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"Everybody Shut Up – I've Got To Get My French On!"
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7 thoughts on “"Everybody Shut Up – I've Got To Get My French On!"”
Wow, Ben.
Your cognitive and emotional stretching (in a good way) never cease to amaze me.
In other disciplines the content/subject matter, according to some, ‘speaks for itself.’
But we are affirming a very Progressive Ed foundational belief here: Who we are and what we bring to the hidden curriculum is paramount. How we interact with each community member; what/whom we value; who decides; how far it will/can go.
If a teacher doesn’t have socio-economic diversity, surely there is academic diversity. Teaching like Ben describes levels the playing field and access for all – no matter what side of the tracks, or traditional ‘readiness to learn.’
Alisa said:
…if a teacher doesn’t have socio-economic diversity, surely there is academic diversity….
BAM!
I’ve been away, slightly busy and staying sane thanks to my tenure. Anyway, this article is short and hard-hitting. Thanks Ben.
“if the community is not healthy then the language learning cannot be healthy.”
YES! My last class was unhealthy. Tired, battling home and school drama, academically stressed due to fear of failure etc… Not to mention heritage speakers from all over the city. There was a nice run of time 1st semester of good CI but it was always an uphill battle. Then there were cliques so they didn’t really know each other or probably had beef with each other.
“Who we are and what we bring to the hidden curriculum is paramount. ”
Yes Alisa. Our presence, mood and heck even making things comprehensible is part of that hidden curriculum for students– SLA is a subconscious process right? I had very quiet asian students who said that I was their favorite teacher. There was even a student who needed their friend to talk for them to give suggestions for stories–in English. These students were silenced. How sad. Anyway, during our 10 minute interviews these students had smiles on their faces while I was providing one-on-one CI. I’ll send you a link of a student to post here on the blog. These interviews are CRAZY surprising.
Wow, wow. Thank you! I needed this. I’m fairly new to language teaching after 20+ years practicing and teaching social work. I don’t have teacher training, and while I love the work I’m doing now (teaching social work & teaching English) I feel out of my depth often with the language teaching piece. This helped connect it all for me. Thanks!
“if the community is not healthy then the language learning cannot be healthy.”
As usual, Ben goes right for the heart of the matter. I wonder if anyone in this group teaches in a “healthy community?” What does that look like? I am genuinely curious. There is always so much going on in the lives of our students that is playing out constantly and affecting their core self-worth. I do not know the answer to “guiding them” or “modeling what we want to see” or any of that, since I often feel completely tossed about by the tsunami of the community issues.
What if the leadership in the school is ineffective? Then it is even more on the shoulders of classroom teachers to make the changes we want to see. I will always default to trusting and listening to a student. Until over and over they show dishonesty, then I lose my trust. Then I am not sure what to do. When school leadership is lacking, the cycles of negativity perpetuate and solidify into real live ruts.
We are losing 1/3 of our faculty because everyone is getting out and finding new jobs in other districts. I do not blame them. They are in their late 20s and early 30s, have young families to raise and need steady work in a school where there is solid leadership and where they will not have to wonder about getting pink slipped each year because the city council does not value the schools.
Needless to say this is not a “healthy community.” I don’t know how else to increase the “health” other than making a safe space in my own classroom. I do get feed back from my students saying that my classroom is a “safe space” and they can “relax” and it is a “sanctuary” (actual student quotes) But is that enough?
Yes, it’s enough to simply make our own space safe and not worry about the rest. Once we try to reach out beyond were our arms can go, we set the stage for our own burnout, which then keeps us from helping anyone. I know you know that but it can’t be said enough.
Inspiring as always, Ben!!!