I have not abandoned the challenge! Here’s my day 18, just a little late:
Create a metaphor/simile/analogy that describes your teaching philosophy. For example, a “teacher is a ________…”
Learning a language is like learning to play a sport or an instrument.
It is a skill. You have to practice to become good. And how do you become better? By doing it. Just as musicians improve in their craft by playing their instrument, and athletes improve with game experience, you become better at speaking and understanding a language by speaking and listening to other people speak it.
I love what Melanie Stilson wrote for this prompt:
“As a teacher, I am a guide. That’s it. I don’t want to (I can’t be) the ultimate authority on my subject. I don’t want to be the only exposure students have to Spanish. I want them to learn words I don’t know, from sources other than me. I want to offer them advice on how to learn, where to go, and what they will find there. I want to guide their acquisition of knowledge, and I want to start them on a journey that, I hope, will last long after they’ve left my classroom.”
I think that’s also very true! I am the guide, the coach, the teacher – I plan learning experiences to help them prepare for the performance (life!), pointing to resources, giving feedback, encouraging, cheering, pushing them to grow and improve, and hopefully inspiring them to continue studying language beyond my class.
Ms. Brown Spanish 