L-W North teacher named Central States Teaching Foreign Language Teacher of the Year

Linda Egnatz, a Spanish teacher at has been selected as the Central States Teaching Foreign Language 2013 Teacher of the Year.

She was honored March 15 at an awards ceremony in Columbus, Ohio and is now one of five finalists for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages “National Teacher of the Year” Award to be announced in Orlando, Fla. this November.

“It's an honor to be recognized as a Teacher of the Year,” said Egnatz, “but it also challenges me to be worthy of the title.

“If I serve as a model to teachers, I want it to be a model of the ongoing learner who wants to continue to grow professionally and strives to improve as I coach students to actively use their second language skills,” she added. “In our increasingly competitive job market, students who can speak more than one language will have the advantage.” 

Read here about:

• Central States Teaching and Foreign Language Conference 

The Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages serves 17 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin. 

Egnatz, a Nationally Board Certified teacher and President of the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, had to submit a 50-page portfolio showing evidence of quality instruction to be considered the Central States Teaching Foreign Language Teacher of the Year award.

She included letters of recommendation, a comprehensive curriculum vitae, examples of student work, evidence of student cultural exposure, a 500-word first person statement on the value of learning language and culture and a five-minute teaching video of his or her work in the classroom. 

For the National Award, Egnatz will need to submit a 20-minute classroom video and participate in a mock press conference in which she will field questions regarding language education.

If selected National Teacher of the Year, Egnatz will serve as an advocate for foreign language learning and includes visits to state and national legislators. 

In her role as the Illinois Foreign Language Teacher of the Year, Egnatz recently testified before the Illinois Senate Education Committee on the Senate Bill 1221, Seal of Biliteracy, which would recognize high school graduates who achieve a high level of second language competence. This award could be given to both foreign language and English-language learners and would document their language skills to universities and employers.

In addition to being named Central States Teaching Foreign Language Teacher of the Year, Egnatz also learned recently that she’s in the running for the 2013 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

She is one of 32 finalists from the Chicago area and will be honored at an awards ceremony April 13.

As a finalist in the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, Egnatz will participate in a final round of review and observations by a committee of prominent retired teachers, college and university professors, administrators and former Golden Award recipients.

The committee will select 10 recipients who will each receive a tuition-free, spring quarter sabbatical to study at Northwestern University and a $3,000 cash award. 

The recipients of the Golden Apple Awards will be announced in May.  

For more information about Linconl-Way High School District 210, visit the website. 

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