Chill shares. I read the last paragraph twice:
Some teachers among our colleagues are only able to work with the top students. In a traditional FL program, that’s usually what’s left – the ones who like/get the grammar. Isn’t it easy to teach smart kids? Goodness, the smart ones can almost teach themselves! Isn’t our job to “Reach all, teach all”?
I was just on a trip with 42 graduated seniors. A few kids were my French kids. I would randomly point out to them how their knowledge of French could help them decode Italian. Some of them even tried using their French with Italians. When I asked the Spanish kids how to say something in Spanish? Crickets. Sad.
On the front facade of the Pantheon, there is a Latin inscription. The first words are “M – Agrippa…” When I asked some Latin students what it said, they were trying to decode M – Agrippa! Wasn’t he a Roman general? They did not recognize it as a name and were trying to figure out case!! Sad, sad!
Ignore TPRS/TCI, fear learning the method, mock TPRS/TCI, marginalize its practitioners, but be prepared to face the consequences – kids who study a language for four years and know nothing or the elimination of your program. Sad.