Cherie continues:
This is only my second year using TPRS after a long sabbatical to stay home and care for my triplets, so I have a long way to go, but a lot of good things are happening. I have had teachers request to come and observe my class to see what I do and learn how to use TPRS. Other teachers are also sending their student teachers and practicum students to observe and talk about SLA and language instruction. We have an entire new administrative team this year, and they have been incredibly supportive of what I do. After my first formal observation, the admin said, “It was so exciting to see a WL classroom where the target language is used exclusively in instruction and see that the kids are fully comprehending everything. They stay engaged throughout the lesson and are clearly invested and comprehending what they hear. I’m so used to language classroooms being about flashcards, but your class is about the kids and the language”. I am also hearing really positive things from other teachers about how much their kids love French class. I have had a lot of 6th graders tell me that they were going to take Spanish next year, but loved my French class so much that they signed up for French instead, so I’m really hoping for an increase in enrollment for next year. I have also had several depressed kids come and tell me that their parents made them change to Spanish “because it’s more useful in VA”, so we’ll see what happens. The level of enthusiasm from the kids has been really exciting though.
Thanks again for all that you do, and I look forward to meeting you in person in a few months!
Cherie