Let’s remember that, for the purposes of getting to know each other and to know with whom we are talking, we were going to send in bios to share with the group. But then summer was over and we got all busy. The category for those who have already submitted bios is the “Group Members” category. So please add yours when you get a chance. Send it to me as an email and then we can have it as a blog entry that will not scroll into the past as a comment. This one is from Elissa:
Hi Everyone!
Thought it was time to submit my bio. I’m a Spanish teacher in southern Vermont. I currently teach k-8th grade in a small (under 100 students) rural public school. I also teach after-school classes, and summer camps (www.escuelitaspanishschool.org) and I hope to start teaching adults soon. I went to my first TPRS training two years ago (almost to the date!). It was a one-day workshop with Von Ray and it totally rocked my world. It was exactly what I’d been looking for. I’d been teaching high school Spanish for several years, but only a class or two class a semester. I was also a college counselor and curriculum designer, so teaching Spanish was more of an on-the-side job. (For several years I worked for an incredible high school called Shackleton School. We taught Spanish via immersion programs in Mexico. The school no longer exists, but here is a link to an inspiring student-made video about the place in case you are interested in alternative educational models http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhZnBgCn0ZE).
After that workshop, I really started loving this work. I read everything I could (including Ben’s books, of course!), drove to Scranton, PA (6 hours away!) to go to a Carol Gaab workshop the next weekend, flew to LA that summer to go to IFLT… and am continuing to learn as much as I can. I always knew that there was some better way to teach than how my high school and college teachers tried to teach me… I learned Spanish through traveling (Cuba, Mexico, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica…) so never knew that it was possible to acquire language in a classroom until now. Outside of my life as a Spanish teacher, I am really into gardening and I love hiking and kayaking and being outside. My husband, Andy, and I have a delightful seven-year-old daughter named Emmy who keeps us on our toes. Other family members include a dog, two cats, two goats, and six chickens. I am so grateful for this blog community and the extended community of TPRS teachers out there!