After a year “off,” this fall I’ll be back to teaching, in a unique opportunity (homeschool co-op) that I’m really excited about. And apprehensive about.
Things that worry me:
- Mostly, time. I’ll be seeing my students only once a week (60 minutes for elementary, 90 minutes for upper grades). I’ll be finding something for them to do every day, though, so if you have taught a blended class and have recommendations, please send them along!
Things that I’m excited about:
- They’re all novices. I haven’t taught novice (above kindergarten) in years and I’m SO EXCITED.
- NO ADMINISTRATION. I’m totally in charge. Can you imagine? No red tape. No evaluation systems. No tech bans. No attendance records. No announcements. NO GRADING REQUIREMENTS. I can NEVER GIVE A LETTER/NUMBER GRADE until a parent asks for something for a transcript.
Even before I contemplated this opportunity, I’d already determined one of the big changes I would make when I went back to teaching, and it was to my required supplies. From now on, students will be required to find their own audience.
A few things I have learned in ten years of teaching:
- Whether or not students are able to use any language for a lifetime is not primarily linked to the language skills they acquire in my class.
- Students who do not want to learn language will not use it in their adult life, no matter what I do.
- The amount of time we have in the majority of school classes is not enough to foster true bilingualism.
- The students who end up with a lifelong skill in a second language are the ones who want to
Do it through Facebook, Twitter, email, Skype, a family down the street, someone in another class. A relative, an epal, a blogger or Xbox. Two or five is fine, but at least one. Students have to make a community connection with someone who is truly bilingual – not another Spanish learner.
Some considerations we should ask:
- Does the connection have to be a native speaker?
- How will the student report to me who the person is and that they are willing to interact with him/her in the TL?
- How will the student report interaction? I’m envisioning a requirement on this for every assessment, perhaps a weekly thing.
- What are the security issues involved? What will parents worry about, and how can I keep them informed?
For the document above, find the PDF here, and a document you can download and open in Word here. To my knowledge all images are copyright free.
Hi Sara Elizabeth,
I teach homeschoolers as well! I have 2 hours a week and they are all high schoolers. I just started 2 years ago after homeschooling my own kids, so I’ve been learning TPRS and trying to implement in a homeschool situation. I would love to hear how you are going to give assignments so that the students can practice and continue. I am still learning and it has been a challenge.
Really enjoyed this reflection. I’ve taken two years off to stay at school with my son, and also will be teaching at a homeschooling co-op in the fall. This is very timely! I love formalizing the requirement to “find your own audience” – at whatever age level. I want to incorporate this into my teaching also! Thank you for the wonderful resources and reflections on your blog.
I’m glad you found something helpful – enjoy your return to teaching (other) kids!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge through this post. I found your points on the things you have learned throughout you teaching years very true, even for a novice teacher like me. I guess we just have to try our best to make class time as engaging and productive as we can and whether students decide to further their language studies or continue to use language in the world outside is up to them. Thank again for this and I look forward to reading more of your reflections.
[…] we can’t hook up with other classes, I really hope to push the “extra school supply” Sra. Cottrell recommended this semester. Or perhaps my young ones could find a buddy on WeSpeke, or any native speaker who […]