Wow! This first week of school sure was eventful! After my first day of teaching German, I had a slight panic attack. Thank goodness Evan was kind enough to take me hiking and get me to lighten up. All I have to say is that I'm incredibly grateful for supportive coworkers, especially my former German teacher, Gretchen LaTurner. She has been SO kind and helpful to me these past couple of weeks. She's shared her resources and plans with me. She's allowed me into her classroom to observe. I am so grateful for her!
I've come to realize this week that teaching German will be a lot of fun, but also a LOT of work. Teaching English is easier because it is your native language and the students' (most of them anyway) native language. With English, you're building on prior knowledge. You're adding to it. However, with German, you're building on nothing. You are digging the hole, you're pouring the foundation, you're framing the house... the works! I'm creating something from scratch.
This realization first sent me into a bit of a panic and then made me realize that I need to work even harder than I have been to teach these students. Thankfully, I was able to have Blaine Ray in my classroom on Friday. Blaine Ray is the creator of TPRS, Total Physical Response Storytelling, a successful method for teaching foreign languages to students. He was kind enough to coame to our school free of charge and work with my students (so that I could learn his method better). I couldn't believe it when at the end of a class period on the 4th day of school, one of my students told a story in German for the last 4 minutes of class. It was amazing!
After having Blaine in my classroom, it has put a new spin on how I want to teach German. This means, revamping all of my plans in order to improve! So, that is what I'm going to devote some time to today. I still feel overwhelmed, I still feel like I'm not sure where to go from here, but I know that I'll get it all figured out. All of the foreign language teachers at my school said that it takes a few weeks of teaching a foreign language to figure out how YOU best do it. Here's to a few more weeks! :)
8 comments:
you are amazing to me...you have accomplished so much since college. i envy you. i hope school continues to go well. i just think it's awesome that you are a german teacher...are you mistaken for a student at times? :) love ya!
Hi Sarah!! How are you? It's been ages since we've talked...it sounds like you are doing well. I am glad I have your blog now, I can keep up with you all the time now...you can become one of my stalking blogs:)Good luck with teaching this year,I am sure you'll do GREAT!
(PS this is one of your old roommates!)
Don't you worry, you'll do great.
When I read this I kept thinking to myself, "teachers definately need to get paid more!!" You are gonna do great and there i no doubt that you will be the "favorite" teacher at school. I won't be surprised when I hear that everyone is trying to get into German class with Miss Russell. I mean it!!
Sarah i am excited for you. Your students will love you because you will do the best job ever and your fun so they will come to adore you but learn from you at the same time so class will always be interesting. I'm callin' it. Those are our favorite teachers and you will be that kind of teacher :)
Sarah! Don't you just LOVE teachers who share their experience with you and do it willingly????!!!!! I LOVE it!!! That is awesome that you are teaching German! What a great experience!! I have heard of TPR and story telling and I've observed a classroom before and it seems so hard but efficient. May be next time I start teaching I will embrace that method, I will have to call you for tips!!:)
Wow! I was just re-reading your post and I didn't realize you had THE creator of TPRS in YOUR classroom!!!!!! What a lucky girl!!! That is AWESOME! And he was there for free??? What a blessing to learn from the expert!:)
Listen to me and simplify your life! LOL Get the students
the Rosetta Stone tapes
and hop on line. LOL
But kidding aside, I think it's great you are trying so hard to be creative and provide an interesting environment for the students!
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