I recently saw a cry for help on Facebook – and in it, the writer was comparing themselves to CI bloggers who make things seem easy and perfect. While we do highlight the best of our classrooms, make no mistake about it: successfully teaching with comprehensible input is the result of reflection and study. It has taken me years to master some of the varied skills. And what seems natural to me today is the direct result of practice, practice, and more practice.
Well, practice… and not giving up!
I will confess now that while StoryAsking is the backbone of my classroom, it has taken me some time to master it. I completely stopped using it for a while because I was worn out. My stories always seemed to end in chaos and arguments between the Alpha Dogs of whose idea was better. (You can read how I deal with Alpha Dogs here.)
In the spirit of full disclosure… this is me today, the weekend before finals (with NOT A SINGLE FINAL WRITTEN, mind you!):
Why the frown, you ask? Well, easy… because of THIS…
Yep, I’m going on week three with this little beauty. Sleeping in the boot has been a challenge and getting around on my handy-dandy knee scooter? Well, let’s just say the novelty of THAT wore off about two weeks ago!
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t have a single final written. I also have been terrible about staying in L2 in class. Last year this time I had students tracking every word I said and we stayed in Spanish in all classes 98% of the time. This November and December that number has plummeted to about 80% – but only on my ‘good days.’ I’ve been grumpy with my family and my students. I´ve been out of school for surgery, doctors appointments, and a stomach virus. Sadly, my very favorite novel to teach in class, La Vampirata by Mira Canion, just hasn’t been fun for my students because they’ve been required to do much of the reading on their own – definitely NOT my style.
However, I’m going to give myself grace. I can only do what I can do right now. And you, dear reader, should do the same. If you have feelings of despair because your whole-class novel is tanking, just know that we’ve all been there. Reflecting on what went wrong and why can help you to do better next time. If your StoryAsking seems forced and unnatural, well, that’s because for some of us (ME!) it IS! But remember that it is crucial to building both 1) relationships and 2) solid links to targeted structures. It is worth practicing and trying again.
I hope your end of the year is going smoothly. But if it is bumpy, rough, and
feels daunting, know you are in good company! Keep working and practicing, you WILL improve!
You can be like me:
Other posts on keeping it real can be found here (It’s Not Always a Walk in the Park) and here (an absolutely epic failure on skipping an inappropriate TV series scene…)
This is a much needed message to hear at this time of year, JJ. Thanks so much for sharing it. I'm so sorry about your foot and all of the things that have externally been pulling you away from the normal classroom flow, but I'm right there with you on just getting by as best I can!! Anxiously counting down to a break that will hopefully allow me (and all of us!) to recharge and return with renewed energy and efforts. Wishing you all the best! ¡Felices fiestas y todo lo mejor en el año 2020!
Thank you so much! We all need words of encouragement from time to time and yours mean a lot!