Ms. Adams Fletcher has shown her dedication to foreign language teaching over the course of her 20 year career. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies and a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies with a concentration in History and Political Science, she has received multiple accolades over the years. She received her school’s Teacher of the Year award in 2002, and was also selected as Georgia’s Foreign Language Teacher of the Year in 2009. She then competed at the regional level and was the Southern Conference on Language Teaching’s (SCOLT) nominee for the national program. Ms. Adams Fletcher is a National Board Certified Teacher of Spanish, and has spoken at multiple local, state and regional conferences. She is an active member of a number of foreign language organizations, including the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the Foreign Language Association of Georgia. Ms. Adams Fletcher is currently the Spanish teacher (Level II-AP) at Dunwoody High School in the DeKalb County School System.

The National Language Teacher of the Year program began in 2005, the year that ACTFL also started the Year of Languages national initiative. Each state’s foreign language association has the opportunity to submit a candidate’s portfolio for review by their respective regional language organization. Winners from each region then have to complete a personal interview with the national selection committee at the ACTFL Annual Convention. Finalists are asked to discuss issues pertinent to their field, such as culture in the classroom or the value of language learning. Finalists also are responsible for preparing a 10-minute presentation on national foreign language policy, the first half of which must be delivered to an audience of civic group members.

Candidates must be full-time language educators who spend at least 50 percent of their time directly teaching during the year of their application. They also must expect to continue teaching for at least the next two years.

As the winner of this year’s award, Ms. Adams Fletcher will be attending regional conferences and spending a day advocating for modern foreign language program funding on Capitol Hill, as well as delivering keynote addresses and participating in workshops with politicians and other influencers. She will also have the distinction of becoming an ACTFL spokesperson to support the organization’s Discover Languages — Discover the World® public awareness program.

“Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has long been a strong advocate for foreign language education, and a trusted source for educators,” said Rita Schaefer, General Manager of Comprehensive Curriculum, HMH Education Group. “Ms. Adams Fletcher embodies the vision of ACTFL, and we congratulate her on this tremendous honor.”

For more information about ACTFL and the Teacher of the Year program, please visit www.actfl.org.