Hi Ben,
I’m an elementary teacher of Spanish these days (coming from a secondary background), I can see why elementary foreign language teachers go through a revolving door. Most of the challenge is parent/admin perception of how much can be learned quickly by small children. This year I’m tasked with teaching K-7. Yes 340 students, 8 grade levels across 14 classes twice a week for 40 minutes for each class (excluding Kinder which is only 15 min.) Last year I attempted to teach many stories across 3rd and up and was very overwhelmed with how to keep it all together. I played “absent-minded Spanish teacher” a lot to review details of stories because I couldn’t keep it all straight. Elementary secretaries are not the best, God love them. Also, elementary kids like fairness. Picking a single picture from a single student can send some students into throws of sorrow fit for an Oscar. Even voting to pick out a single student can cause grudges so strong I will never get out of the pit of doom. Now, I know I’m being dramatic but these kids like their own work and have a very hard time “not being good enough.” I never never want any child to feel they are too terrible an artist in 3rd grade to have their story told. What do other elementary teachers do to come up with a character? Also, I’m in a Waldorf school, no tech, no “media” characters…I’m starting with card talk this week with the older grades. I plan on just talking about them for a while.