Amy Watts Named Simsbury's Teacher of the Year

Tropical Storm Irene may have washed away Chinese language teacher Amy Watts’ debut as Simsbury’s 2011 Teacher of the Year, but the storm could not touch her status.

Watts was to be named Teacher of the Year at a meeting of staff and administrators before school began, but Irene changed that plan. Instead, at the board of education’s meeting Tuesday night, she was presented with flowers and praised for her exceptional work.

In November, she will take part in a state program in Hartford honoring each district’s Teacher of the Year, and have a chance to address her peers locally as part of an in-service forum.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Diane Ullman praised Watts, who has been the primary creator of the Chinese program in Simsbury, by saying “Amy Watts is a bridge builder — among students in her community of learners, among teachers in her school community and beyond, and between the Simsbury schools and the larger Simsbury community.”

Watts, who was accompanied by her husband, Chris, and daughter, Charlotte, has been a Chinese language teacher in Simsbury since July of 2007. She teaches at and .

“Developing an understanding of and respect for diverse beliefs, cultures and backgrounds is a core belief of the Simsbury Public Schools community,” said Ullman. “Amy Watts has been a key figure in helping Simsbury address this vital component of our vision. 

Watts initiated the Chinese language and culture program in the fall of 2007 and has been the primary advocate for the program within the school community as well as throughout the wider Simsbury community through her teaching of language and culture, her work on curriculum and her leadership of the Chinese exchange program.

In her nominating letter Ullman wrote: “To be in Amy’s classroom is to experience a whirlwind of activity. Students are highly engaged in learning the spoken and written form of Mandarin Chinese through games, simulations, performance assessments and interaction. Amy has made excellent use of technology to help student learn the intricacies of the language and interact with students from our sister school in Jinan, in Shandong Province. She is masterful at creating opportunities for students to experience Chinese culture through field trips and authentic tasks, such as when students interact with their peers in China, engage in poetry contests and learn from visiting artists. As a result of her teaching and leadership, our Chinese Language program has grown tenfold since we first welcomed Amy into our education family.”

Watts has authored the curriculum, beginning with Chinese 1 and through the 5th year of language study, including the AP level, and has been the primary developer of the curriculum. 

“Amy has been dogged in creating a rigorous and responsive Chinese language curriculum,” said Ullman.

Watts thanked the board, parents, students and administrators for the designation of Teacher of the Year, calling it an honor for all world language teachers.

Watts said there is a Chinese phrase that means “in order to understand the new you must be fully immersed in the old.”

She said that is something she tries to do with her curriculum, as well as promoting active communication, meaning listening, in order to make connections.

Ullman called Watts a “magnet” to which students and adults are drawn.

Largely because of the quality of the Chinese language and culture program developed by Watts, Simsbury was chosen in 2009 as one of 20 districts across the nation to be named a Confucius Classroom site, said Ullman. The school system recently received the designation once again.

“This designation has connected our program to others around the country and brought honor, recognition and significant resources to our Chinese language program,” she said. “This in turn has allowed us to share what we have learned with other districts in Connecticut and beyond.”

Watts has taken an active role in bringing Chinese culture to the Simsbury community. Working in conjunction with the department of continuing education, she developed opportunities that bring together students, parents and grandparents to learn about Chinese culture. One such example was a Chinese scroll painting workshop held this past spring at which generations of Simsbury families worked together to understand the historical, cultural and artistic expression in Chinese scrolls and then created Chinese scrolls of their own.

Watts’ daughter Charlotte was asked by board of education chairman Lydia Tedone what she thought the honor meant.

“It means that you're kind of special for one year,” said Charlotte.

“Special every day,” said Tedone.

“For more than a year,” said board member Tara Willerup.