We have another Lori in the group and she has written a nice bio for us. Thank you and welcome, Lori. Those who still haven’t submitted a bio, maybe you can use Lori’s as a model and get them in. Many have yet to do so – make it a New Year’s resolution!
Hi Ben,
I am a first year French teacher at an urban school district in the Wilmington, DE area. This is my second career after spending a year in international business.
First, I’m so thankful to have found a teaching job right now! My life has changed drastically in the last four months; starting a new career that I love, buying a home and planning a destination wedding (June 2013 to an amazing music teacher) in French St. Martin.
When I was student teaching this time last year we had a small demonstration of TPRS in a methods’ class and I have been hooked since. I could not imagine teaching any other way. My cooperating teacher did not understand the appeal of TPRS but I was able to sneak in one unit and loved it!
This year I have felt very on my own in many ways. My students have not had a true French teacher for two years now, so my French 3 students I would say are at a 1 &3/4 level and French 2 is a 1& 1/4. However, this has worked out, I have less preps and each year I will gradually work up to 4 full-fledged, stratified levels. My administration is supportive of this situation understanding that language is like math were everything is cumulative. Thus, they understand that my classes are only the levels in name right now and it is not fair to punish the students for this. It is not their fault they have had rotating long term substitutes for nearly 2 years.
I started off the year mostly using TPR and had some success winning over a portion of students but I have realized acquisition of the language needs more than TPR. I started all four French levels in the same place and I have been making the upper level classes more complex as they are able to. Now my French 4 is reading Pauvre Anne and speaking a lot of French in class with more confidence then they could ever imagine. French 3 is coming into their own first accepting they have a real French teacher and then mostly embracing TPRS. French 2 and 1 are slightly different because in Delaware the students must take two years of a language and most students could care less. These students are my true challenges.
I joined your blog after meeting a fellow TPRSer in the area, Anny Ewing. My resources currently consist of her, books, your blog and the moreTPRS listserv. I hope to attend a workshop at some point in the near future but life is very crazy right now and traveling would be tough.
Your blog has already been a source of support for creating my curriculum and comfort when I need to know there are others like me. Thanks for all that you do!
Warm Regards,
Lori