There is no right way to do this work. We all do what resonates best with our internal teaching artist souls. Why deny what we feel is best for our students because someone said that there is some right way? And how could there even be a “right way” when the putty we have been given to work with, comprehensible input, can stretch in any direction at any time?
Tina has led me to this idea, slowly, over the summer when we started working together doing workshops. She has led me into a deeper study of the work of Beniko Mason. It is all taking me into the realization that when teachers get together online and talk about form and not function, structure of teaching and not soul of teaching, then I want no part of those discussions. We must teach according to the dictates of our hearts.
I no longer give a fig about all the researchers and all their petty points. There are so many wannabe experts out there whining how Krashen is just one researcher. He’s not. He has it all down. It’s comprehensible input. I’m glad I follow Krashen and Beniko. They get it. Why look elsewhere for new tricks when we have everything we need in the work of those two yogis? Why look elsewhere when it would take a lifetime to just get to the depths of what Krashen and Beniko have given us?
We don’t need to argue the small mental points, the big forehead points. We do need to move past all that into our hearts, and learn that real teaching is giving kids a reason to believe in life. All the adults in their lives have different ways of doing that. Ours is stories. But, when doing stories, if we don’t love them and smile with them at how wonderful life is, then there can be no language gains.
Why do we even get up and go to work each day? Do we do it so that our kids can master the language? Few will. So it must be for something else, something greater, something far more wonderful than being able to just speak another language. We teach for happiness, on behalf of life, so that our kids can see good and positive things in the world, so that they can grow up with hope and confidence in life. That’s my philosophy of teaching – doing stories in the service of something infinitely refreshing.