2010 Teacher of the Year

Love of language inspires Teacher of the Year

Rhode Island’s 2010 Teacher of the Year may reminisce about the age of hippies, but it’s his forward-looking technique of teaching Spanish that catches everyone’s attention – including his students. Dana Ramey of Middletown is interested in not only teaching the language, he wants to teach the country, the people, the food, the history, and the complete culture.

Ramey calls this an “immersion experience.” He explained, “To teach a foreign language, you must get into a student’s head, and you do that through imparting the cultural heritage of the native speakers. I want to make sure that when my kids leave here they can do something with the language.”

His students draw from the energy he presents as teacher. They throw themselves into the Spanish language and culture, and the programs Ramey has incorporated into his curriculum. There’s the “World Language Fair” at the high school, during which students compete for the best salsa with their own recipes. And the paella cooking and Latin dance lessons. Some of his students have taught Spanish to fourth graders.

Ramey believes language is like science in its emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving. It ties perfectly into core subjects taught in American schools, but it is not treated equally.

“I would love to see foreign language treated with the respect it deserves,” he said, “but no one will be fluent unless instruction starts in the lower grades.”

He says by high school, it’s too late for many to develop a fluency in a second language. In the younger grades, students would learn by “motherspeak,” in much the same way we all learn English.

Ramey will use his new fame to promote this cultural approach. He wants foreign language to become at least a part of middle school curriculum, in Rhode Island and across the nation. This is the wave of the future, Ramey asserts, and the overriding passion in his life. It is the only “platform” he will carry around as the state’s top teacher. “I’m going to talk to anyone I can about the value and importance of world language and culture,” said Ramey. “That is, in fact, why I participated in this award process.”

Ramey was chosen Middletown’s Teacher of the Year last spring, and, as such, was nominated for the state award. His responsibilities in the process included “lots of writing,” student samples, two interviews, and a PowerPoint presentation. He was the first in RI to earn National Board Certification in World Languages.

Ramey was thrilled to represent foreign language teachers at the national teachers-of-the-year convention, particularly to connect with the two other state winners who teach language. “I couldn’t wait to meet them, to compare notes.” In Spanish, no doubt.

2009 Teacher of the Year