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32 thoughts on “General News”
Congratulations Ben!
May you be blessed with many years of happy teaching!
I’m so happy for you and can’t wait to hear about your new adventures.
Tu vas me manquer, moi qui te dois tout 🙁
N’oublie pas de dire bonjour à ma ville natale dans laquelle je remettrai les pieds peu de temps après toi …
À mardi.
Very exciting plans, Ben. Congratulations on the adventures ahead!
Wow! What a change! And how cool! You keep establishing new possibilities, for yourself and for others – congratulations!
Bonne route, mon vieux!
Very cool indeed. Congratulations!!!
Congratulations, Ben! This will be a great adventure for you and your son.
Congratulations Ben. that’s great news. having recently retired myself, I can understand the boredom. I’m glad I can at least continue teaching and ttutoring . I’ll pray for you.
What an amazing, amazing opportunity for you my friend!!! So much love sent your way on this endeavor! I”m glad that Landen is going with you….how cool is that for both of you?! Although the physical environment may be a challenge at first, knowing how you love nature, I believe that the opportunity to be in a place of immense spiritual power will fill you up.
PS If you are there long enough, I can add you to my post-retirement tour of 2016-2017!
with love,
Laurie
Wow Ben, congrats! You’re full of surprises. I figured managing the PLC last year was a full-time job in itself, therefore preventing that boredom you speak of. My guess is that you have a secret clone who helps you get stuff done. His name is Sven probably, and he looks a little more Scandinavian that your original self.
I hope that you and your son have a joyous and easy transition.
Dude. That all sounds awesome: India, Linda Li, supportive admin, etc.
Like Jim, I wonder how many “Ben’s” it takes to do all that you do 😉
What a surprise. What an opportunity. For you and for Landen. Glad you are taking all 6’2″ of him. It is never a good thing when they shave an inch or two off either end.
We rejoice with you.
Especially when the 6’2″ is focused on basketball in the same way his dad’s focus is on staying in the TL. Nathaniel I got a good laugh out of that one.
Congratulations, Ben! I wish you and your son a terrific adventure and exploration!
Ben,
So happy for you and your son! What an incredible opportunity and how cool that you are ready to take on your next journey in life. I wish you the best and look forward to hearing about your new experiences. Thanks for all you do for us!
Ben, may the sacred cows, multi-limbed gods, and, from what I hear, profound commitment of family to their children, help take your class to the Pure Land on a daily basis.
Be sure to live it up there, which has to mean less time with us here on the PLC. We fully entrust you to take your time, breath in that aromatic (better word than contaminated) air, and live it up with Landen and Sven. You owe it to yourself.
Thank you Sean and everyone. Such kind wishes! Indeed, I will rest more, even though working again, because, as we often remind ourselves here, we do this work for many reasons not the least of which is our mental and physical health, our ability to simply rest. In a quarter of a century of teaching the old way I failed badly at resting, with moderately high blood pressure to prove it, whereas it went away with TPRS – that is not a fabrication and did not involve a change in diet to plant based foods, which is how we normally lower our blood pressure. We have not talked about that once here in our eight years together! I have to share – I was like a spinning top, almost a mad man, when I taught the old way. Look at the list of things that got posted in a comment here today that teachers do. I don’t plan on going that route in my new assignment. I am already scheming about how to get some meaningful video of Linda Li with her kids back here to the group. I’ll watch her teach and report back, like on how much L1 translation she really uses, etc.
Precious! Linda Li on video! Do it, please, Ben. I have interest in video of Chinese teaching. I hope to meet Linda this week at iFLT, and if I get the chance, I will say something about it.
What a cool adventure! Will the PLC continue?
Yes Angie I will continue the PLC but with my attention fully on my own teaching this coming year. Now that I will be back in the classroom, esp. in the classroom next to Linda, I will have a chance to learn a ton. I will share everything I learn as usual here on the blog, but probably will be writing less articles in the first months of being down there in New Delhi. It’s not like we don’t have enough stuff to read in the archives here anyway – eight years/thousands of surprisingly-not-out-of-date articles, 38,000 comments to read, the Primers, the videos, etc. And of course I will be publishing PLC members’ questions, etc. So it will be pretty much business as usual here on the PLC.
Speaking of having breakthroughs, learning and sharing new things, I have six new very high quality learnings from this past week in Minnesota. I will share them perhaps as a videoblog because there is so much to share, when I can. New stuff! By the way, Julie’s vPQA was extremely well received especially by new people who see its ease-of-use factor. Julie didn’t get a chance to even present on Friday but did four good sessions on W/Th. I think she will need her own session times in future. Grant Boulanger not only taught Spanish with major wow factors, based on what I heard in the hallways, throughout the week, and he also ran the conference with Carol and when I told Krashen that I thought it was the most professionally run conference I have ever been to he readily agreed, so congrats to the Potter on his efforts on our behalf last week.
I am happy to say that I discovered a coaching model that far outstrips the war room models I used previously. People were looking like seasons pros after three hours of coaching. OK I’m going to spend some time with one of my boys right now. After all these years of teachers wars, I have learned that nothing is more important than spending relaxed and aimless time in conversation with people whom we love. But I will get those iFLT 2015 thoughts down here soon, if not from India.
Another characteristically long answer to a short question Angie – I could have just said “yes” – but there you go. In one sentence, this year’s iFLT was the best, most relaxed, trust filled, best work done by new people being coached (esp. by Wade Blevins instruction in Cherokee language, which basically kicked ass), high energy, fun conference I have ever attended. And that is without mentioning the story from the Winnetka Three, which deserves its own article here. Spending time with Alisa, Suze and Carla was awesome. We will be talking about something Carla has for us in future as well. There’s always more good stuff, proof that when God gives, He gives with both hands.
Congratulations, Ben! So sorry I was not able to be in Minnesota this past week…my husband and I walked another Camino across Spain. At any rate, I look forward to hearing about your adventures in India. I will let Anu know. She is doing ok, slowly battling but always upbeat and positive.
Take care,
Louisa
Thank you Louisa and give Anu our best. I sure would like a lesson from her in Tamil, with her style of CI of course.
Angie, thanks for asking what I would say was on the minds of many. As Ben, noted, he could have given a one-word answer. But since he is not a Novice level speaker, he gives us the Advanced/ Superior answer, letting us know that there is too much happening to not keep up the PLC. I was more concerned that the PLC would disappear when Ben announced his retirement. I had been a member for less than two years and felt I still had so much to learn/relearn (that feeling has not left me). Glad you are coming out of (classroom) retirement, Ben. I sense you must have been biting the bit to get back in and try some of the new tricks you were observing and hearing about.
This is just epic news. In every sense of the word. I’m looking forward to this virtual “being in India” for a buncha reasons. You already know them, I’m sure.
Yet another reason I wish I were in Minneapolis now. But everything in its own time and I am supposed to go to Costa Rica instead. Not complaining (DUH!) but if I could magically teleport, I would.
Wishing you so much love and peace and presence to witness it all. With undying gratitude for everything you have illuminated for me and for all of us 🙂 <3
Two of us from the ‘Australian Cointingent’ are already looking forward to catching up with you in India in 2016. What exciting news! Congratulations.
Congratulations! I have been only sparsely on the blog because of grad classes, but I am very excited for you. I wish they would be as useful as conferences, but I need a master’s to do anything. I hope you acquire an Indian Language (don’t know which one they speak there) while you are there.
Ben, Great news. I had trouble imagining you retired forever. The school looks amazing, I’ve seen pictures and videos, how great you can be in such a supportive student centered place. If you and Landen ever want a break come visit, how fun would that be? It’s not that far.
Dude I’ve never been to Japan. How far is it?
Or you can come visit us in New Delhi because the energy for a conference in India was palpable last week. The plan is most embraced by Krashen, in fact. He would be the keynote, Carol and Diana would set it up using the fantastic iFLT model, we will bring as many of the kick butt presenters from last week as we can get to come over, and I want to be in complete charge of coaching and I feel totally confident that my new coaching model, discovered last week, can get people feeling good about this stuff in just a few days, a statement that I don’t make lightly – the new model has completely blown my mind. No more lasers, no more circling per se, no more lots of stuff. Just what counts. And of course Linda and I can run things from India with the help of the people at the American Embassy School, who appear to me to be first rate people all the way around. It’s a win-win-win-win-win. Plus we have a higher chance of getting some of the Australians up there. The Australians are for real. I’m feeling it!
I just looked it up, it’s farther than I thought, about 4,000 miles. On the same side of the world though! I have some really great students who are basketball players would love to play with Landen. Green, quiet, sea, mountains, if you guys need a vacation from big city. Very interested in the new coaching model, conferences too.
Ben — So, it’s official! I’m glad to see you off on another adventure! Can’t wait to read your field reports. Additionally, I would love to see video of both you and Linda doing your thing…
Can you see yourself doing more videos of yourself, too? I ask, selfishly, since my students can watch you teach in French and understand…. 🙂
Sally forth!!!
Love, Leigh Anne
Yes I can take videos of myself teaching. I have learned a ton since the others were made. It’s just more layers into the onion. I can say I’m down about ten layers. But it’s a big onion. At least one million layers. I’m doing good! As long as we keep in mind the mantra we all seemed to say in sessions a lot last week in MN, as a way of reminding ourselves – we all suck at this. In a good way!
Thanks Leigh Anne, it’s always good to hear from you. You and Matava and I are in that same right brain dominant weirdos boat. We love it!
Safe travels as you set off on your new adventure tomorrow, Ben! I wish you the best of everything! Enjoy Paris. 🙂
Thanks MB. I am not bringing any screens, so the next time I check in here will be in August. It’s another good opportunity for newer people to read in categories they feel drawn to, review crucial Primer materials, watch some videos, visit the Forum, etc.
Talk to y’all later!