Diane Neubauer

2 thoughts on “Diane Neubauer”

1. Tamula

   October 7, 2012 at 9:46 pm

   Diane, it is so nice to read your bio and know a little more about you. I did the ISLI program, too, but back in summer 2009. I loved Changchun and took loads of photos of the Japanese imperial architecture there. My specialty in grad school was modern Chinese history so studying in Changchun was really a treat.
   So great that you are part of this PLC!

   Log in to Reply
2. Sabrina Janczak

   October 8, 2012 at 9:54 pm

   Bonsoir Diane, and most importantly WELCOME. Every time I read about a new person ‘s biography on this blog I can’t stop feeling humbled by the modesty of each and everyone’s accomplishments. My question to you is: where in the Chicagoland area do you raise laying hens!!?? And where do you teach?

   I think you are the 3rd or perhaps 4th person ( David Talone, Tamula , and who else?) from the blog doing our kind of work in this area and that calls for a gathering of our minds.

   I think I have a similar experience as yours when it comes to TPRS. I started flirting with it in 2006 but I wasn’t completely faithful until last year when I was given a student teacher and had to make a decision to become faithful and never regretted it.

   As a matter of fact I am having a good year professionally so far (perhaps I shouldn’t shout it as I may jinks myself and may have to eat my words later). It started off a little hectily because we were on strike for almost two weeks and I felt so alienated not being able to teach after having only been one week in the classroom, but I am now very happy with my kids and finding my rhythm slowly but surely. I have more energy than I ever had, and I am just perfectly happy speaking to my kids on good days 95% of the time in French , and bad days may be 80 % and just enjoying my kids and myself too, every day and every minute. OK I still need to improve on many aspects of this way of teaching, but for once I have stopped feeling guilty about getting my kids to a place of fluency by such and such date. Where s the rush anyway? They are all at different places and on a different schedule so it’s outside of my sphere of influence and I just take in in a Zen kind of way. I am doing what I should do which is to deliver CI as much as I can in a personalized and compelling way ( the compelling part is the most challenging for me b/c I am far away in age from my students and come from a different culture altogether but I am trying). Furthemore, I decided to accept the fact that I only have so many hours of CI with my kids and remaining faithful to the research, I’ ve readjusted both my expectations (not lowered, just changed as I was way too ambitious) and the learning outcomes I have for my students.

   I have also in a brave move purposely refused to give my kids textbooks , because I feel like the the rose in the little prince when she says:

   “Ils peuvent venir, les tigres, avec leurs griffes !” (They can come the tigers with their claws). If I get caught or if the administrators tell me something, I ‘ll put up a fight and ask them to come sit in my classroom and tell me what it is I am doing wrong. So far, no one is bothering me. I am so loud anyway that I think I scare them b/c everyone tells me they can hear me from the end of the hallway.
   I am the only one in my department doing CI (there are 20 of us) but I do not feel so isolated because I read this blog every day and I have Marybeth (MB) to talk to on a daily basis. Plus I will be going to Maine on Wednesday and spending the weekend with MB so I have lots to be thankful for. I am sorry I probably said more than I should have but this is how I felt tonight and that is why this blog is so great. It is a therapeutical and safe place to hide amongst others like us. I want to wish you lots of luck and I hope we can perhaps meet each other at some point and discuss ways to spread this contagious disease in our area.

   Good night Diane and good luck!

   Log in to Reply