ACTFL Names 2020 National Language Teacher of the Year

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is pleased to announce the 2020 National Language Teacher of the Year has been awarded to Rebecca Blouwolff, a French teacher at Wellesley Middle School in Brookline, MA, and a representative of the Northeast Conference on Language Teaching (NECTFL). The award presentation was held during the Opening General Session of the 2019 ACTFL Convention & World Languages Expo in Washington, D.C. on Friday, November 22.

Rebecca Blouwolff has been teaching French at Wellesley Middle School for over 20 years. In addition to being a dedicated language educator, Blouwolff is also a blogger and frequent conference presenter.  In 2019 she was named Massachusetts Foreign Language Association (MaFLA) Teacher of the Year and NECTFL Teacher of the Year and also received the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) Dorothy S. Ludwig Excellence in Middle School Teaching Award.

The award for the ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year is intended to elevate the status of the language teaching profession at the state, regional, and national levels by creating opportunities for recognizing the most accomplished members of the profession. The Teacher of the Year becomes a spokesperson for the language profession to increase the visibility of the importance of learning languages and cultures to the general public.

"We congratulate Rebecca Blouwolff on being named the ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year", said Howie Berman, ACTFL Executive Director. "We are grateful to our state and regional partners for supporting this invaluable program, which helps ensure that access to world language education gets the national attention it deserves." 

Learn more about the ACTFL Teacher of the Year Program.

The other four finalists for the annual ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Award representing the other geographic regions of the U.S. were:

• Lynn Johnston, Alderwood Middle School, Lynnwood, WA; Pacific Northwest Council for Languages (PNCFL)
• Melanie Mello, Chandler High School, Chandler, AZ; Southwest Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (SWCOLT)
• Maureen Peltier, St. Paul Central High School, St. Paul, MN; Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CSCTFL)
• Lisa Worthington-Groce, Northwest Guilford High School, Greensboro, NC; Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT)

About ACTFL:

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is the national association for language education professionals from all levels of instruction and representing all languages. With more than 12,000 active members, ACTFL provides innovative professional development opportunities, acclaimed training and certification programs, and widely cited books, publications, scholarly journals, research studies and language education resources, including Foreign Language Annals and The Language Educator magazine. As part of its mission and vision, the organization provides guidance to the profession and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and cultures. ACTFL is a leading national voice among language educators and administrators and is guided by a responsibility to set standards and expectations that will result in high quality language programs.  Follow us on Twitter @ACTFL, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

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