Our job can seem quixotic at
times. That’s because we’re all about trial and error in second language
pedagogy. Only through many trials and many errors do we ever strike
pedagogical gold. Our CEFR Barrie meetings last year and the
hard-working professionals there reminded me of this.
So, aside from recommending you
keep your nose to the grindstone, here are 3 more New Year’s resolutions for
second language teachers.
1. Learn a new language
You’re a teacher and you speak
the target language (e.g. French, Spanish...etc). Good. This alone makes
you qualified; but, it doesn’t necessarily make you proficient. By
rediscovering the joy of language learning you’ll boost your effectiveness and
make essential connections to share with your students at the same time.
Spend an hour every day in 2018
learning your target language and discover through new eyes how to guide your
fellow learners through the confidence-shaking enterprise of learning a new
language.
Spoiler alert: You’ll
meet fellow language learners who speak the target language better than you
can, but who report having spent only half the time you put in. Don’t let
yourself forget how that feels as you get back to work.
In
your journey, seek out thought-leaders like Benny Lewis or Steve Kaufmann on YouTube
to inspire you. You’ll quickly learn how every language learner and their
dog uses the CEFR as a common sense reference point.
2. Have (or adopt) kids
I would bet that every
professional with kids at home has, at some point, seen a colleague take on a
major discretionary project and thought, “they probably don’t have kids”.
This is not a slight, it merely reflects the commonly held idea that
professionals with kids are often more preoccupied with raising a family than
with taking on extra duties at work.
I would say that is an
oversimplification. It’s beyond question that having young children will take
up time that would otherwise be spent running school programs like sports teams
or clubs. But I contend that where some losses occur, other areas benefit; especially
for second language teachers.
If you raise bilingual children, you’ll come to a realization regarding the far too common belief that learning another language “just isn’t” for some kids; It’s fake news.
If you raise bilingual children, you’ll come to a realization regarding the far too common belief that learning another language “just isn’t” for some kids; It’s fake news.
No matter who your kids turn out
to be, they will be it in two languages and inspire you every day.
Personal note: My
Élianne has ASD and she is also bilingual. Now I know more than ever how our
mindsets (in French Immersion, for example) need to change.
Beyond inspiration and deflating
old myths, I think if you ask any parent they’ll tell you children also give
you the gift of perspective.
3. Leveridge your grit
As a second language teacher,
you’re an intrepid and determined professional; that means you’re willing to
take risks and learn according to the principal of trial and error (as outlined
in the introduction to this blog post). Use that in 2018!
As you take your integration of CEFR
philosophy and practice even further; keep in mind that, if your colleagues are
anything like you, they will not judge harshly your failed attempts to inspire
your students. Your courage will be respected. Your reputation will grow and
your students will see the very best character modelled in a very real
circumstance.
Simply by virtue of the
excruciating experiential learning process in L2 pedagogy you will succeed
beyond expectation in 2018 and still have time for coffee.
I started this over the break,
and then I had a snow day. My name is Philippe Croteau and I teach in Simcoe
County. If you ever want to chat CEFR and L2 pedagogy, you can catch me
on Twitter @pcroteauirt or on this very blog! Consider sharing your own
thoughts here, or telling me what you think of mine. The CEFR Barrie
blog is a place for talking about big ideas and sharing our successes.
