2021 FLANC Teacher of the Year

Christen Campbell believes in a classroom environment that is focused on social justice and culturally responsive teaching. In her curriculum, she aims to give a platform to the voices of the marginalized by discussing underrepresented communities and discussing the inequalities of society and evaluating why they happen. Christen is very driven by the mosaic cultures of the world. She states that “multiculturalism is woven into my core.” She is committed to teaching from the perspective of underrepresented groups, where began her realization of the need to decolonize her curriculum to focus on social justice and reflect culturally responsive teaching. As a result of taking Christen's class, students are not only stronger in their world language proficiency, but they are also better aware and prepared to engage with their communities and live lives of impact and purpose. Congratulations, Christen!

Dr. Ashlee Balena believes that learning a language and a culture opens us up to new experiences not just abroad, but also here at home. Her teaching philosophy is inspired by the words of Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Her main goal is to create a positive, engaging atmosphere where students feel valued and respected. She works hard to build relationships with her students and implements many collaborative learning strategies. She believes the best learning is when students don’t realize they are learning. As an educator, Dr. Balena wants to spark student interest in learning language and culture outside the classroom. She says, “When students use the language outside the classroom, the magic happens on the inside.” Congratulations, Ashlee!