We become adept at becoming aware of what we are feeling intuitively as teachers. We learn to feel our way creatively and expansively through a class without a lesson plan. We learn that good language teaching is not all about teaching a certain thing at a certain time, but rather just spending time with the kids creating language that is actually interesting to them.
In her daughter’s preschool class, Tina read the following poster every day as she helped Maire take off her pint-sized galoshes and backpack:
Long after they forget what what we taught them, they will remember how we made them feel.
Our students are counting on us to make them feel smart, safe, important, creative, special, and capable. May our instruction, our curriculum, and assessment support us in supporting them. A person is only eight or twelve or seventeen once. May we help to make the time we spend with them a time of growth and joy and acceptance. May we show them success and guide them to love our languages and human communication and connection in general.