All Things Language-Related, English Language (EL) Teacher, Iowa Teacher of the Year (TOY) 2024
03/08/2026
📍Iowa State University
🌪️ I am always proud to be an Iowa State Alum! I am also in good company with 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year and .colbert 2023 Iowa State Teacher of the Year!
❤️💛 Check out this recent article from the Iowa Stater: https://iowastater.iastate.edu/spring-2026/article/iowa-state-alumnae-iowa-teacher-of-year
🎉💙 Emerging Educators Academy 11💙🎉
✏️ Another year of a great conference created by teachers, for teachers!
💫 It was lovely to connect with new & familiar faces!
📣 I also loved hearing from Dr. Wise at Drake Education who lifted the role of time in our work. “This is the paradox of teaching. Time is your scarcest resource. And yet, the most powerful moments are always available. Iowa educators lead not because they control time, but because they recognize the moment. Chronos is limited. Kairos is limitless!” AND the National Teacher of the Year, Ashlie Crosson, who reminded us that, “The show goes on however you direct it, so what’s your second act?”
12/12/2025
🗓️ The deadline to register for Emerging Educators Academy is approaching! Pre-service teachers, 1st-3rd year teachers and mentors, please join us on this inspiring day!
12/10/2025
💫 This was TWO years ago?? It’s unbelievable how quickly time has flown by. I am with my fellow Iowa TOY .colbert in the sense that I will always take a moment to honor this journey!
10/23/2025
Congratulations to all of these Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year!!
Nine educators named Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year The Iowa Department of Education today named nine teachers from across the state as the 2026 Iowa Regional Teachers of the Year.
10/07/2025
The 2026 Emerging Educators Academy offers support, celebration for new teachers Iowa’s premier professional learning and networking event for new teachers is back for 2026.
10/05/2025
✨MIDTESOL Conference 2025 “Multilinguals in the Midwest”✨
🧑🏻🏫 I am so grateful to have attended this year’s conference. There is a special energy in the room when you are surrounded by fellow educators living out the values of advocacy, lifelong learning, professionalism, and respect highlighted by the MIDTESOL community.
Things I loved:
✨ reuniting with so many familiar faces from across the state of Iowa
✨hearing stories of connection & impact from my time spent as Iowa Teacher of the Year last year-like amazing mentoring programs & panels on the celebrations and challenges of teaching MLs in rural areas
✨ attending sessions led by colleagues from my amazing West Des Moines ESOL team
✨witnessing the first “Zachary Smith Friends of MIDTESOL” award in honor of a DMPS colleague who passed last year
“There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.”
09/01/2025
❤️💙Happy Labor Day!❤️💙
🗣️ How lucky was Iowa to have the president of the nation’s largest labor union, Becky Pringle, with us today?
🗣️ President Pringle reminded us that solidarity is a verb. We will fight for our students together. We will fight for our families together. Public education is the foundation of our democracy.
🗣️ Gubernatorial candidate, Rob Sand, was also in the crowd supporting unions today!
08/25/2025
1️⃣st Day of School and Year 1️⃣8️⃣.5️⃣ for me!
🏫 I am excited to share that this year I will be in a new role and a new district, serving as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Coordinator at West Des Moines Community Schools.
🪄 Shout out to all the teachers making the magic for students on the first day. I literally watched the red carpet get rolled out for K-6 students this morning and it made me teary. I hope everyone has a wonderful year!
08/08/2025
🇺🇸I want to share a powerful message about multilingualism in the U.S. from my colleague and friend, 2024 Utah Teacher of the Year, Carly Maloney.
✏️ Over the past year+, Carly has been an incredible thought partner as a fellow English language development educator. In this article, she puts in to words much of what I have experienced speaking with teachers, administrators, and students across the state of Iowa.
✨“Let’s all use our voices to advocate for multilingual services in our local schools and communities and to take a collective stand, a stand for multilingualism in American history. When linguistic diversity is declared a priority, the importance of dual immersion emphasized in our schools and multilingualism is celebrated as the official gift and strength that it is, all U.S. students leave our classrooms and enter our nation’s future with strengths beyond just language.”
🔗 https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2025/08/06/voices-trumps-english-only-order/
📸 The Salt Lake Tribune
07/15/2025
☀️Smithsonian National Education Summit☀️
🇺🇸 2025 Together We Thrive: One Nation, Indivisible
Today, I participated in a panel around Connecting Community & Curriculum through Conversation. It was an honor to be in conversation with 2024 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year , 2024 North Carolina Teacher of the Year , and 2022 Texas State Teacher of the Year, Ramon Benavides.
🇺🇸 How does connecting curriculum and community look as we approach the semiquincentennial in 2026? As Kim reminded us today, our work must be INTENTIONAL.