Spanish Teacher

     In my Spanish classes, students learn Spanish by total immersion in the language. I have worked in schools where most of my students do not have any previous knowledge of Spanish before enrolling and in schools where I have Spanish speakers and non-Spanish speakers in the same class. I always take the time to help each student to learn the most that they can.

     It is common knowledge that in order to learn a new language, students need a certain amount of time before they internalize that new information. This was a challenging situation because every year I had some students that (for different reasons) were not interested in learning Spanish. The reasons varied: learning a new language did not seem interesting for some of them, not being able to understand gave them frustration and some others seemed stressed with the unfamiliar situation. I always consider this challenge a personal challenge and always look for ways to make these students enjoy learning the new language while having a great time.

     The first years were more challenging that the following ones. As problems came up I looked for solutions and by trial and error and I implemented many strategies that worked for me and for my students. Before the beginning of the school year I take the time to create units of instruction, lesson plans, and to prepare materials and resources. I always emphasize the inclusion of attractive activities that are related with the student’s everyday lives. For example, during winter I might talk to the students about the snow and actually bring some snow that I collect before starting the class. If students are allowed to make a small trip we go outside and enjoy the winter weather. Providing activities where students could become participants while being in a relaxed atmosphere has made a big difference in my classroom.

     I always displayed attractive posters. Since I am teaching another language, I could not always find appropriate materials to display in the classrooms. Using pictures collected from magazines, I always create my own posters related to the topics discussed. I enjoy drawing and writing letters in different styles, so I decorate the classroom, keep visual materials and write the words in Spanish. When I am talking about a specific topic or concept I show the related visual material to my students. The use of smartboards also have enhanced the learning experience in my classroom.

     I write bilingual letters for the families every month. I print them in bright colored papers. In these letters I include: topics to be discussed in class, activities planned and words that students would learn. Involving parents is a very positive impact for my students. I have noticed the big improvement that they have in learning the Spanish language. Students and their parents talk about the things that they are learning in class and as result they are reinforcing their learning. Many times I notice that not only are my students learning the language, but some family members are learning it as well.

     To enhance the learning experience, I also create wiki pages related to the topics that the students are learning. Parents receive links to these pages. I incorporate into these pages audio files of my recorded voice, so that students who have visual problems, difficulty with pronunciation, or miss the class can benefit from the extra help.

     Many times I encountered students that are afraid to talk or just want to use English instead. In order to motivate them, I had set aside a particular time in the class when every student had to say a sentence using a microphone. For them it is very funny. As the months passed they are more willing to participate in using the new language. 

     When teaching Spanish one challenge can be dealing with discipline. Struggles related to discipline occur more at the beginning of the school year. I take into consideration the fact that the first classes are usually a time to meet and adjust to each other. However, some students might see the Spanish class as an opportunity to misbehave because they do not understand what the teacher is saying. Upon encountering this I established just one rule: “the way we treat each other matters”. I write this rule in both languages and it is displayed with big and shining letters in the classroom. I always read it out loud in Spanish before the class started. One of the benefits of being always prepared and organized is that the students are always kept busy. This greatly minimizes the opportunity for conflict. When the inevitable discipline problem arise, I address it immediately so that the students can take notice that acting in an inappropriate manner would not work in my class. Does not matter how difficult the conflict is, I always treat my students with respect. After some weeks they can understand that certain phrases that I use are meant to address problems with behavior, and they listen, participate and end up enjoying the class.

    With my experience, and with my studies completed in language adquisition, Spanish grammar, phonetics, linguistics, how to reach reluctant students, accomodations for special needs students; I consider I have the skills to teach the Spanish language.  Being an English as a second language student myself permitted me to be aware of the possible struggles and difficulties that my students have when they are learning Spanish.

Please see below (CST - Spanish):