Yesterday during class, I had a young man who couldn't stop chatting. He has been a little chatty since the beginning of the year, and I reminded him to "págame" (just a cue word to help him realize he's off task and loosing participation points) yesterday. He immediately stopped talking and resumed focus. It was great to watch that this simple gesture works so well.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think my classroom management issues from last year have declined. This is due to the fact that I know my students better and they know I care and center the class around them. I'm still all warm and fuzzy when I realize this has happened because it reminds me that I really am a teacher because of the students. They make my job enjoyable and worthwhile.
The most "warm and fuzzy" moment of this story came after class that day. The chatty student came up to me and apologized all in the TL! It was an almost flawless apology, and then we had a short chat in Spanish about talking in class and whether he needed to switch seats. ¡Qué fantástico!
Needless to say, I was both proud, amazed, and impressed by the confidence, responsibility and ability of this first year student in the 3rd week of class.
What have your students done lately to remind you that they're the reason we teach?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
And so it begins... graduate school.
Welp. Tomorrow is the big day. I'm a mix of emotions and thoughts. Leading up to this day, I've been very excited and anxious. But tonight, I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated as a student, and it doesn't feel good. I understand how my students feel sometimes, despite my every effort to not frustrate them.
I am frustrated right now by the lack of clarity in my professor's email and attachments. I am frustrated by his response to my inquiries due to my lack of understanding. I have decided it's best to "not worry about not having the assignments done for tomorrow night" as he told me to do. It's hard, however, when you want to do your best and you're ready to start and you want to succeed, to "not worry" that you aren't able to accomplish. It's like I should have a bottle somewhere, where I put all this time and energy that I have to expend toward my studies right now in order to save them for another time that may not be as convenient... because I surely do NOT want to spend my long weekend playing catch up for this class.
This experience has made me realize how some of my students must feel when I lack clarity. It also helps me understand that sometimes, we cannot put into words concisely enough to produce the outcome we've developed in our heads. I am going to make every effort in order to avoid frustrating a student, or telling them "not to worry" when that is what they're going to do any way. Quite possibly, they're worrying because this is the only time they have available to complete this task, and although it isn't the most convenient for us... it is for them, and I need to respect that.
When is the last time you've realized what it feels like to be a student? How has this helped your teaching?
I am frustrated right now by the lack of clarity in my professor's email and attachments. I am frustrated by his response to my inquiries due to my lack of understanding. I have decided it's best to "not worry about not having the assignments done for tomorrow night" as he told me to do. It's hard, however, when you want to do your best and you're ready to start and you want to succeed, to "not worry" that you aren't able to accomplish. It's like I should have a bottle somewhere, where I put all this time and energy that I have to expend toward my studies right now in order to save them for another time that may not be as convenient... because I surely do NOT want to spend my long weekend playing catch up for this class.
This experience has made me realize how some of my students must feel when I lack clarity. It also helps me understand that sometimes, we cannot put into words concisely enough to produce the outcome we've developed in our heads. I am going to make every effort in order to avoid frustrating a student, or telling them "not to worry" when that is what they're going to do any way. Quite possibly, they're worrying because this is the only time they have available to complete this task, and although it isn't the most convenient for us... it is for them, and I need to respect that.
When is the last time you've realized what it feels like to be a student? How has this helped your teaching?
Weeks one and two
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?
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?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
1000 dollars for cinnamon rolls
At one of our staff meetings this week, we were told that because of budget cuts, our cinnamon rolls for the 10 mornings we have PLC meetings will be cut. One teacher, whom was not named, cut a check for $1000 after the meeting to be used for the rolls.
You know that you work in a special school when someone is generous enough to do this. I am sincerely thankful for the donation. The rolls are a great way to promote excitement in the morning (perhaps the sugar has something to do with it...) and to keep us going all through the day.
However, I have some moral problems with this. The biggest problem I have is the fact that there are tons of other needs that we have for instruction that we cannot have because of budget cuts. Other problems include the fact that other schools in low-income areas need basic supplies that families of students cannot provide and $1000 would go a long way for them. When I try to justify it myself, I think that in only my second year, maybe I still don't value small rewards for myself as much as I should. Maybe there is much more value in treating myself every once in awhile, so that I may be a calm, collected, creative, impacting teacher.
Regardless of my moral problems, this donation speaks volumes of the school I teach at. I feel thankful every day that I am able to work among such a generous, caring, and understanding community.
You know that you work in a special school when someone is generous enough to do this. I am sincerely thankful for the donation. The rolls are a great way to promote excitement in the morning (perhaps the sugar has something to do with it...) and to keep us going all through the day.
However, I have some moral problems with this. The biggest problem I have is the fact that there are tons of other needs that we have for instruction that we cannot have because of budget cuts. Other problems include the fact that other schools in low-income areas need basic supplies that families of students cannot provide and $1000 would go a long way for them. When I try to justify it myself, I think that in only my second year, maybe I still don't value small rewards for myself as much as I should. Maybe there is much more value in treating myself every once in awhile, so that I may be a calm, collected, creative, impacting teacher.
Regardless of my moral problems, this donation speaks volumes of the school I teach at. I feel thankful every day that I am able to work among such a generous, caring, and understanding community.
"You must be the change you wish to see..." in the world language classroom.
So this past week was our first week back at school. Monday the kids come back. My rooms (I say rooms because our schedule is like a college's so we all share different rooms throughout the school) are in presentable condition. I have lesson plans for the first week back, and I'm feeling more relaxed than last year at this time.
The most exciting news of the year is that I was given the go-ahead to use the TPRS method this year! I approached my department head after our first department meeting and asked. She was excited that I wanted to try something different. Wahoo! After that, I asked about purchasing the novels that we will read each Friday only to find that we definitely don't have enough money in our budget to buy the books. Problem was solved however because the students are warned that they may have to pay a small fee for a "reader" to be used in the class. This is only a slight hiccup on the road to what I hope is the best year yet!
I've planned this week to start out with minimal talking at the students and maximum language contact time. I hope this change in delivery pays off in the end of the week. Monday all the classes have different assemblies to go to during different periods, so I'll spend most of the time getting to know the students instead of going over the rules. The following days will be spent circling with the student information sheets and the first ask a story sessions. Friday is a special day in which students will get their Spanish names and will create their own flag to represent themselves (after researching what different colors represent on flags, etc).
This should be a great first week. I'm just trying to calm my nerves because I'm used to having everything planned to a T. Which seems kind of impossible with the circling with student information sheets, but we'll give it a go!
The most exciting news of the year is that I was given the go-ahead to use the TPRS method this year! I approached my department head after our first department meeting and asked. She was excited that I wanted to try something different. Wahoo! After that, I asked about purchasing the novels that we will read each Friday only to find that we definitely don't have enough money in our budget to buy the books. Problem was solved however because the students are warned that they may have to pay a small fee for a "reader" to be used in the class. This is only a slight hiccup on the road to what I hope is the best year yet!
I've planned this week to start out with minimal talking at the students and maximum language contact time. I hope this change in delivery pays off in the end of the week. Monday all the classes have different assemblies to go to during different periods, so I'll spend most of the time getting to know the students instead of going over the rules. The following days will be spent circling with the student information sheets and the first ask a story sessions. Friday is a special day in which students will get their Spanish names and will create their own flag to represent themselves (after researching what different colors represent on flags, etc).
This should be a great first week. I'm just trying to calm my nerves because I'm used to having everything planned to a T. Which seems kind of impossible with the circling with student information sheets, but we'll give it a go!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Graduate School and Class sizes
Recently, I decided to go ahead and apply for a graduate program that starts in the fall. I'm super excited to be learning again, and I hope to find a mentor that will support my personal and professional growth. I submitted my application a couple of nights ago, and I'm trying to wait patiently to hear back. If all goes well, I'll have my M. Ed. in two years with an emphasis in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. Woo! Then it's onward to my PhD. I'm hoping that I'll eventually be able to conduct research on the outcomes of a TPRS/CI curriculum to a traditional curriculum and to have an impact on the profession of teaching a world language. Here's Profa. P to save the WL teaching world!
In other news, I was catching up on Ben Slavic's blog today and found an interesting post. I was stunned and shocked but not really surprised at all to read that the ACTFL along with the NEA and the ADFL recommend a maximum class size of no more than 15 students. FIFTEEN! I have 35 in most of my classes. Wow. Now I realize that because of the budget constraints that my state is going through, it is likely that in the near future we won't be able to attain these small classes. I'm able to rest easy though, because when I was talking with Blaine Ray during a workshop earlier this year, he told me that the TPRS method goes over very well with larger classes because it's more like a show is being put on with an actual audience. I'll take his word for it as I go into my first year as a TRPS teacher in a non-TPRS district.
I'm going to be relaxing for the next few days; but when I get back, it'll be time to get down to work for the new year! Woo!
In other news, I was catching up on Ben Slavic's blog today and found an interesting post. I was stunned and shocked but not really surprised at all to read that the ACTFL along with the NEA and the ADFL recommend a maximum class size of no more than 15 students. FIFTEEN! I have 35 in most of my classes. Wow. Now I realize that because of the budget constraints that my state is going through, it is likely that in the near future we won't be able to attain these small classes. I'm able to rest easy though, because when I was talking with Blaine Ray during a workshop earlier this year, he told me that the TPRS method goes over very well with larger classes because it's more like a show is being put on with an actual audience. I'll take his word for it as I go into my first year as a TRPS teacher in a non-TPRS district.
I'm going to be relaxing for the next few days; but when I get back, it'll be time to get down to work for the new year! Woo!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The next step...
Recently I've been thinking about taking the next step with my own education. I've played with the idea of getting my masters in Spanish, Educational Technology or Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. Early on, I threw out the idea of Educational Technology because 1) I can keep up with technology if I make an effort, 2) by the time I graduate with the degree, all my knowledge will be obsolete.
I narrowed it down to Spanish and CIA. I'd love to get my masters in Spanish because I had a professor in college that I really enjoyed who taught Spanish majors how to be Spanish teachers. I've entertained the idea of doing the same myself. However, I've recently (ie only yesterday it dawned on me...) realized that I LOVE PLANNING! I really am interested in finding out today's best practices and how to make these even better. I'd like to be in the classroom for awhile longer, perhaps much longer. So my indecision here, doesn't help me decide which one is a better choice.
Therefore, I look at the structure of the programs available to me for these masters. The trouble with these two options are that they are only offered at certain schools. In order to get my masters in Spanish, I will have to go to UNC for three summers in a row leaving behind my life. However, I will not have to work on my masters during the school year and I will get to travel abroad. For my CIA masters, I will have to attend Regis for two full years in a cohort program completing a course every 8 weeks. For this option, I have to work and go to school; but I will complete my program quicker without having to leave my life.
I'm currently leaning toward the CIA program. I feel like it fits my passion for planning and being in the classroom more closely than the Spanish program does. It also isn't dragging out the process of getting the masters degree either. I always prefer long-distance endurance to sprints.
Thus, the last problem: if I am to get my CIA degree in a convenient setting, I'd have to start it August 30. I'm not sure if it's a good idea during my second year of teaching to take on such a project along with planning my wedding and possibly moving. But I do enjoy a challenge and being busy. So I think I might just do it.
I narrowed it down to Spanish and CIA. I'd love to get my masters in Spanish because I had a professor in college that I really enjoyed who taught Spanish majors how to be Spanish teachers. I've entertained the idea of doing the same myself. However, I've recently (ie only yesterday it dawned on me...) realized that I LOVE PLANNING! I really am interested in finding out today's best practices and how to make these even better. I'd like to be in the classroom for awhile longer, perhaps much longer. So my indecision here, doesn't help me decide which one is a better choice.
Therefore, I look at the structure of the programs available to me for these masters. The trouble with these two options are that they are only offered at certain schools. In order to get my masters in Spanish, I will have to go to UNC for three summers in a row leaving behind my life. However, I will not have to work on my masters during the school year and I will get to travel abroad. For my CIA masters, I will have to attend Regis for two full years in a cohort program completing a course every 8 weeks. For this option, I have to work and go to school; but I will complete my program quicker without having to leave my life.
I'm currently leaning toward the CIA program. I feel like it fits my passion for planning and being in the classroom more closely than the Spanish program does. It also isn't dragging out the process of getting the masters degree either. I always prefer long-distance endurance to sprints.
Thus, the last problem: if I am to get my CIA degree in a convenient setting, I'd have to start it August 30. I'm not sure if it's a good idea during my second year of teaching to take on such a project along with planning my wedding and possibly moving. But I do enjoy a challenge and being busy. So I think I might just do it.
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