Since school started, I've been enjoyably busy. I say enjoyably because it's a different type of busy than last year. I remember last year running around like a chicken with my head cut off. This year I seem to be much more collected. This is for many reasons: 1) it's no longer my first year of teaching, 2) with TPRS the method stays the same, the content changes so I'm not constantly trying to come up with interesting and clever lesson plans before class, 3) I feel like I know my students much better.
This last reason is probably the greatest reason why I'm calmer. Yesterday I proved I had learned every student's name (yes, all 141!) by the beginning of week three. I know much more than that too. I know students' interests. This all helps create the classroom sense of community that I've longed for. The students and I interact much better, and I have fewer classroom management issues.
I've really enjoyed teaching using TPRS. It has served to not only reach the students, but to also continually review and understand Spanish. I have to admit, although I've been enjoying TPRS, a part of me has been wondering how my students will do on common assessments. They've done wonderfully on vocabulary assessments, but I'm wondering about ones that test grammar.
The single best measure, I've seen, of my students' increased ability this year over last is their level of confidence. ALL of my first year students have been able to confidently and correctly spell their first and last names. They did it quickly, in an audible voice and with pride. I remember doing the same assessment last year; some students I couldn't hear, others wouldn't try, and there were a lot more issues with remembering letters. Sure, some students still had difficulty with the vowels, but the growth is hmmmmmazing!
Where have your students grown this year over past years?
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