciated!

Please consider contributing to one or more of these funds for 2023-24. You can do this online at waflt.org – log into your online account, and click “Endowment Contributions” on the top of the page to make your contribution, or mail your check to P.O. Box 1493, Appleton, WI 54912, noting to which fund(s) you would like your donation assigned.

Contributor ($1-24)

Anne Chartier (in memory of Jim Oakley)

Kelly Ferguson

Katelynn Jensen

Vera Klekovkina

Pablo Muirhead

Kelsie Pattillo

Cathy Stresing

2022 Awards/Grants

by Victoria Carter

2022 WAFLT Distinguished Language Educator

Established in 1980, the Distinguished Language Educator Award is WAFLT’s highest recognition. The Distinguished Language Educator Award may be conferred annually on an individual of the language teaching profession who has demonstrated long-term achievement and service to WAFLT and to the profession – locally, statewide, regionally, and nationally.

WAFLT is proud to present Janet Rowe as the 2022 WAFLT Distinguished Language Educator honoree.

Janet retired as a National Board

Certified Spanish teacher at Hortonville High School and District Coordinator of World Language at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Janet not only taught Spanish at the high school level, but also at the university level as an Instructor of Spanish at Marian College, Fox Valley Technical College, Antelope Valley College, and Globe University, a Visiting Instructor and Graduate Instructor of Spanish at Purdue University, as well as an Adjunct Instructor through the Cooperative Academic Partnership Program through the University of WisconsinOshkosh. Additionally, she proposed and implemented a FLES program for the Hortonville Area School District, believing strongly that all students can and should learn another language and understand other cultures Because of her hard work and determination, all students in that district learn another language and develop cultural competence in elementary school.

Within her district Janet has provided a lasting impact and invaluable experiences for her students, both in and outside of the classroom. As a former student states, “Profe’s class was filled with discussions in the target language about major world issues, life in high school, our stories, and just about everything. Profe understood that the primary goal of a language is to communicate, and so she empowered us to use the language as a communication tool; she empowers students and she addresses real world issues in the classroom which helps students feel valued and supported.” Janet has also provided immersive cultural and language experience for students through student homestay travel to Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Spain, Peru, and Puerto Rico.

In addition to the impact that Janet has made at her own school district, she has shown her dedication and commitment to world language education in the state of Wisconsin and beyond through her

membership in WAFLT, CSCTFL, and AATSP where she has not only presented on a variety of topics, but also held leadership roles on the Executive Board of WAFLT, serving as Co-Chair of Exhibits and Local Arrangements as well as Fall Conference Program Committee, on the CSCTFL Advisory Council, and as a Mentor for National Board Certification candidates. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including WAFLT Recognition of Merit, WAFLT Donna Clementi Award for Excellence in World Language Programs, and Kohl Award for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching.

As her nominator states, “Janet’s contributions to the Wisconsin language teaching community throughout her career have been diverse and robust. Her commitment to continuous improvement in both her own practice and that of her colleagues is apparent in virtually every aspect of her work. She creates an environment in which students feel both comfortable and deeply connected to the Spanish language and culture both in her classroom and beyond.” Janet embodies every aspect of a Distinguished Language Educator and WAFLT is proud to recognize her for this award.

2022 Anthony J. Gradisnik Award

Each year since 1998, WAFLT has had the honor of presenting the Anthony J. Gradisnik Award, which commemorates Mr. Gradisnik’s exceptional enthusiasm and advocacy for language education. Mr. Gradisnik, who began his career as a Spanish teacher after World War II, was a foreign language curriculum specialist

Janet Rowe, 2022 Distinguished Language Educator, and Dan Tess, WAFLT President.

for Milwaukee Public Schools from 1959 to 1979. This award is presented to an individual or group—especially from outside the world language teaching profession—in such areas as international education, early language learning, and creative initiatives in language education.

substantial support from the University of Wisconsin–Madison International Division and the College of Letters & Science, and in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. This partnership helped connect the private and public sectors around the importance of language learning and led to pivotal and important reports, recommendations, and action items to strengthen world language education throughout the state.

Summer Institute 2022. Their sponsorship directly affected teachers through high quality professional development.

Global Learning Summit: Through hosting this summit, the DPI has created a forum for students and teachers to discuss global issues and come together to learn about culture and global citizenship.

Accepting the Gradisnik Award on behalf of DPI, Dr. John Johnson, Deputy State Superintendent, and Pamela Delfosse, World Language and Global Education Programs, presented by Victoria Carter, WAFLT Awards Chair.

WAFLT is proud to announce this year’s recipient of the Anthony J. Gradisnik Award, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), currently led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jill Underly. Under Dr. Underly’s leadership and in consort with Ms. Pamela Delfosse as the World Languages and Global Education Consultant, the DPI has shown great and steady commitment over the years to the expansion and development of world language education throughout Wisconsin.

DPI’s numerous and wide-ranging initiatives committed to the teaching and learning of world languages include:

Wisconsin Language Roadmap: This Initiative was sponsored by The Language Flagship of the National Security Education Program in the U.S. Department of Defense, with

Revised Standards for World Language Learning & Aligned Professional Learning: The DPI supported a pivotal refresh of our world language standards, allowing our standards to reflect a proficiencybased, student-centered learning environment for the students of Wisconsin. The meticulous process by which these standards were developed and approved, with the voices of many educators with “boots on the ground,” exemplified DPI’s commitment to ensuring that Wisconsin’s world language educators would be guided by standards that are at once challenging and accessible. Breaking with the traditional “by grade 4, by grade 8, by grade 10” model, the DPI helped support the variety of language programs around our state, allowing all programs to see themselves in the standards.

CESA and school district professional learning and standards implementation support.

FLESFEST and Summer Institute co-sponsorships for access nationally/internationally.

Recognized speakers: Through generous sponsorship, the DPI supported bringing in Jennifer D. Klein for FLESFEST 2022 and Dr. Ariel Tichnor-Wagner for the WAFLT

Continued support through WISEhome app for program participation and performance data and improved language education program data collection and reporting.

WAFLT is proud to honor the Department of Public Instruction in recognition of its continued support of and commitment to language teaching and learning throughout Wisconsin.

2022 Frank M.Grittner Award

The Frank M. Grittner New Teacher Award is presented to a new member of our profession who has shown excellence in teaching and has provided leadership in service to school, community, and professional organizations. The award honors Frank Grittner, a tireless promoter of high standards for language teacher preparation in our schools as the Wisconsin State Foreign Language supervisor from 1961 to 1991.

This year, WAFLT is proud to award the Frank M. Grittner New Teacher Award to Shaniya Lenters.

Shaniya has taught Spanish for three years; two years at Parker High School in Janesville and one year at Oregon High School. As her nominator states, “Shaniya displays incredible professionalism, a deep care for her students, a passion for teaching, and a commitment to professional development at a very early stage in her

career.” In her first three years as a world language educator, Shaniya worked diligently at Parker High School to implement a proficiency- based curriculum with her colleagues and has shown a deftness and collegiality that was appreciated and was an asset to her community. Additionally, when she shifted districts and moved to Oregon High School, she excelled at the challenge of starting a Heritage Language program for the first time in the district. She seeks out professional learning opportunities, networks with others to learn from their best practices, and is a truly reflective practitioner who works with students to make a strong program.

excellence in her teaching and has promoted the value and virtue of pursuing the study of world languages.”

Donna Clementi Blue Ribbon School Award for Excellence in World Language Programs

Not only has Shaniya shown her assion within her classroom and district, she also demonstrated a deep commitment to professional development through her service on the WAFLT Board as Program Committee Co-chair for the 2021 Fall Conference.

As her principal states, “Shaniya possesses a ‘can-do’ attitude that is contagious. Her love of language learning, her strong work ethic, and her ability to form authentic relationships with students are at the heart of her successful teaching practices. She has personified

While most WAFLT awards honor individuals who are outstanding in our field, we also understand that collaboration is a hallmark of an exceptional world language program. Teamwork allows groups to ensure that courses, curricula, and programs serve their students at an optimal level. The Donna Clementi Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in World Language Programs was created to honor schools and/or programs that are exemplary role models. This award is conferred in honor of Dr. Donna Clementi, who continues to make significant contributions to the teaching of and research about world language learning. This award recognizes her contributions of talent, knowledge, and message so that students, teachers, and quality world language programs continue to be cultivated and expanded. Unfortunately, there were no nominations for this award this year.

2022 WAFLT Teacher of the Year Nominee

Each year, WAFLT nominates one of its members for the ACTFL Foreign Language K-12 National Teacher of the Year (TOY). This year’s nominee is Ellen Russell

Ellen is a French instructor at Lake Mills High School. She is extremely dedicated to her students, the promotion of French, and the advocacy of world language education in the state of Wisconsin. As stated by her

nominator, “Ellen is most thoughtful and considerate of other perspectives and opinions. She embodies a collaborative approach to leadership and values the dialogue, inclusion of multiple stakeholders, and working in a teamwork environment. She looks for positives in any challenges with which she has faced, including program cuts, and moves forward toward solutions.”

She has shown her dedication to the world language profession through her involvement and leadership in WAFLT and AATF-WI. Additionally, Ellen served as a representative of French teachers in Wisconsin when meeting with the French Consulate, and continues to work with Gilles Bosquet at UW-Madison to continue to strengthen language programs through the creation of French immersion programs in the Madison area.

She is great at sharing curricular resources, participating in the creation and brainstorming of materials, and answering others’ questions. Ellen is respected by her students and colleagues as a teacher with high expectations and consistent professionalism. Her positive attitude and personality, along with her knowledge and expertise of language learning, makes Ellen the perfect ambassador for world language

WAFLT President Dan Tess and Shaniya Lenters, recipient of the 2022 Grittner Award.

WAFLT President Dan Tess with Teacher of the Year Nominee, Ellen Russell.

advocacy and promotion. She has certainly made an impact on her students, her colleagues, and the teaching of world languages in Wisconsin.

2022 Recognition of Merit Awards

The Recognition of Merit is presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in teaching or who have made significant contributions to the language teaching profession.

ways to ensure the program’s survival through the pandemic. Additionally, Katelynn served the WAFLT board as the Fall Conference Co-Chair for 2019 and 2020, and she was an integral part of making the 2021 Fall Conference a success as a virtual experience that ensured learning continued even from a distance. She represented WAFLT at CSCTFL as our Conference Extension Workshop delegate.

Dr. Sooyeon Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Katelynn, who teaches Spanish at Marquette Area Senior High School, is a teacher who has worked hard both in her classroom and for our state organization to help take world language teaching above and beyond, and her admirable work embodies this award in all ways. As stated by her nominator, “in her classroom, Katelynn works to bring the world to her students and her students to the world.”

Teaching in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, she understands how important it is not to forget international connections for her students to immerse them in culture and hone their intercultural communication skills. She built a Costa Rica exchange program in her school and has even sought creative

Sooyeon, who teaches Korean at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is a dedicated and talented instructor with a true vocation for language teaching. In her classes she creates a focused and supportive atmosphere that her students thrive in, offering necessary scaffolding for their learning, with the overriding aim of developing their autonomy as learners. As a result, her students remain engaged and active throughout class. The consistently high-quality instruction she provides her students has been instrumental in supporting enrollments in Korean at UWM. She has a knack for encouraging students to continue their language studies by helping them identify and build on their strengths. She is adept at matching the optimal technology to meet specific pedagogical goals. Her approach to instruction is built on solid research and self-reflective practices.

In her recent WAFLT presentation on incorporating popular Korean memes into the curriculum, the materials and strategies she shared were not only creative and effective, but also thoroughly anchored in best practices she researched. She also shared valuable input from her students, which she conscientiously solicits on a regular basis to improve all aspects of

her teaching. According to her nominator, “Korea Day, now extended to a weekend, is hands down the most impressive campus, community, and business collaboration at UWM. These experiences that enrich our lives on campus and in the community would not be possible without Dr. Lee’s high level of commitment and her attention to detail. In all her endeavors, Dr. Lee consistently supports her students, extends solidarity to her colleagues and her community, and advocates tirelessly for languages.”

Dr. Takako Nakakubo, University of Wisconsin-Madison

After receiving her doctorate degree in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Iowa, Takako joined the Japanese Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011. She has been teaching all levels of Japanese language courses and supervising and training graduate teaching assistants. Takako has been actively involved in outreach activities, particularly those to promote language education for high school students such as World Languages Day and the Experience Languages! Program organized by the Language Institute at UW-Madison. Takako became a member of both WAFLT and WiATJ in 2013 and participated in the WAFLT Fall

Recognition of Merit Award winner, Katelynn Jensen and Dan Tess, WAFLT President.

Recognition of Merit Award winner, Dr. Sooyeon Lee and Dan Tess, WAFLT President

Katelynn Jensen, Marquette Area Senior High School, Michigan

Conference either as a presenter or attendee since that time.

When everything suddenly shifted online in early 2020, Takako made sure to share information on webinars and online instruction for language teachers presented by WAFLT, AATJ, and other organizations so members could gain knowledge and skills that were necessary for their remote instruction. She also organized a Zoom coffee time for Japanese teachers and expanded to include all WiATJ members so they could share what was happening at their schools in a casual setting. During her WiATJ presidency she created the WiATJ Share Fair during the 2019 WAFLT Fall Conference and was a main organizer of the Wisconsin Japan Bowl in 2018-2020. Takako has been an invaluable asset to WAFLT, WiATJ, and other organizations connected to Japanese language education.

2022 Certificate of Professional Service Awards

The WAFLT Professional Service Award is presented annually to recent retirees who have served both the profession and their students in providing quality world language education.

Deb Bowe-Wielgus, Waukesha West High School

Deb, who recently retired from the School District of Waukesha, worked in the district for 35 years teaching 15 years at the middle school and 15 years at the high school. Within that time, she taught all levels of French starting with Exploratory French in 7th grade through AP French in 12th grade. During her time in the district, she taught at all three of the middle schools and all three of the high schools, finishing her career at Waukesha West High School. Deb made an incredible impact in the field of world language education. She has been a dedicated member of WAFLT, even serving on the Executive Board. As stated by her nominator, “Deb has wowed others with her knowledge during her presentations at WAFLT Fall Conferences, sharing with other world language educators incredible resources and materials to use in their world language classrooms.” Throughout all of her years in education, Deb has done invaluable work for all languages in the School District of Waukesha and throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Bobbette Leu-Timmermann, Cedarburg High School

Bobbette, who recently retired from Cedarburg High School, has shown herself to be an effective classroom teacher and a leader at the state and national levels. She has been active in WI-AATG and WAFLT both as a participant and as a leader. She participated in annual immersion weekends where she impressed

others with her linguistic sophistication which she developed by living and working in Germany for multiple years She had a remarkably strong program at Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, and for the past six years has taught at Cedarburg, where she rebuilt the program. Bobbette has been an advisor for German Club, German Honor Society, and served as World Language Department Chair. Most notably, she started a GAPP exchange and reworked the curriculum to better prepare students for the German AP exam. Her students are active in the WI-AATG Pronunciation contest and last year, two of her students were chosen as trip winners based on their AATG national exam results, which is unheard of. Additionally, she served as President of WI-AATG where she made incredible updates and encouraged members to come to the WAFLT Fall Conference and nominate students for the Honor in Language Study recognition. Her leadership was recognized by WI-AATG when they gave her the Distinguished German Language Educator Award. On a national level, she has been a regular contributor to the AATG Listserv Fans, Wirunterrichten AP-Deutsch, and the GAPP listserv, sharing her knowledge and building community. She was chosen to represent the Midwestern Region as a member of the AATG Executive Committee.

Recognition of Merit Award winner, Dr. Takako Nakakubo and Dan Tess, WAFLT President

Deb Bowe-Wielgus

Bobbette Leu-Timmerman and Dan Tess

Susan, who recently retired from Muskego High School, began teaching Spanish there in 1999. In addition to teaching many of the upper-level

classes, Susan also served as Student Council advisor, helped bring the Global Education Achievement Certificate to the district, and ran the Spanish club. Additionally, Susan served on curriculum teams to help bring aligned Integrated Performance Assessments to all languages and create themed upper-level courses such as Spanish Cinema and a conversation class. She has left a major mark on the department and was on the team in 2018 when the MHS Spanish Department received the WAFLT Donna Clementi Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in World Language Programs. In addition to this, Susan has also shown commitment and service to WAFLT. Over the years she

Honors in Language Study Awards (Top Student)

presented at the Fall Conference on subjects such as standards-based grading in the world language classroom. Additionally, she served as WAFLT Fall Conference Program Co-chair for 2017 and 2018, helping bring our largest professional development event alive for all our members. Finally, Susan has built an important reputation as the “voice” of the WAFLT raffle during our wine and cheese reception. Her dedication to WAFLT is commendable and appreciated. Throughout her career, Susan has shown great dedication to our discipline and in turn has made a difference. She is an extremely worthy recipient of this award.

The Honors in Language Study Award is conferred on students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in and commitment to their school’s language programs. High school and university students must be enrolled in the highest level of study of their program.

Student Language School Nominator

Lea A. Spanish Nathan Hale High School

Lily G. German Oregon High School

Bridget Geboy-Helfenstein

Jeffrey Dyer

Nicholas K. Japanese Madison Country Day SchoolPatty Breun

Emma M. Spanish Green Lake High School

McKenzie P. German Oregon Middle School

Josh LeGreve

Jolene Wochenske

Emily S. German, ChineseBrookfield East High SchoolKelsie Pattillo

Excellence in Language Study Awards (All Levels)

The Excellence in Language Study Award is conferred on students who have demonstrated great achievement and progress in language study and who exhibit great potential for further achievement in the language. Students of any level may be nominated into order to give recognition to their success and potential.

Name Language School Nominator

Silas A. Spanish Amherst High School

Vincent H German Oregon Middle School

Beyounce H. Spanish Southern Door High School

Kallie H. German Oregon High School

Natalie Glaze

Jolene Wochenske

Deanah Downey

Jeffrey Dyer

Natania G. Spanish Pacelli Catholic High SchoolCatalina Cabello

Adam L. Spanish Berlin High School

Neil P. Spanish Nathan Hale High School

Maddy R. Spanish Berlin High School

Jairo Granados Barquero

Bridget Gaboy-Helfenstein

Jody Reif Ziemann

Susan Loeffler-Bell and Dan Tess

Susan Loeffler-Bell, Muskego High School

WAFLT Distinguished Language Educator Speech

Delivered by Janet Rowe at the 2022 WAFLT Fall Conference

Thank you! Thank you to the WAFLT Board members and the entire WAFLT community of educators. I am truly honored to be included among the many outstanding world language teachers who have previously received this award. When attending my first WAFLT conference, long, long ago, I certainly never envisioned this moment. I recall arriving at the Paper Valley Hotel still bleary eyed with sleep on a Saturday morning wondering what in the world I was doing here. Well, that conference was just the first of twenty-nine years of WAFLT Conferences and the basis of many lasting friendships and wonderful professional connections.

How great is it to have an in-person conference again! This is only possible due to the many, many hours of work by the WAFLT board, the numerous other members of WAFLT who volunteer to work the registration table, marshal the workshops, review the program and more, and of course the presenters who give so generously of their time and expertise.

I learn so much from the educators who share their experience and knowledge at the Fall Conference, FLESFEST, and the Summer Institute. WAFLT has, without a doubt, been instrumental in my career as a world language teacher. WAFLT has also provided travel scholarships to my students, brought professional development opportunities right to the teachers in my district and introduced me to the most wonderful world language teachers in the state.

One Fall Conference in particular stands out. The Appleton Area School District FLES teachers, led by the

amazing Donna Clementi, hosted a session which so impressed and inspired me, that I proposed an elementary world language program in my own district. That program began in 2001 and I am happy to report that it continues thriving today, 21 years later.

As this year’s conference was approaching, I was thinking back on some very important people who have impacted my career as a language teacher. The two most important educators in my life would, of course, be my parents. My mother taught second grade and my father, who just celebrated his 98th birthday on Halloween, was a high school business ed and typing teacher, later becoming a university administrator. They had absolutely no skills in another language but they valued learning and always supported my interest in the Spanish language and culture. They were even adventurous enough to visit me in Spain for two weeks when I studied in Barcelona. I have to say that my biggest failing as a Spanish teacher was that during those two weeks I could not manage to teach them how to say “cafe con leche por favor” so that I could sleep in in the morning and not have to help them get breakfast!

My high school Spanish teacher, Lesley Petterson, also played a critical role. She recognized my abilities early on and offered me the opportunity to challenge myself and accelerate my learning through independent study Thanks to “dona Lesley” I made my first trips to both Spain and Mexico. At university I had the great fortune to have Graciela Wilborn as my instructor for a number of Spanish classes

Graciela was a model educator and an exceptional human being. The Foreign Language Association of North Dakota Teacher of the year award is named after her. On the FLAND website Graciela is credited with “singlehandedly changing Spanish teaching and teachers in the state of North Dakota and elsewhere ” Graciela made every student feel welcome, encouraged, and challenged. She supported me in my pursuit to study abroad at a time when those opportunities were difficult to find, wrote several letters of recommendation, and served as my advisor during my student teaching assignment. I incorporated many of Graciela’s methods of teaching and assessing into my own classroom as her techniques were timeless. Graciela’s influence on me as a person and as a teacher is simply immeasurable.

As a professional educator, I have also had the great fortune to work with so many amazing colleagues, in particular, Carolyn Siechter who has been my work spouse and wonderful friend for the past 29 years. Carolyn has always embraced my ideas for big changes. Things like—let’s start an elementary world language program, let’s get rid of the textbook, or how ‘bout completely change how we assess our students, “again.” Working with a great friend and colleague has truly been a blessing.

Finally, I must acknowledge the most important people of my career, my many, many students, several of whom are now WAFLT members and are present here tonight. Yes, our students can be frustrating, annoying, and downright rude at times but, then,

they write a lovely note and we remember how much we enjoy teaching a language. I want to share with you now some of the thoughts my students have expressed over the years, not as a reflection on me but to remind you all of the vital role you play as teachers of language and culture. Students get it. They may take a while to get it but, eventually they do and the more students who study a language and culture the more likely we are to see a shift in the mindset of this country regarding the value of language learning and an increased appreciation of other cultures. These students are speaking to each one of you. Just mentally substitute the language you teach for “Spanish” if needed.

Katie, now a nurse—“Even though I wasn’t able to complete a Spanish major, I still use the language daily with patients and I am forever grateful for these skills that have given me the ability to break down language barriers in health care.”

Marlena, a college student—“Spanish was the most worthwhile class I’ve ever taken. No other class has offered me the chance to travel to two foreign countries and no other course has covered such a diverse range of topics: culture, history, art, poetry, architecture, literature, theology, music and, oh yeah, language.

Meredith—I’m really sorry for all the days I probably drove you crazy. You have given me a greater appreciation for the language and opened my eyes to many new aspects of life.

Sam, working as a veterinarian— Spanish class has come in handy more times than I can count and has been of more value than I ever imagined. Thank you for all of your work, time, and for simply tolerating us.

Kate—Thanks for challenging me to really learn. Spanish class will always be an invaluable part of my high school experience though I admit it was frustrating at times. The challenge was well worth it.

Greg, a filmmaker—I always looked forward to coming to class because I knew we would be doing something new and fun.

Keli, now a Spanish teacher and my co-worker—Thanks for pushing us so hard, it has definitely paid off!

Rachel, an aspiring author—Your class has made me good at learning and valuing foreign languages in general and, in addition to keeping up my Spanish, I intend to teach myself French and Russian this summer and that is just the beginning.

Finally a very recent note from Emma an urban organic farmer who wrote to me this past May—Thank you for challenging me to keep thinking wider.

On those tough days in the classroom keep the words of these language students in mind. Our classes change attitudes, open hearts, build friendships, and, as Emma said, teach students to “think wider.”

Again, thank you so very much and enjoy the rest of the conference!

Wisconsin Voices: 2022 WAFLT Fall Conference Keynote Presentation

Wisconsin Voices was a TED-talk style event that centered around the conference theme, Level Up: Embracing Change, Empowering Learners What follows are the four presenter’s remarks

Pablo Muirhead Instructor of Spanish and Teacher Education, Milwaukee Area Technical College, JNCL-NCLIS Board Member

Humbled to stand here before you, I will always be grateful to one of my wonderful professors and mentors, Paul Hoff, for encouraging our methods class to attend this conference back in 1994. Out in the crowd I also see two other mentors and giants in our field, Donna Clementi and Paul Sandrock. I vividly remember meeting them in the late 90s and have been so appreciative of their influence and guidance over the years

When I was invited to share some thoughts, my mind immediately went to asking ourselves what we want our students to be able to do years from now, not tomorrow nor next week nor on their summative assessments. I had wanted to share some thoughts on the long-term impact we have. I guess I still do but the topic has changed.

As the date approached, the climate we live in was not lost on me. I struggled to simply speak about long-term proficiency goals when there are more pressing issues

It really is the best and the worst of times. The colors, the weather, the fresh air, absolutely enthralling. On the other hand, there is the political season. I love and hate this time of year. You know, that time of year

when the intellectual bar is lowered to our least common denominator. Yep’, that’s right. Fear is stoked. Fear of the other. Fear of losing some idyllic past. Fear of losing perceived power. We know better.

This season is no different. The fall has been one of the most beautiful in recent memory and the election season one of the most hateful I’ve seen in some time. Scapegoating immigrants is not new. It is a bit ironic since we are a country of immigrants, some by choice and others by force. And at a time when we could welcome more immigrants, they have been falsely made out to be murderers, drug dealers, criminals, you name it. And those that may not look like “real Americans” are lumped into that maligned group.

During the lockdown, I was teaching from my home office when my son’s art teacher messaged me to tell me to check on my son. My then 13-year old son had just taken our dog around the block between his virtual classes when a white man saw him and brought his car to a screeching halt in front of our house. The man proceeded to roll down the window and spew some hateful language at my brown-skinned son. Shaking, my son came in the house and continued with his next class where his art teacher noticed something was amiss. That’s why I got the message from her. He later recalled hearing something about “go back to Mexico.” He refused to leave the house for about a month after that incident.

Unbridled xenophobia has gotten a green light. We know better.

Let’s pause for a moment and acknowledge that we have gathered on the ancestral homelands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk people. Seriously, think about that for a second.

And then let’s get comfortable with discomfort. It is through discomfort that we can ask ourselves tough questions, self reflect, make changes, and grow.

Is the cup half full or half empty? I think that as a profession we have done ourselves a disservice by viewing heritage speakers as half empty. Stick with me for a second. When we talk about heritage speakers, it is often from the perspective of what they are lacking. We might say things like,

“Their writing is, well, sloppy”, “they mix up their Bs and Vs”

“they forget to include the silent H,” “they use too much Spanglish”, “they don’t always know where to put accent marks,”

“they…, they…, they…”

Ever caught yourself saying things like that? Ever heard others say things like that? It’s natural as that was how we were conditioned to think of language learning, a series of rules and patterns that we learned that way and thus, others must as well. As teachers of WORLD languages, we serve as gatekeepers for our students into other cultures.

Additionally, we need to recognize the role we play in advocacy.

We have tremendous opportunities for growth. During a time that we have a great need for language teachers and teachers period, let’s revisit the tremendous potential we have within our classrooms. As the U.S. is the fourth largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, we don’t need to look far to find speakers among us.

A scan of this space might suggest that we have fallen woefully short of tapping that pool of talent.

We have some challenges ahead of us but none that we can’t tackle.

My younger brother and I were fortunate enough to have parents that resisted societal pressures to speak only English to us. As a result, we grew up bilingually and spent most summers in Arequipa, Peru, a place we return to as often as possible.

When my brother was in the second grade, his teacher was appalled that my parents spoke Spanish to him. Forget the fact that he was also fluent in English and could use the subjunctive in Spanish before he could tie his shoes, this form of bilingualism was seen as a deficit. She could think of nothing better than to put him in a special education class. Luckily my parents learned of this and intervened.

However, the broader issue of perceiving heritage speakers through a deficit lens persists. I remember my pronunciation being corrected in high school during a unit on Spanish pronunciation because I hadn’t mastered the seseo. Imagine me going home speaking like that to my abuelita. Now back up and think of how so many of our heritage speakers feel in society, not fully celebrated in our classrooms nor seen as fully from here.

We’ve got some work ahead of us. Let’s couple this with the immense need we have for future teachers. We have an untapped pool of folks ready to join our profession.

Let’s flip the script and think of these same learners from an additive perspective. Consider the amount of language input they may have had, that reservoir of language waiting to be tapped into. Consider the expressions they know, the cultural wealth they have, the fluency they bring, the pronunciation, etc., all things considerably more difficult to teach than what one might wish they had.

My own experience taking Spanish in school officially started in 9th grade. My placement exam consisted of a grammar-focused test and some oral questions. Nope, not the oral proficiency interview type of questions but rather, “conjugate the verb to sleep in the second personal singular in the preterite tense”. Imagine how I did. I didn’t know what conjugate meant, I thought that was something folks did to make their marriage official. I took a stab in the dark and said “duermo” or “dormir” or something with some form of that verb. Had I been asked to just translate “Did you sleep?”, I would’ve gotten it right. I remember the teacher seemed disappointed in me and I felt that I was lacking in my Spanish. It was the tiny chipping away at what I perceived to be a strength that made me question myself and start to see it as a weakness. Not to mention this has always been an important part of my identity.

Luckily I would later have some fantastic college professors that chose to see what I brought as a strength and supported my continued growth. Thanks again to Paul Hoff and his late

mother, Roma, along with many other wonderful faculty at Eau Claire. I was also fortunate enough to have parents that instilled in me great pride and safety in who I was. And honestly, I have typically been able to pass as “white” which I recognize has conferred upon me a certain degree of unearned privilege.

How many have not had the stars align the same way? How many feel the brunt of society’s rising xenophobia and choose to obscure their identities? I can tell you that my two children experience this in vastly different ways. My son, who has the most beautiful brown skin, refuses to speak Spanish when we are in red counties. My lighter-skinned daughter doesn’t make a distinction between where she speaks Spanish.

These are but my family’s stories, yet they may serve to indicate how others experience this phenomenon. They have helped me tap into the strengths that my students bring that may not be as easily measured by our more traditional approaches.

It’s not enough to vote. We need to combat the rising xenophobia and nativism by presenting counterarratives that serve to raise the bar and also question our own complicity. Let’s embrace the Seal of Biliteracy to help elevate all students and recognize the amazing talents they bring.

Remember, our words, actions, and approaches have a significant impact. As teachers tasked with helping our students approach the world from different cultural perspectives, we can gain so much if we view our heritage speakers from an additive perspective.

Devin Pettys French Teacher, Onalaska High School

As I look at my computer screen in the fall of 2020 and 25 blank expressionless foreheads look back at me, it’s hard not to think, “Is this what I really want to do?” My name is Devin Pettys, and I am currently in my second year at Onalaska High School. I’ve thought a lot about that question “Is this what I really want to do?” these last two years since then. I’m sure a lot of you have thought the same thing.

This all begins with why I am here in the first place. I am here because of all of the great teachers I have had along the way. My journey started in 6th grade French with Christy Wopat who I imitate in class to this day with her “Question chi-cha-bing” when asking questions before having Justine Horvath who challenged me in new ways and pushed me to success in high school. I had Brian Wopat for one year of French before he moved districts and left me with the great wisdom—Don’t do it—when I told him I was interested in becoming a French teacher. However, if anything, that only grew the fire under me to keep going. I continued on with Svetlana Ott who helped me grow personally and in my French skills while having an engaging and fun classroom

From there, I went on to register as a French Education Major from day one at University of Wisconsin La Crosse. I had a great time learning with Virginie Cassidy and Anna Keefe as my professors where I expanded my professional skills and pedagogical knowledge. But if I’m being honest with all of you, that is why I was faced with those 25 foreheads in 2020 and

embraced minutes of silence on Zoom when asking a question, not why I am standing in front of you all today.

Ultimately I do it for the students that I get the incredible privilege of interacting with each and every day. I don’t know if there is another job in the world that has me bending over laughing as much or as often as I do right now. I brought a few of my favorite stories of my interactions with students just in the short history as a teacher so far, and how they make every day better. No matter how much they can frustrate me at times, I still care about them deeply, and ultimately they’re the reason that I am there.

I can remember back in the time of my first level field experience when I had a student, Raphael. After refusing to let him know how to swear in French, Raphael stands up in class and shouts at his Siri, “How do you say the ‘F’ word in French?” Siri replied back “le mot F.” He looked at me confidently and shouted “Le mot F!” laughing and proud of his accomplishment. I couldn’t help myself but to laugh for quite a while leaving the confused Raphael to question what he did wrong.

I go to school every day enjoying my job where I have students that draw the Pettys of the day. While there are those that work and others that don’t, here are a few of my favorites: Taylor Swift Pettys which coincided with the release of her new album, ghost Pettys with bedsheet and all staying festive with Halloween, French Pettys which contained nearly every French stereotype you can think of, and even high heel Pettys

I go to school every day because of the student who, when we do our bellringers talking about the weekend at the beginning of class, instead of a simple, “I hung out with my friends,”

gave me an epic tale of the pétanque match with her friend where she had been hit with the ball, sent to the hospital, and put on a liquid diet for several weeks all while remaining in the target language. This student was bored with the daily talk and wanted to expand more and more in the target language. Every other student will struggle to match the creativity of Aurélie.

I go to school every day because of the students who, even during our time on Zoom, had their backgrounds show the text, “if Monsieur P ever leaves I will cry myself to sleep for at least 5 weeks.”

I go to school every day because even as a 24 year old adult, I can’t help but giggle when students say “ta mère!” to each other during class after we have covered that vocabulary

As much as I may have struggled at times during the pandemic, as we all did, and we all do now with different factors, I go to school each day because of the wonderful students that have such great senses of humor both in French and English, and that’s why during my first year, as I walked back into school after winter break, I had the biggest grin on my face ready and excited to see my students once again.

Deana Zorko

2020 WAFLT

Distinguished Language Educator

Hello all. WELCOME to the 2022 WAFLT Fall Conference, Level Up: Embracing Change, Empowering Learners. I'm Deana Zorko, a former high school Spanish teacher and currently a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum developer for my school district. I would like to thank the program committee for giving me the

opportunity to share the stage with my WAFLT colleagues during tonight's Keynote Address.

Tonight I would like to give you a short snippet of embracing change. On this slide you see 2 pictures that have had an intense impact not only on my career as an educator, but my life in general.

(Photo 1) In 2013…These two plush cuddly organs represent my kidney-pancreas transplant. An event that was both life saving, and life improving. I had a few small adjustments to my life and career, but changes were adaptable and a definite level up from my 20 year adventure with Type 1 diabetes. Fast forward to 2020…

(Photo 2) Then came Covid, life as I knew it stopped and significantly changed forever.

Covid in conjunction with MMSD and my immunocompromised status effectively ended my 32-year teaching career as I knew it. I can no longer be in person in a classroom with unmasked students if I want a chance at staying Covid free to protect my transplant and to protect my life. There still is not an effective way to protect those of us who don't respond to vaccines due to anti rejection medication. What do you do when life changes in the blink of an eye, where do you find your teachable moment? Where do you find your creativity, innovation, resilience, and tenacity? You find it in the PIVOT!

I know the word pivot has been somewhat overused, but for me the visual of being anchored and flexible to change all in one is brillant. For me pivot means, try not to focus on what’s wrong and how to fix it, but rather what happened and how do I adjust and move on to keep… leveling up to engage learners. Now what? Teach virtually, but in an innovative way that is

not well known in the K-12 world? Yes, for 1.5 years I followed a model set forth by the Collaborative Language Program (Thank you, Lauren Rosen!) as part of the University of Wisconsin System. It worked and my students were successful.

Then came the…NO! My school district deemed my actions as an “unreasonable accommodation”. This decision paired with society's view of virtual education being harmful and insisting that we must ALL return FULLY to in-person education no matter what, led to me being replaced with an online curriculum program. I disagreed and fought, but unfortunately I no longer have a voice in this matter. Sometimes others cannot pivot!

What now? How do I continue to empower student learning in my new role… pivot again! Think of what I know and hold dearly in world language education and mesh it with the knowledge that my new role has refreshed and has taught me. Take a moment to compare, overlay, and connect the WI WL standards and the CASEL SEL standards. There are so many connections when we look at Standard 4 and 5 (Global Competence & Community Engagement and Intercultural communication and how they align with Social-Awareness, Self-Awareness, and Relationship skills to name a few. Here is my PIVOT! There is still a lot of work to be done, but I feel confident that I am moving in an empowered direction to pair our WL language standards with SEL standards for students and staff well-being and growth. I hope that I have ignited a spark in you to do the same!

I’d like to leave you with a quote by Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." I will continue

my efforts to do better in my new educational role and look forward to my continued learning in order to level up.

Thank you for the privilege of your time and attention. Take care all and I hope to see you all in person sometime soon.

Jody Ziemann 2021 WAFLT Distinguished Language Educator

Good afternoon! I am honored to be here with all of you today. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I have been teaching longer than many of you have been alive. Forty-four years in education seems unimaginable but here we are. This is such an exciting time to be back together at the WAFLT Fall Conference after several of the toughest years there have ever been in the classroom, for students as well as for teachers.

Last year in my Distinguished Educator speech, I began with a famous quote by Confucious: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This might need to be adjusted to “unless there is a pandemic upending everything you thought you knew about teaching and learning.” But, true to the hearts and passion of educators we persevered and made it through together.

I come from the generation of teaching with filmstrips, cassette tapes, albums, or vinyls as they are now known, purple copies run off on ditto machines, electric typewriters, handwritten attendance cards, and report cards. Authentic educational resources were often unavailable until you traveled to a foreign country. Newspapers, books, realia, music were all but unattainable in many places, particularly in small, rural communities.

Teaching Spanish 40+ years ago included lots of “drill and kill” activities, a heavy reliance on textbooks, and memorized dialogues about fictitious “Juan” and his friend “María.” And you know, when traveling, my students and I never met anyone who knew their half of any of these dialogues. How far we have come from those days!

The emphasis in our classrooms today is on building relationships with our students. We are assisting students to acquire language and cultural competency, not just teaching a subject. This is a shift in thinking from previous paradigms. Everything from the methods and materials we use to how we assess has changed dramatically. It has become our challenge to adapt and keep up with changes both in what we teach and how we teach a totally different generation of learners, which is often tech savvy beyond some of our own abilities.

As our conference title indicates, to level up is to embrace change and empower our learners. But this is also needed for ourselves as we prepare to better understand how to help our students level up. It helps to reflect on when and how we took the opportunity to level up ourselves.

In my training to become a teacher in the late 70’s, it was suggested, but not mandatory, to study in a country that spoke the language you were majoring in. One of my big mistakes and regrets was not taking the leap and doing this. My linguistic ability needed leveling up as well as my cultural competence. I could speak to what I had read about, or seen in movies or travel photos from friends. I needed to level up my own competence so that I was teaching about what I had actually seen and experienced in another country. I provided as much as I could for my own students but for a number

of years I felt I was missing something. I read incessantly, took a UW-O literature class, and made the effort to speak to as many native speakers as I could but beyond that it was difficult to improve my own abilities. I had traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico, a number of times with students and had taken courses offered for teachers while my group was in class but these brief experiences didn’t give me enough to help me grow as a learner and teacher of culture, and language. In 2002, with overwhelming support from my husband and stepchildren, I made the decision to find a program that would offer linguistic, cultural and pedagogical opportunities for me. I traveled to Salamanca, Spain, and participated in a summer course for teachers, staying with a family and taking numerous side trips to Madrid and Barcelona. What a difference this made in my ability to communicate and live as a member of a family in Spain. Again, in 2019 I attended a program in Sevilla, Spain, staying with a family and taking pedagogical sessions in the mornings for one week and attending cultural events in the evenings.

Gaining the cultural competence for my teaching has made me even more passionate about offering travel experiences to as many students as I can during the span of my career. To date, this spring will be my 20th trip and the response from students has been amazing. But, what about those students who are unable to travel? Videos and personal photos that I have can certainly enhance cultural contact for students but what can I do to help growth in oral communication?

For me, in my situation, increasing reading in my classes has had a tremendous impact on my students and their linguistic abilities. There is such a wide variety of authentic resources and leveled readers which

center on culture in many Spanishspeaking countries. Getting more print into my students’ hands and then talking about readings with partners or sharing with the entire class has really helped students acquire more vocabulary, language chunks, and cultural understanding.

In closing, I would like to share an excerpt from an email I received at the beginning of September from a former student who is now a Spanish teacher in another state.

I wanted to reach out as the start of my second year teaching approaches on Monday and thank you for the impact you've had on my life and continue to make on the lives of so many students. Thank you for igniting and feeding the spark of wonder and desire to learn Spanish, and for all of the doors you opened by setting me down this path. Thanks to your classes, I've been able to study Spanish in college, study abroad in Spain and meet my wife, and now go into my second year of embodying the same passion, energy, fun, and wonder that you created in my classes with you, to ignite that same spark in each of my students. I'm forever grateful that thanks to your example I get to pass on a love and appreciation for Spanish, the cultures, and all of the fun games, songs, and activities to all of my students.

Communications like this, my friends, are why I/we teach and are passionate about language acquisition and culture. I feel so very proud to be a member of this profession and especially to be a member of WAFLT. Wisconsin has proved time and again what dedicated, caring, and talented educators we have here.

May you all have successful school years continuing to touch your students and the future. Thank you!

Value of Learning Languages and Developing Cultural Competence

Personal Statement by Ellen Russell, 2022 WAFLT Teacher of the Year Nominee

When students walk into my world language classroom, I want them to be excited to learn about their world. It is for this reason my view of language learning centers on three core beliefs:

1.Students can and should learn a world language no matter their life path; language learning is for everyone.

2.Students should know about the world they are a part of.

3.Students should see themselves represented throughout the world language curriculum.

Through technology and diverse communities, our world is more connected than ever. Whether someone is working in agriculture, health care, food service, education, or finance, students will have the opportunity to interact with someone who comes from a background different than theirs. In my French 4/5 class, teaching Pérspolis brought this into focus for them. They were able to grow their global competence by studying materials in both English and French, gaining a new perspective on Iran through readings, videos, discussions, social media posts, and guest speakers of Iranian heritage. They saw how their four, five, and six years of language study helped them get to this point of understanding, allowing me to talk about time needed to grow proficiency as well.

In my world language classroom, I talk with students about their prior knowledge of the language, the culture, and where it is spoken in the world, before bringing it back to Wisconsin to contextualize how it applies to their daily life. I want them

to see how knowing more than one= language connects people. Teaching= Pérsepolis allowed me to use French= as a catalyst to show them the United= States through a new lens and how= the events that lead to the Iranian= Revolution affected their family’s life in= Wisconsin.

While I am contextualizing the= language and culture for them, it is= also the time that I start to see what= grabs them so that I can incorporate= those materials into the units they will= study for the year. I am intentional in= recognizing what each student brings= to my classroom and I focus on= capitalizing on their strengths and= interests to keep them engaged in the= learning process long-term. Pérsepolis= was chosen for their love of history but= also their desire for increased cultural= competence. The story, as Marjane

Satrapi’s personal narrative, allowed me to give the students a rich background of Iran and the interconnectedness of the United States, Russia, and Britain in Iran’s story before reading the novel. As they read the first part, then watched the film, they were able to make comparisons between their lives and Satrapi’s, discussing the issues that affect young adults here and in Iran. It allowed them to see we all have the same experiences no matter where we live and sparked a curiosity to know more.

Language learning is powerful, building cultural competencies in sensitivity, flexibility, understanding, curiosity, and a desire to explore the world and learn from others. It is my hope my students will celebrate this power with others they meet.

I.Greetings – Dan Tess

II.Fall Conference Committee

Program Committee Report (Linda Havas, Cathy Stresing, Rebecca Mai)

Thank you for your part in the success of our first in-person event since 2019. As expected, our number of attendees (289) were down from previous years.

WAFLT is YOUR conference! Proposal form for 2023 “Reconnect, Refresh, Renew” will go live in December.

Please complete the post conference survey for a chance to win one of two WAFLT memberships.

Local Arrangements – Lee BelangerGonzales

We had 16 exhibitors. This decline is not unusual as compared to other events due to continued COVID recovery. Thank you again to our sponsors.

III. Secretary’s Report – Brian Wopat MOTION: Kelly Villalobos moved and seconded by Josh LeGreve to dispense the reading of minutes and accept as written. The motion passed.

IV.President’s Report – Dan Tess

Thank you to everyone who helped us return to an in-person conference. Power Hours will continue approximately once per month. We will be seeking co-hosts from various corners of the state to help guide discussion and door prizes will be offered again.

WAFLT Annual Meeting Minutes

Saturday, November 5, 2022

V. Treasurer’s Report – Kellie Villalobos

MOTION: Linda Havas moved and seconded by Jodi Reif Ziemann to dispense the reading of the treasurer’s report and accept as written. The motion passed.

VI. DPI World Language and Global Education Consultant’s Report –Pam Delfosse

VII.NNELL Report – Jessica King Leadership positions are available: WI-NELL representative, NNELL President-Elect, and NNELL Treasurer. If interested, please contact Jessica King at jking@foxbay.org

Join NNELL to support early language learning and teaching at nnell.org

FLESFEST – Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 25, 2023. It is a free, virtual conference held for 2 hours this year. For more information about previous conferences, visit wi-nell.org

VIII.Professional Development Committee – Jamie Gurholt

Mentoring – Julie Horvath Outreach and collaboration during Mentor/ Mentee WAFLT session (8am Sat 11/5).

Share Fair – Anita Alkhas & Zoe Witzeling

Both will be offering Share Fair options for spring 2023 in their respective areas: Anita (MKE) and Zoe in Fox River Valley. Dates & registration will be pushed out via email.

Virtual PD -– Jamie Gurholt & Julie Horvath

Monthly Power Hours and Why WAFLT? (both on website)

IX.Professional Development

Summer Institute – Iva McLean

Will occur in the beginning of August 2023. More information will be provided prior to the end of the school year.

MOPI – Jody Reif Ziemann

No activity this year.

All MOPI training is still being offered as virtual training.

We have decided to wait to see if/when in-person training will begin again before moving forward with this project.

X.Grants, Scholarships, & Awards

Grants & Scholarships – No Report Awards

No report until December meeting. Reminder to all to nominate their colleagues and students for the many awards.

High School Guests

This was not held this year, so no updates. We’re hoping to hold it again next year.

XI. Public Relations Committee

In-state advocacy: No Report

National level advocacy:

Language Advocacy Days in Washington, DC. See Dan Tess if interested.

Discover Languages – Devin Pettys

Postcard Theme 2023: Connect with Languages

Due Oct. 6, 2023

XII.Communications & Publications Committee – Lauren Rosen

VOICE – Katy Dueppen

The Voice of WAFLT is a biannual publication that seeks the voice of its members. Please consider writing an article pertaining to effective instructional practices, assessment, or initiatives to promote language learning and interculturality in your school.

We are seeking articles for our Spring edition from the entire WAFLT membership.

January 1 – Spring edition deadline. Send articles to voice@waflt.org Microsoft Word or Google Docs preferred.

Affiliate organizations: January 1 deadline.

Provide a current list of all officers (name, school, and email, if your organization lists that information).

Please check your verb tenses and dates when writing about past and future events. (Pay close attention to the publication date.)

Photos are welcome and encouraged!

Please send photos separately as .jpg, .jpeg, or .png files.

Please include photo captions in your article and name your photo files to correspond with captions.

eVoice – Lauren Rosen/Kara Torkelson

Keep encouraging colleagues and tap into retirees to submit an article. Any feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

We currently have 702 subscribers.

21st Century Committee

We are still looking for people who are generally active on social media in groups where they see content of interest to language educators. If you are that person or know that person, please consider this opportunity to

keep the WAFLT social media platforms updated with interesting content. Just email 21stcentury@waflt.org

Advertising – Josh LeGreve

Advertising income is at $800 for the year.

Thank you to CETA Tours, Interact Travel, and the French Traveler for advertising this year.

Website – Lauren Rosen

Please don’t forget to maintain your account information on the website, especially a working email address. If you change jobs we don’t want you to miss anything and we use the database to reach out to all our members.

Conference survey and link to submitting your session materials are both now listed towards the top of the conference page on our website.

XIII.Announcements / other business, etc.

Announcement of 2023-24 President Elect – Linda Havas

Congrats to Andrea Behn as President-Elect!

Fill out the conference evaluation form.

XIV.Adjournment

MOTION: Jodi Reif Ziemann moved and seconded by Lauren Rosen to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed.

Professional Development Opportunities

Wisconsin Association For Language Teachers (WAFLT) Fall Conference

November 2-4, 2023 | Information: waflt.org

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Conference

November 17-19, 2023, Chicago, IL | Information: actfl.org

FLESFEST

February, 2024 | Information: wi-nell.org

Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

March 14-16, 2024, Minneapolis, MN | Information: csctfl.org

Join a Language Leadership Listserv: join-languageleadership@lists.dpi.wi.gov

Join Your Language Association: Go to waflt.org/about-waflt/language-associations for a list of all organizations.

Wisconsin Representative to NNELL

Jessica King

Fox Point-Bayside School District jking@foxbay.org

FLESFEST Co-Chairs

Carley Goodkind

Jody Schneider

Central States East Regional Representative to NNELL

Kathy Olson-Studler Minnesota kathyolsonstudler@gmail.com

Wisconsin Website: wi-nell.org National Website: nnell.org

American Association of French Teachers-Wisconsin Chapter

President

Cathy Stresing Fond du Lac School District presidentAATFWI@gmail.com

President-Elect

Andrew Irving AATFWIpresidentelect@gmail.com

AATF-WI website: aatfwi.org

Join us on Facebook: AATF-Wisconsin AATF website: frenchteachers.org

Secretary-Treasurer

Reuben Vyn treasurerAATFWI@gmail.com

Past President

Kara Torkelson Wausau West High School pastpresidentAATFLWI@gmail.com

Concours Oral concoursoralAATFWI@gmail.com

AATF Regional Representative Tom Sapp tsapp@loy.org

American Association of Teachers of German – Wisconsin

President

Melanie Lasee

Ashwaubenon High School mlasee@ashwaubenonk12.org

Vice President

Derek Schaefer Slinger High School derek.schaefer@slingerschools.org

Past President

Jeffery Dyer Oregon High School jmd3@oregonsd.net

Secretary

Sarah Seidler-Halwas Ripon High School seidlers@ripon.k12.wi.us

Treasurer David Coury UW-Green Bay couryd@uwgb.edu

Wisconsin Association of Teachers of Japanese

President

Magara Maeda

UW-River Falls (715)425-3121 magara.maeda@uwrf.edu

President-Elect

Patricia Breun Madison Country Day School pbreun@madisoncountryday.org

President Ex-officio Takako Nakakubo

UW-Madison (608)262-3473 tnakakubo@wisc.edu

Membership Information: aatj.org/membership

WiATJ website: wisconsinatj.wordpress.com

WiATJ Facebook: facebook.com/wiatj

Secretary/Web Page Editor

Shinji Takahashi

UW-Milwaukee (414)229-5650 takahash@uwm.edu

Treasurer Yu Kitamura Wisconsin Virtual School Kitamurayu2017@gmail.com

Activities Director Yuko Kojima-Wert

UW-Milwaukee (414)229-5650 kojima@uwm.edu

Wisconsin Latin Teachers Association

President Nate Kolpin Wauwatosa School District kolpinna@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us

Secretary Michelle Bayouth Madison West HS mbayouthicloud@gmail.com

Treasurer Daniel Tess Brookfield Central High School tessdanielp@gmail.com

Webmaster Mark Krause krausemg1@gmail.com

Wisconsin Association of Chinese Language Teachers

President Yongyan Liu

Milwaukee Chinese School yongyan.liu85@gmail.com

Secretary Yuzhou Wu

Middleton Cross Plains Area School District

ywu@mcpasd.k12.wi.us

Treasurer Remya Sarma-Traynor UW-Stevens Point rsarmtr@uwsp.edu

WACLT wishes Wisconsin world language teachers all the best with your work, and a healthy and prosperous year of the Rabbit!

Professional Development Coordinator

Weihua Zhu

Department of Asian Languages & Cultures University of Wisconsin wzhu34@wisc.edu

WACLT has officially launched the new website waclt.org as the virtual informational hub for its members. Chinese language teachers in Wisconsin are expected to check the website for online membership payments, Chinese speech contest details, monthly webinars, and other teacher collaboration announcements.

The participants approved the following motion:

The 20th annual Wisconsin Chinese language speech contest (2023 Spring) will still be held in a virtual format. This will be the fourth online Chinese language speech contest since the beginning of the pandemic, however, participants also highly recommended resuming the in-person Speech Contest for the following year.

2022 WAFLT Fall Conference

After two years of virtual WAFLT conferences, Chinese language teachers from all over Wisconsin gathered in person at the Hilton Appleton Paper Valley in November 2022. WACLT president Ms. Liu presented at the business meeting the following updates:

Ms. Zhu, an associate professor at UW-Madison, joined the WACLT board as the professional development coordinator. She has been working on applying for grants to support WACLT members for professional development.

Chinese language teachers at 2022 WAFLT conference

American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese

President

Jessica Santiago

New Berlin West High School jessica.santiago@nbexcellence.org

Past President

Kathy Varda

JEDI Virtual School k.m.stenlund@gmail.com

President Elect

Bridget Geboy-Helfenstein

School District of West Allis-West Milwaukee gebob@wawmsd.org

¡Hola / Olá!

Secretary

Alix Madden Pittsville School District maddeale@pittsville.k12.wi.us

Treasurer

Catalina Cabello Pacelli Catholic High School, Stevens Point ccabello@spacs.k12.wi.us

Webmaster

Josh LeGreve Green Lake School District joshlegreve@gmail.com

Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica

Nicole Thompson

School District of New Berlin nicole.thompson@nbexcelle nce.org

Concurso Oral Coordinator

Barb Olsen

Kettle Morraine High School barbara.olsen@kmlhs.org

Join us on Facebook: tinyurl.com/AATSP-WITeac hers

¡Un gran saludo de AATSP-WI! / Saudações a todos do AATSP-WI!

Celebrating the Achievements of 2022:

We had 159 registered members as of September, 2022. Free first time membership [tinyurl.com/ykn32jcf] was offered this fall from AATSP-National and we hope that our membership continues to increase. Join or renew your AATSP-WI membership here. [aatsp.org/Login.aspx]

Congratulations to our 2023 AATSP-WI Distinguished Educator: Colleen Stepp, Spanish Teacher at Nathan Hale High School, School District of West Allis-West Milwaukee. Each year AATSP-WI celebrates a Spanish/Portuguese teacher who has demonstrated excellence in the classroom, their community, and/or within our organization. There were eight nominations in 2022. Watch for the call for nominations in August for the 2024 award.

We began a BOOK CLUB! Reading and discussion were conducted in Spanish. The goal of the book club is to provide a community where AATSP members can read and discuss literature together, en español. It is in no way a formal club, so feel free to join whenever you are able.

Concurso Oral 2022: We had 268 students participate; the contest was virtual with a two-week window to submit a recorded Flipgrid; we plan to continue the Concurso Oral virtually.

–10 student winners received $100 scholarships.

Poster Contest 2022: we had national winners from Wisconsin:

–First Place 2nd-3rd grade.

–Third Place 4th grade.

–State-level winning posters can be viewed on our AATSP-WI website wiaatsp.org/opportunities.

NSE – National Spanish Exam (now coordinated at the national level): –A senior scholar from WI won a $1,000 scholarship.

–A junior from WI won the travel award and went to Puerto Rico for the annual AATSP conference in July-all expenses paid.

–There were 1,326 students who competed nationally from WI this year. ›Out of those, 234 placed nationally.

Sociedad Honoria Hispánica: Two students in Wisconsin won the Bertie Green Junior Travel Award to Puerto Rico this year:

–A student from Waunakee Community High School.

–A student from Arrowhead High School.

WAFLT Fall Conference 2022 was a success.

–Exhibit booth: trivia games, raffle tickets.

–Share session: round robin of opportunities for teachers.

–Annual Business meeting

›Full house! Thank you for joining us.

›Door prizes of wine, nonalcoholic beverages, newest book club book, calavera succulent, two donated NNELL memberships and mugs, one donated National Spanish Exam (NSE) $25 gift certificate toward student exam fee, NSE swag items, and more.

›Afro Latino Samba dance lesson with Venezuelan dance performer and instructor Adriley Roman of Cultura Viva.

Events for 2023

Book Club: Continuous and casual –check our website and facebook page, or email Alix Madden, maddeale@pittsville.k12.wi.us, for the link to join, book information, or book suggestions!

Concurs Oral: Registration was due by February 23, 2023. Please check for more details, registration information, and elections on our website.

Jeanne Kasza is the Concurso Oral Coordinator – see her with your questions.

Poster Contest – Do your students have artistic talent? Entries may be hand-drawn (K-12) or digital (9-12). The 2023 theme is: “Nuevos horizontes para la comunicación y la cultura” / “Novos horizontes para a comunicação e a cultura.” The winner(s) of the state competition will be sent on to the national AATSP Poster Contest. 2023 Poster Contest information can be found here

National Spanish Exam: National Spanish Exam / National Portuguese Exam.

The NSE/NPE is a series of online, standardized assessment tools that are used for students in grades 6-12 to measure proficiency and achievement within the Spanish or Portuguese language. Email questions to NSE@aatsp.org.

–Recognize achievement in the study of the Spanish/Portuguese language.

–Promote proficiency in interpretive communication in the Spanish/Portuguese language.

–Assess the national standards as they pertain to learning Spanish/ Portuguese.

–Stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish/ Portuguese.

–Your flat-rate registration fee of $5.00 includes the following:

›One (1) National Spanish Examination or National Spanish Challenge per student.

›Unlimited, year-long use of free online practice quizzes/exams.

›Seven (7) sets of percentiles for each student (NSE).

›A personalized report for each student listing percentages for all outcomes.

›National recognition with medals (NSE) or ribbons (NSC) for those who place.

›Printable certificates for students at all levels.

›Eligibility to apply for student travel and teacher scholarships.

Registration is closed for 2023. NSE testing results will be on May 1, 2023 and NPE testing results available on April 28, 2023.

Sociedad Honoraria

Hispánica: Interested in starting a chapter? Need support or suggestions for how to encourage student participation or service opportunities? Scholarships available to students and teachers; for example: –Juniors – international travel to Costa Rica in July, 2023.

–Seniors - can earn $1,000 or $2,000 university scholarship.

Awards can be earned for chapter distinction, adviser leadership, and community service involvement. Not sure how to arrange an induction ceremony? Contact Nicole Thompson, nicole.thompson@nbexcellence.org

Join our AATSP-WI Facebook Group to share cultural community events around the state and connect with other educators

We look forward to seeing you at the WAFLT Fall Conference in 2023

Interested in supporting AATSP? Join AATSP-WI today!

Become a new member or renew your membership and enjoy the benefits for your students’ achievement and your professional learning, collaboration, and support HERE.

Membership benefits include:

–Free educational webinars sponsored by the AATSP and its partners, and connections to many Professional Learning and Development opportunities.

–Free access (online) to Hispania: long and short articles on applied linguistics, cultural studies, culture, film, language, linguistics, literary criticism, literature, and language pedagogy.

–Free access (online) to Spanish & Portuguese Review (SPR), our graduate student journal.

–Free access (online) to Albricias, our high school Spanish Honor Society's publication.

–Free job search in our Career Center; new and improved language education job search engine with resume upload and feedback, and tips for finding the perfect job in language education.

–Wealth of student awards, scholarships, travel opportunities.

–Student participation in Concurso Oral speaking contest, Poster Contest, National Spanish/Portuguese Exam.

–Support with Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (10-12) or la Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad (1-8).

–Study-Abroad Scholarships for students and teachers.

–Members' discount on AATSP Annual Conference registration: Over 300 sessions, workshops, poster exhibits and meetings aimed to improve cultural and literary knowledge, develop your professional skills and promote the latest language teaching techniques.

›The 2023 Conference is in Salamanca, Spain.

The “P” of AATSP-WI

Are you a Portuguese teacher? Do you know someone who is? We are seeking greater PORTUGUESE REPRESENTATION in AATSP-WI! Please consider joining, share information about AATSP-WI with your fellow Portuguese Teacher colleagues/contacts, or email Jessica Santiago, jessica.santiago@nbexcellence.org, with any contact information so she can reach out to them. Muita obrigada!

¡Todos a una! Todos por um!

Jessica Santiago

Wisconsin Association For Language Teachers & Discover Languages Wisconsin

Presents the 2023 Discover Languages

Student Video & Postcard Contests

Contest Theme:

Connecting Through Languages

For All Students Enrolled in World Language Classes in Wisconsin Elementary (PK-5) ~ Middle School (6-8) ~ High School (9-12) ~ Post-Secondary (Undergraduate)

As you learn more about our world, bring the world to Wisconsin. Show us how much languages mean to you and how important they are in your life!

Submission Deadlines: Video Contest: May 31, 2023 | Postcard Contest: October 6, 2023

Visit waflt.org for contest details to begin!

Help Wisconsin Discover Languages and Discover the World!

WAFLT Awards, Scholarships, and Grants: Details & Forms available @ waflt.org

WAFLT Distinguished Language Educator Award: WAFLT's highest recognition, may be conferred annually on an individual of the language teaching profession who has demonstrated long-term achievement and service to WAFLT and to the profession locally, statewide, regionally, and/or nationally. Nomination Deadline: March 15

Anthony J. Gradisnik Award: May be conferred on an individual or group especially from outside the world language teaching profession who shares Mr. Gradisnik's enthusiasm and advocacy for language education in such areas as international education, early language learning, and creative initiatives in language education. Nomination Deadline: March 15

Frank M. Grittner New Teacher Award: May be conferred annually on an individual new to the language teaching profession with one to three years experience who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and leadership in the promotion of language learning and international understanding; has given service to school, community, and state organizations; and has shown commitment to regional and national organizations. Nomination Deadline: March 15

WAFLT Excellence in Language Study Award: May be conferred on students who have demonstrated great achievement and progress in language study and who exhibit great potential for further achievement in the language. Students currently enrolled in a world language course offered at their school. Elementary, middle school, high school, and post-secondary students are eligible. Nomination Deadline: March 15

WAFLT Honors in Language Study Award: May be conferred on students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in and commitment to their school’s language programs. Students currently enrolled in the most advanced world language course offered at their school; high school and post-secondary students are eligible. Deadline: March 15

WAFLT Future Language Teacher Award: May be conferred annually on students in teacher-training programs who have shown exceptional promise and potential to become outstanding world language educators. Students currently enrolled in a teacher-training program are eligible. Nomination Deadline: April 1

Donna Clementi Award for Excellence in World Language Programs: Recognizes one school and/or district that promotes language learning through quality programs.

WAFLT Professional Service Award: May be presented annually to recent retirees who have served both the profession and their students in providing quality world language education. Recent retirees with a minimum of ten years’ experience as world language educators and who have been members of WAFLT a minimum of five years within the past ten years are eligible. Nomination Deadline: May 15

WAFLT Recognition of Merit: May be presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in teaching or who have made significant contributions to the language teaching profession. Nomination Deadline: February 15

WAFLT Student Travel Scholarship: Designed to help Wisconsin pre-collegiate world language students to participate in language and cultural immersion programs, this scholarship was established in 1999 to honor O. Lynn Bolton, a Spanish teacher in the West Allis-West Milwaukee school district. Nomination Deadline: December 1

WAFLT Scholarship for Professional Development: Designed to help world language educators in Wisconsin improve their classroom teaching skills, this scholarship was established in 1995 to honor Professor Roma Hoff as she retired from the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The fund was expanded to honor Professor Constance Knop who retired from the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996, and again in 2005 to honor the memory of Professor Irène Kraemer who served in many capacities at Carthage College. Nomination Deadline: April 15

WAFLT Scholarship for Tomorrow’s Teachers: Designed to offer financial assistance to attend the WAFLT Fall Conference for up to 20 college-level students preparing to become language teachers. Deadline: September 25

WAFLT Special Projects Grants: Designed to support research efforts, exchange initiatives, special programs, and projects that clearly demonstrate an ability to benefit a broad constituency of world language educators and students in Wisconsin. Deadlines: April 15 and November 15

WAFLT Central States Extension Workshop Grant: Designed to offer financial support for two WAFLT members to attend the Central States Extension Workshop each spring. Recipients of the grant are expected to work together to present a WAFLT Extension Workshop at the Fall Conference in Appleton. Deadline: December 15

The VOICE of WAFLT

Katy Dueppen, Editor

WAFLT Membership Service

PO Box 1493

Appleton, WI 54912

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