Jefferson Spanish Teacher Wins State Award

The Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages recently awarded Jefferson High School Spanish teacher Matt Hotopp with the Distinguished Service to Foreign Language Learning Award for Exemplary Teaching and Training for the region. The award recognizes educators whose exemplary teaching has provided inspiration to large numbers of foreign language students or teachers. This category includes people who have distinguished themselves in teacher education and as in-service trainers, as well as in the actual teaching of languages and cultures.

Matt is an expert teacher who has influenced countless current and future educators in the field of world languages. Matt has had a great hand in the curriculum design process for World Languages in Rockford Public Schools. He served as the lead teacher on our Curriculum Leadership Team. The group’s task was to write and implement a new curriculum for RPS 205 World Languages. This is no small feat as RPS 205 offers French, Spanish, Heritage Spanish, American Sign Language and Mandarin Chinese.

Matt has joined his colleagues to identify sources for professional development for the RPS 205 department, including experts in the unique needs and best practices in World Languages. Matt has also co-facilitated, co-designed, and co-led professional development about the instructional shifts of World Languages numerous times in Rockford Public Schools. He now serves as his building Curriculum Implementation Leader for World Languages and continues to help problem-solve when implementing curricular shifts to make learning a language most impactful for all RPS 205 World Languages students.

We are proud to have Matt in RPS 205! #OurTeachersRock
 

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Carrie Mueller

Carrie Mueller is the RPS 205 Curriculum Dean for Secondary English-Language Arts and World Languages.