Fairfield High School (FHS) teacher, Sharon Barnes was recently invited to the prestigious 14th German Teacher Awards Ceremony (organised by the German Embassy) to recognise outstanding teachers of German in the UK.

She received a ‘Special Mention’, which is a highly significant attribute for all of her hard work and dedication to the subject.

The annual German Teacher Award and the ‘Sommerfest’ pay tribute to the work of German teachers across the UK and give guests the opportunity to network.

Over 220 teachers and representatives from the education and language teaching sectors, business and media from all over the UK joined this year’s celebrations and followed the announcement of the 2017 winners.

Addressing the teachers in his welcome speech, Ambassador Peter Ammon said that “never before has your mission to teach languages as a gateway to another culture encouraging friendship, trust and understanding across borders been more important than today.”

He was delighted to welcome renowned writer John le Carré as the keynote speaker for the event, who once more proved himself a staunch supporter of language learning as the key to understanding other cultures.

After the speeches, Ambassador Ammon and David Cornwell presented the 14th annual German Teacher Awards, recognising outstanding achievements by teachers of German in primary and secondary schools in the UK.

Sharon Barnes describes her reaction on receiving a “Special Mention” by the German Ambassador:

“I was very pleased just to be nominated, therefore receiving the special mention award from the German Embassy was a great honour. I work hard to promote German and it’s a great feeling to see my students being very enthusiastic about the German language and culture.

“The fact that my work has also been valued by the Embassy is fantastic. I am grateful to work in a school where German is able to thrive. I am also thankful to have the support of Mr Lewis who gives me the freedom to offer extra-curricular opportunities for students to develop their German skills through projects in Germany.

“I have been quite taken aback by all the comments I have received from my colleagues, students and their parents, congratulating me on my award and I’d like to say a big “Thank You” to all of you.”