Unlock with PatreonThe Problem with CI
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
Rebekah Gambrell
Share:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Ben Slavic
Get The Latest Updates
Subscribe to Our Mailing List
No spam, notifications only about new products, updates.
Related Posts
CI and the Research (cont.)
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
Research Question
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
We Have the Research
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
12 thoughts on “Rebekah Gambrell”
Welcome! I love to hear that people are taking the leap. I did it three years ago and am so happy I did.
Yes, welcome Rebekah!
You wrote :”There are so many students that do so poorly in other classes and excel in my class.” I would say that THAT is a leitmotiv for many of us ! And a compelling reason to keep going…..
Welcome Rebekah – I haven’t been on the PLC for that long either: I was encouraged to join by John Piazza, of San Francisco, before the winter break. Here’s my bio.
I currently teach Latin at Westlake High School in Southwest Atlanta. I use TPRS and some WAYK methods in my classroom – as well as just random shit that I think works and that kids like. I strive for comprehensible input to students. I do some grammar instruction with charts and such – mostly for forms, and only after students have heard the forms I am teaching them hundreds of times and I feel that they are acquired. I view this as a sort of differentiation strategy for those who are more analytically inclined – and it never takes precedence over communication.
This is my 5th year of teaching – and I have already passed through a few different schools. I first became interested in CI/TPRS observing David Maust in Whittier, CA. I grew up on the other side of the hill from there, and was very familiar with his school’s culture, and was amazed that he could get so many students from Eastern LA county (i.e. not the stuck up movieland part) to be speaking and understanding Latin. Moreover it is the social justice and utility of CI that has kept me interested.
I’ve been cultivating my CI skills and spoken Latin skills ever since. I also speak Spanish (parents are from Mexico and East LA).
My last job in CA was at a high performing school that pressured me to teach Grammar Translation and run a massive Junior Classical League program. I felt like more of a bureaucrat than a language teacher. They pretty much just used me, since their old teacher retired suddenly in September, and they were desperate for somebody who could actually read Latin literature and teach it to teenagers. They laid me off for thinking differently from them, so I am definitely aware of the battles that go on in this world.
I got to see David last year too. You are lucky to be with a bunch of highly dedicated Latin teachers. Welcome!
Carol
Great to meet both of you…welcome to the list! It is so common for first-years to love a transition to TPRS and 2nd/3rd years to resist. We’ve all had it happen! Hang in there….do the best that you can by them and keep going full-force with the 1’s!! It’s also not uncommon to butt heads with an administrator or fellow dept members. We support each other through that. (and some of us had that reputation before TPRS ;o) )
Either way, the students, the parents, the colleagues and the admins. are people too and mostly acting out of fear and discomfort. Try not to take it personally and come here for support!
with love,
Laurie
The more, the merrier! Welcome to both of you!!! You have found the best place to get support, encouragement, ideas, ……
I love hearing those success stories and can’t wait to learn more about you, your students, and your thoughts.
Hi, Rebekah! To tell you the truth, lack of formal teacher training is probably a plus:) Welcome!
Thank you for the warm welcome. I too believe that not having a degree has actually helped. I just don’t know all the lingo.
Ditto to what Laurie said… I definitely had resistance with students who had a grammar-translation method before TPRS. We expect more human interaction of them, as Ben has said over and over. And that can be hard. Plus, when they think that matching endings is the way to communicative competency, some are disappointed when the way to fluency is really showing up and communicating in the TL.
WelcOme Rebekah! We went to the Donna T-J workshop together over the summer! You teach elementary, right?
I teach everything preschool through Spanish 3. Elementary and Jr High are only once a week. Yes after that workshop I tossed my textbooks.
Hi everyone! I was an avid reader of the blog before it became private, and just recently have gotten reconnected. I cannot begin to explain how much I have needed to be back here, as I have found myself drifting back to the old ineffective methods due to pressure from students & parents who fail to understand the value of CI instruction. I have been teaching French at Monroe High School in Monroe Michigan for 16 years now. I discovered TPRS after attending one of Blaine’s seminars years ago (not sure how many…10 or so??). I turned a colleague of mine onto the method & we declared ourselves to be a CI dept. ever since–even though we both have strayed from it at times. I am trying to get my whole dept. on here bc I know how much it’s been helping me to stay on track lately. I have attended many TPRS workshops over the years (Gaab, Rowan, Forward, Blaine at least 3 times, Susie Gross), & feel like I’ve learned so much from all of them, but nothing has compared to what I’m able to learn from all of you here–so thanks & I’m looking forward to interacting more with all of you in the future.