Summer Reflection

Last week I attended a day-long workshop focused on teaching 90% in the target language, Spanish for me.  This is an area of weakness for me as I have always felt less confident in my speaking skills, partially from my natural strength in learning grammar rules, partially from never spending a semester abroad (longest time in a Spanish-speaking country are two separate two-week trips, one to Costa Rica to study and one to Spain to hike the end of the Camino de Santiago).

I went into the workshop looking for little tricks and techniques that I could integrate into my classroom without needing to change a lot if I'm being honest.

I walked away with an affirmation of a thought that had been waving hello from the side of my brain for a few weeks now: it's time to do a major overhaul of how you're teaching.

It's a scary idea to change what for a decade has worked--because my students have been learn.  I blogged about this a little before.  I have spent the last week avoiding any major work although I have continued perusing the Internet for ideas.

It's also exciting to face new possibilities for student growth in achieving communication.  I know that to expect the planning and units to not be overwhelming at times is unrealistic, but I am determined to keep focused on the long-term goals.

To help keep that focus, here is one specific step I will take in the next few days to achieve my goals: get my school computer to talk to the printer so I can print off the many useful resources on the ODE website related to World Languages.  I love all that digital offers but when doing major planning, I still prefer actual paper and pencil to organize my thoughts.  Plus, there are examples of IPA's and thematic units that I can use as springboards for what will work in my classroom.

and a photo of a happy cultural moment to keep me positive as I move forward in this challenge!