Melissa needs support and advice from the group:
It has been a while since I have posted on here and I am writing because I need encouragement and support. I feel alone and attacked a little bit for wanting to do the three-phrase model of language acquisition (which I simply label: the Slavic way). I, as many teachers I am certain, am faced with my administration and other teachers who don’t understand and perceive my ideas as a lazy teacher’s way, and that the students aren’t going to learn any Spanish.
So, I have been implementing a department standard curriculum for second level called” Salad Stores” It is a soap opera using vegetables that has twists and turns. Sounds all and good right? Props, felt boards, picture. It actually IS really fun and funny, for self-motivated, interested, mature learners maybe. I read in one of Ben’s posts that we are offering a product to consumers who don’t want it! So true. The Bad thing about “Salad Stories” is that is isn’t connecting to the kids and their lives. It is a clever disguise for grammar teaching with cloze exercises that have them conjugate verbs in the past tense. The affective filter is HIGH and they and I are not enjoying it, OR acquiring language may I add. I have found myself with lists of vocabulary and verb charts. I am completely going against what I believe in and it is killing me. Discipline problems abound and I have had three parent meetings! Kids are saying things like” Good thing I’m never taking Spanish 3”. Cry. Tear.
First semester I did the jGR and three phrases and student jobs. The kids LOVED it, I loved it and the writing samples in the past SUCKED, subject verb agreement was Horrible and they all had A’s. I felt that the jGR was inflating the grades and giving them a false sense of their Spanish abilities. It felt like a fail in that way. SO, this semester it is rough. I doubt myself and that is not good when the others in my department are mistrusting of this method anyway.
So…I ever so gently voice this to my superiors and feel I am offending their 20 years of hard work and experience. I don’t want to be arrogant and dismissive of their expericene and hard work.
All in all, I feel very Bi-polar with the kids because I tell them I don’t want to do grammar, but now I kind-of am, because of the pressure I feel from the department. Err.
They tell me that they want to support my style of teaching but also need congruency amongst the levels. My 2’s and another teacher’s 2’s moving into 3 having close to the same knowledge base. ~Err~ that feels so counter the Slavic way! Especially if they are not doing the story script model and 2-week lesson plan style. My mentor also told me yesterday “You could do that but if they go on to level three they are going to need to do summer school to make up what you haven’t taught them” OUCH! I feel really offended and sad by that comment.
I feel the heart of this (for my co-worker and school) is RIGOR. I work at a private school that values HARD WORK and academic rigor, so at first glance the Slavic/Krashen way seems to easy…
How can I convince or appease the rigor/”make the kids work hard” need of my school and still have a low affective filter?
I am having a meeting today with my department head. She is going to give me a list of all the vocabulary words that the kids “need” from Spanish II. Could I just have obligatory vocabulary quizzes each week and then just do what I want? This way they have “what they need” for Spanish 3? Although, I know not many will take it.
I guess I will probably never have the respect of some and I need to be ok with that.
Tear. Tear. Tear.
Any encouragement or ideas would be warmly welcomed.
Discouraged from the field,
Melissa Snider