This is a post from 2009, from Carla. It is a great reminder for all of us about what is at the heart of PQA, as many of us are doing nothing but talking to the kids right now, getting them ready to read and write with confidence as soon as we can get that great auditory foundation built:
Hello again, Ben.
It’s as if I am hearing this for the first time… you said, the only thing is to make it about them. That’s it! That’s the difference. They don’t mind hearing it again when it’s all about them…This one’s starting to come alive in me… I’m going to think aloud for a minute… so when we review the discussion about them, especially if we can throw in extra emotion, a new emotion, or a new detail (also best with some emotion), we can repeat again and again, comparing with other students to keep everyone interested. Then they just bask in the glory of the repetition… “tell me again how great I am. That’s right. Oh, yes. And don’t forget xyz…”
I finally did get to continue the conversation a girl was begging me for. We were trying to prove who was bravest. They (my 3rd period class) are my star students, so they fill in in the areas of my weakness at slow, interesting, etc. They just get it. So I asked “would you fight a tiger?” Yes. Celebration, glory, joy over how daring she was. Would *you* fight a tiger? Yes — dos (2). More celebration, joy, suspense. The first girl said she would fight dos mil nueve (2009– the biggest number she knew), and the third boy said he would fight 2010. And we discussed who was hardworking, daring and lazy (two measly tigers???), as well as discussing all the tigers they fought with. Everyone was into it.
So the key, then, is the art of making them feel that it’s all about them. So that fun things like what I just described can chance to happen more often!!!!!!!!!!!! So this is where I need to focus… growing my heart to include them all so that they have no doubt that it’s all about them.
My classes make me smile so much this year! It reminds me of your post about Scrooge… such wonderful, smart children! How fortunate I am to know them. I hear that this year’s bunch is starting to show their “true colors” … but may it always be that in Spanish class, I get to see their truest.
I have to credit Susan Gross for showing me (on DVD) that an attitude of joy, love and fun in the classroom is supremely important, along with an attitude of helpfulness–always seeking to give them everything they need. And she demonstrated important ways of doing all that in the language classroom. I started to catch on to some of that in your books too, before seeing Susan Gross on DVD. Thank you for your books, your thoughts, your time, your blog!
Have a great day!
Carla