Tomorrow we begin our 5th week of school. Every year I am amazed at how quickly time flies. But it seems to be flying so much faster this year and I think I know why…
Last year was HARD. It was lay-down-on-the-floor-and-cry hard and want-to-give-up hard. I had a record number of students (you can read how I survived here) and had to make a LOT of allowances that I wouldn’t normally permit simply due to the high numbers. The kids weren’t being bad, they were just being kids. And when you are literally elbow to elbow, you are naturally going to be chatty with your neighbors. Add in a few Alpha Dogs and you have a recipe that will try your patience on a minute-by-minute basis.
I also presented at an international conference in Spain and at regional conferences in The States. As such, I was exhausted every day. I was sick more than usual and I am still fighting knots in my back.
The year before that was HARD. I didn’t have huge numbers (until 2nd semester). But I did finish my master’s degree while learning how to deliver CI. The summer before I had gone to a TPRS seminar with Mike Coxon. It was game-changing (if you haven’t yet, you really should get trained in TPRS – the art of circling and co-creating a story in a language you are not proficient in is invaluable). After that training, I was convinced it was the way for me! I literally jumped in with both feet. I planned my lessons 20 minutes before delivering them. They were very piecemeal and VERY hodgepodge. I decided to trust my instincts and to trust what Mike had taught me in those two days – the students WILL acquire even if you are not an expert.
Enter a new year. My class sizes are completely manageable (127 total!) and I have my planning period back. Life is good! I am teaching levels three and four only. AND I HAVE HAD THOSE KIDS FOR THREE OR FOUR YEARS IN ROW (a scheduling fluke that isn’t likely to happen again). We have great relationships and our classroom community is wonderful! Better yet, I have 100% buy-in into my own particular style of providing input. Priceless!
I will also add that 38 of my students are level 4’s. This is the first year we have had not just one section, but two of Spanish 4. I am so psyched. These kids have seen me at my worst and have been my guinea pigs for two years… And they have come back for more this year! The buy-in is so complete that even though they were “questioned” pretty strenuously during registration (according to many accounts) about the usefulness of Spanish in their future careers, they still came back. I even have one student on a reduced schedule – he has classes in the morning, leaves for an internship, and comes back to school to be in 7th period Spanish 4. Amazing!
What have I learned?
1. Stumbling around with CI is a part of the process. You need to script it out and practice, practice, practice before you develop your own unique CI style.
2. Building relationships is everything. It is far more important than the input or any kind of grammar lesson. If you have their trust, they will stick with you.
3. Bad CI is better than NO CI! Really, this is a restatement of #1, but it’s worth repeating.
4. Homework simply isn’t necessary. Based on my experience of not assigning ANY for two years (I was too busy and too exhausted to grade or enter grades for homework), I cannot find a single justification for giving any homework at all on a regular basis. At most, I will assign something to read. but nothing else. Anything else is just busy work. If it can’t be done in class, it doesn’t need to be done.
How can I justify my claims?
In the first four weeks we have had many leaps in communicative abilities. In wanting to respect the “silent period” (students need an adequate amount of input before you can expect any kind of output, especially speaking), I haven’t required much from those who didn’t want to risk speaking in class. That policy has paid off BIG TIME!
First, already this year we have been “completely derailed” by a random question that led to a very thoughtful and deep conversation – 100% in the target language. There is nothing more rigorous than staying in the target language for an entire class period. And I don’t mean that I spoke in Spanish for 51 minutes. I mean that students asked questions, made comments, asked more questions, and made more comments in Spanish for 51 straight minutes. Who cares what the lesson plan says when your students WANT to speak their L2! Isn’t communicating what it’s all about??? This has occurred in two level 3 classes and one level 4 class – 50% of my class load. I’ve been waiting for this moment for TWO YEARS!
Second, based on one of the derailed conversations (which started with a student asking about Cuba because he is reading Casa Dividida by Chris Mercer during FVR), I am currently creating a unit for level 3 all about Cuba! How can you say “no” when an entire class ASKS YOU TO TEACH THEM SOMETHING NEW AND INTERESTING?????
Third, we are playing Mafia on Fridays in level 4. We played for a while last year when they were in level 3, but it was tough going. The Alpha Dogs were nothing short of a total pain in the rear. They made so many other students uncomfortable that those students would just shut down and not participate. We also had too many kids playing at a time. But this year, we have had so much fun that I have literally laughed until I cried! They are into it and are accusing their friends and neighbors alike. They are creating awesome backstories for their defenses. Engagement is super high.
But the best part… this is the fourth year I have had one very shy, very sweet, almost invisible girl in class. I was very surprised she signed up for Spanish 4 because I’ve never been able to get a read on if she is enjoying herself. I have literally never heard her voice inside my classroom. Until last Friday. She was accused of being a member of the mafia in our game and she very loudly, very vocally, very proudly defended herself – IN SPANISH. I was so shocked and proud that my eyes welled up in tears. I worked very hard to hide my emotions because I didn’t want her to feel “conspicuous” and shut down. Seriously – she spoke! In Spanish! It made my day, my weekend, and will hold me over until the next amazing thing comes along – whenever that may be.
My takeaways? It’s worth it. Every minute, every struggle, every moment of self-doubt. If you provide comprehensible input they WILL acquire. Even if you are imperfect and feel like you are bumbling around. They. Will. Acquire.
