good teaching week

As you can see from my last post, it's been a pretty good week. I also should add that things have gone quite smoothly as far as teaching goes. I've feel much more relaxed in class. I used to be planning and fine tuning those plans up until the last minute before class. Add onto that that I would enter my classes super nervous and I'm sure my students could tell. After more than one observation, Marilyn noted that the pitch of my voice gets higher when I'm nervous and unsure. Thanks goodness that has subsided a bit! I think the high voice was the icing on a not so good cake that was overly decorated and detailed. I was too uptight and trying to make everything perfect and feeling like it was my huge responsibility to educate them. If they didn't get it, or weren't doing well then it was my fault. Geez! why do I take everything so darn seriously!

I think the change in 'performance' and confidence came once I realized that I most likely will not be teaching next year. I know that I'm not teaching Spanish here and that I'm going to explore other options. So I've said to myself: "Self - who knows when, or even if, you'll be teaching again, so why not make the most of it. Have fun! Make mistakes! Keep it light! Laugh a little! You are not the only way these students can learn Spanish. it's a life long process to get into and master a language and you have to face the fact that not all of them will love it as much as you do. However, that doesn't mean they can't enjoy it while they are learning it!" yeah, that was a great revelation. I've also stopped seeing my students as these odd creatures who have some power over me. They are just kids! Why do I let them get to me! If anything, I should be the one that scares them! Ha ha, but know, I'm not that mean!

Each unit (of three chapters each) is structured around a different Spanish speaking culture. All the vocab, grammar, and dialogue relate in some way back to the culture. This unit we're in Puerto Rico and the first chapter, which we just tested on yesterday, has a cultural reading on the music of Puerto Rico, specifically "Bomba y Plena"

(http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/archives_03.aspx). I've been a little frustrated because there is so much pressure to cover tons of vocab and grammar before the end of the year and focus on culture is often pushed to the side or given minimum attention. Well I truly believe that the reason you learn a language is so you can better understand and connect with the cultures in which the language is spoken. Unfortunately, I have skipped over many of the cultural sections because there just isn't time and I have to keep up with the schedules of my colleagues who are teaching other sections of the same class.

Today, however, I decided to prioritize culture. On the test there was a reading that mentioned a Bomba y Plena concert and although more knowledge of this cultural item wouldn't have really affected how they answer the question, I felt like a jerk that I didn't prep my students about this cultural aspect that was mentioned on the test. So I decided to take the beginning of the class today to do the reading in the textbook on Bomba y Plena and have them answer some questions related to the reading. Then I found two great videos on the Smithsonian website that demostrated the music and dancing. Know one has educated me yet on how to connect a mac to a projector (I've tried it myself but it's all the wires are twisted and don't fit. I feel like a dunce!) so I had all thirteen students and I huddle around my 12inch screen to watch these tiny videos. Throughout the video I could point out certain things we saw in the reading. Afterwards, I had them brainstorm a few other dances that they knew and from where in Latin America they dances came.

It was a good bonding experience. It made me realize that even if these students don't absorb and master all the grammar, they at least should be exposed to the rich cultural characteristics of Latin American and Spain. They may not remember my the precisely organized lesson plan about stem-changing verbs but they will remember me trying to demostrate dancing across the front of the room, trying to demonstrate tango (which I did today!). I'd like to find a way we can bring some Latin American dancers to Emma so that they can see the dances in action and have the culture come to life.

So moral of the story - I'm learning to chill out a little and not take everything so darn seriously. We gotta have fun in every moment, because its the only moment like it that we have.