Grant Boulanger was using "personalized learning" to teach Spanish long before it was an educational buzzword.

As a middle school teacher in the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale district, Boulanger uses relevant, personalized topics to engage students and builds a strong sense of community to help language learners go from reluctant to enthusiastic, according to a statement he wrote to the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CSCTFL).

The CSCTFL board recently named Boulanger the Regional Language Teacher of the Year, choosing him from finalists in 15 states. He will represent the central states at the national competition at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention and World Languages Expo in November 2016.

Boulanger has "increased enrollment in world languages by targeting students who are underrepresented and ensuring they experience success," wrote Kay Edberg, president of the Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (MCTLC).

Historically, there are racial and gender disparities between who starts out taking world language courses and who excels and advances, Boulanger said.

"That just doesn't seem fair to me, so I've honed my craft over the years to bring everyone along for the ride," he said.

Students get to know each other deeply in Spanish class by sharing personal anecdotes, he said, but kids are also free to exaggerate or completely make up stories, as long as they're in Spanish.

"They're given permission to stretch the truth so they don't have to feel as exposed or vulnerable," he said. "What ends up happening is students are much more interested in paying attention."

At Skyview, principal Joe Slavin said he puts Boulanger in "the top one percent of teachers."

"He's incredibly well-deserving of this award and recognition," Slavin said. "He's absolutely magical in the classroom in the way he engages students in language learning. The students grow tremedously."

In 2015, MCTLC picked Boulanger as the Minnesota World Language Teacher of the Year.

While Boulanger teaches Spanish at Skyview, he has a certificate in German as a foreign language from the Volkshochchule Dachau, Germany. He's been a teacher and counselor at Concordia Language Village and demonstrates his techniques at national teacher training conferences.

Boulanger writes a blog about teaching and learning languages. He's also an owner, teacher and artist at Boulanger Pottery, where he teaches a Spanish immersion summer pottery camp for kids.