Here is a fine report from Jeff. If you want to know more about Jeff and what he endured last year, click on the Teacher of the Month category:
Dear all,
I wanted to update everyone on how things are going. Many of you know all too well what kind of year I had last year. To say that it was very difficult and challenging would be quite the understatement. However, in a years time, it is amazing how things can change.
First, I received my numbers for next year. My enrollment has gone up 75% over this year. I have the most number of students that I have ever had. My classes seem to be growing.
I have also noticed something that has never happened to me in the past. Students whom I don’t know, whom I don’t have in class are greeting me in Latin. They greet me in the bathroom, in the hallway, in the parking lot. Everywhere! It is truly incredible.
Two days ago, I spoke to a former student who is now a senior. I currently have his brother in Latin I. I stopped the former student, the older brother, to tell him how well his younger brother is doing. He told me that he recommended to his brother to take my class because of my nascent attempts at CI. I had just begun to use it with his class, too late for him unfortunately! But, I made such an impact that he recommended my class to his brother. Wow!
Lastly, I have recently been contacted by the Ohio Department of Education regarding how I teach Latin. The State is having trouble with resources for Latin and how to help Latin teachers teach Latin like a language. My name got passed around as a innovative, forward-thinking Latin teacher and now I am being asked to apply for a local leadership position to provide professional development in the state to Latin teachers. Wow! This is unbelievable! I cannot believe that people are already noticing what I am doing.
Last year I thought the resistance and backlash was going to do me in, but now I am being contacted for my work as it pertains to Latin. Completely unbelievable!
I want to send a huge shout out to all of you on this email. All of you have contributed to my progress as a Latin teacher. These last two years have been very challenging and difficult and I still work to improve, but all these successes are in large part because of the support all you have given me. This is certainly a complete turnaround from last year. I will definitely share all of this with my admins because it deserves to be shouted from the rooftops. My students are successful and what I am doing in the classroom is translating into gains for them and for me.
Thank you!
Jeff
