When Arguing with a Drunk

5 thoughts on “When Arguing with a Drunk”

1. Nathaniel

   March 26, 2015 at 2:43 pm

   Well, Michael.
   The nicest thing about beating your head against the wall is how good it feels when you stop (John De Mado says something like that). I hope you get the new position. Don’t let pride keep you where you are. You are the big winner. You have learned a lot in a hostile environment. You have striven to be professional and informed in a ho hum atmosphere. And they actually paid you to prepare for you next position.
   “the way you teach is not easy for all the teachers to do.” Is it easy for any teachers to do? Of course, if the state comes up with some dumb idea, will they accept the “it is too hard” for some teachers; so anyone who wants the easy way can opt out?
   It sounds like there is a special training for opposers of best practices. I have heard some of these same sad refrains:
   1. They tried to make it Michael Coxon versus the Department chair or traditional teachers (happened last week for me).
   2. A great concern for the comfortable level of the rest of the department
   3. Use less Spanish (I actually received less complaint about that since I have been a part of the blog and mine was more a student complaint, as an excuse for bad grades–slow and teach to the eyes were probably the big things in helping me.)
   The fact is that you may not even know if other department members actually say these things. And there may be some who are secretly applauding your willingness and courage to go where others have not gone.

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   1. Michael Coxon

      March 26, 2015 at 4:29 pm

      Nathaniel said…
      “The fact is that you may not even know if other department members actually say these things. And there may be some who are secretly applauding your willingness and courage to go where others have not gone.”
      He is right, this a very true statement. Many of my colleagues support me and love that I am the trailblazer. It really is a collection of 3 other people surrounding the DC that do this gossip thing. One of them has been to several TPRS trainings too and even considers Carol Gaab a friend (ironic). She is a toolbox TPRS teacher…she uses it once or twice a semester for a story or two.
      In this history, the old principal (now assistant superintendent) even told another teacher and me to continue with TPRS because her son was in the TPRS class. In front of the DC she supported the DC and told us to adhere to the PLCs scope and sequence. I understand why. But you are right Nathaniel it is nice to soon “stop beating my head on the wall.” In fact, the struggle with colleagues has made me a better teacher and human being.

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2. Tim

   March 26, 2015 at 3:02 pm

   For whatever it’s worth, I teach in a fairly large high school with a fairly traditional exprésate curriculum, but fortunately my hands are not at all tied and I am free to spend most of the class doing CI, and simply ignoring a lot of the stuff from exprésate. (I catch most of the verbs, but I figure they’ll all forget the seven different eye colors, and the words for daughter-in-law and great grandma by next year anyways.)
   As a rookie I have received lots of support both from my department (no one in the department uses lots of CI, although one does meet 90% Spanish), as well as administrators.
   So there are some of us who get to spend all our energy figuring out how to teach, not fighting to be able to do what we know we should :). Happy Thursday all and enjoy your Spring Breaks!

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   1. Marc Fencil

      March 26, 2015 at 7:55 pm

      I’m in the same boat as you Tim. We have Exprésate too, but like you, I don’t follow it very closely because fortunately I have that latitude. I chuckled at your comment on the eye colors. I actually think that the book teaches THREE different ways to say that someone’s eyes are brown:
      ojos de color café
      ojos castaños
      ojos marrones

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3. Michael Coxon

   March 26, 2015 at 6:07 pm

   One last post before I am off to get a cold beer…BTW Ben I love the “arguing with a drunk” parallel. Like Nathaniel discussed about refrains, one thing we all have heard about TPRS is the reference to it being like a cult. I get why…we stick together…we make similar arguments based on Krashen and others, and we are steadfast in what we believe.
   The idea that we use a simple statement from ACTFL removes the tendencies of others to make that cult statement. “What Mr/Mrs Grammarian… you don’t reach 90% TL with your students…?” There is a shift withthe struggle and we can support each other using strategies and there is no battle to be won…we all end up making a difference in the lives of students.
   As I think it was Nathaniel that pointed out…
   Interesting FACTS (shared by Nathaniel)
   1. ACTFL’s Use of the Target Language in the Classroom (90% plus at all levels of instruction during instructional time), was approved by the board of directors on Saturday, May 22, 2010.
   2. Blaine Ray had written “the class must be conducted at least 90 percent of the time in the target language. Students must by some means be prevented from speaking another language except in specified circumstances in which they ask for permission” in Fluency Through TPR Storytelling, p 20, by the 4th ed., Nov 2004.

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