During that time, she was selected as the Eanes ISD Teacher of the Year and received the student designated Golden Apple Award for outstanding classroom performance. Trained by Madeline Hunter, Ms. Potter has designed and presented workshops for Eanes ISD, Region 13, and at many Foreign Language Association conferences. In 1984, after receiving her Masters in Spanish Language, Ms. Potter began to travel with her high school students. Hoping to provide them with an immersion program similar to her own language learning experience, she was dissatisfied with programs offered through national and international companies. Students live with a family in a city where they are required to use their developing language skills as they safely explore the community and establish friendships with local residents.
Students participate in high quality excursions to culturally important sights.
The On-Site Program director, a mature and experienced teacher that serves as a mentor, caregiver, motivator and model immersion student, conducts the entire program in the language of study. In 1988, she joined forces with an Austin area business that works with university students, to design the high school study abroad program that, in 1993, would become the basis of a company that offered high school students the opportunity to study abroad. Since that time, PATA has continued to expand course offerings and enrollment. Much of the company's success is due to the teachers that work with PATA in the summer. In addition to her work with study abroad, Ms. Potter remains actively involved with foreign language education in Texas.