Local Workshops for Foreign Language Teachers
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop for foreign language teachers at Middle Georgia State University in Macon, GA. I was appreciative for the opportunity to have gone, as teaching foreign languages in middle Georgia can be quite an island. Schools are always in need of qualified teachers.
I was also appreciative of my district that allowed me to go. I have taught in schools were regional training was offered, but I wasn't allowed to go because their was no coverage for my class. It is nice to be somewhere where I can receive support for my professional development.
One thing that I was also appreciative of was the fact that there were so many teachers in the room doing what I do on a daily basis. Lovers of language all together, sitting and learning. That was an awesome experience. I recommend that you try and find local workshops and network with your colleagues. I have been on the fence lately as to whether I will return to teaching this fall. Should I return, I was able to meet teachers who worked in the schools and districts I have at one time considered working in and I was able to ask them about their experiences.
However, this is my 12th year of teaching, and I am just not feeling it. At the K-12 level, the bureaucracy and mandated testing is ridiculous. Each year my classes fill with students who lack in critical thinking but are required to take tests day after day. Talk about test anxiety.
A friend of mine said something poignant and I will paraphrase, a man or woman only submits to that which he or she believes in the vision. I no longer believe in the vision for our national education. It is run by corporations and politicians who have never been inside the classroom and our students are paying the price for it. This sentiment was felt by other educators that I spoke with at the conference. A few said, I just have have 8 or 5 years to go and I'm out of it. It's not fun anymore and I concur, it definitely is not.
Don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly believe in education and having a child this summer has forced me to reconcile with my internal struggles regarding our national education system. It is no longer worth it to me to wake up at the crack of down, drive to work, be in a building all day, teach and test and have to take work back home with me as the testing and data reporting never quit, and then try to squeeze in time for my family. So after this semester, I will doing freelance writing, tutoring, children's book publishing and finishing my dissertation. An old colleague once told me, in life you each choose money or time, only the rare few get to have both. I definitely understand the sentiment and this upcoming school year, I choose to value my time. Children say little for only so long, and I want to give my child all of the opportunities to learn as much as he can. I am all for bilingual education, and of course in my area, there are no bilingual schools, so I just might have to be his Spanish teacher.
For those of you continuing on in the classrooms, I will still have information and resources to help you. I am also opening up a store on teacherspayteachers, so be on the look out for that. Keep networking whether you decide to stay in the classroom or not. Foreign languages are forever!
I was also appreciative of my district that allowed me to go. I have taught in schools were regional training was offered, but I wasn't allowed to go because their was no coverage for my class. It is nice to be somewhere where I can receive support for my professional development.
One thing that I was also appreciative of was the fact that there were so many teachers in the room doing what I do on a daily basis. Lovers of language all together, sitting and learning. That was an awesome experience. I recommend that you try and find local workshops and network with your colleagues. I have been on the fence lately as to whether I will return to teaching this fall. Should I return, I was able to meet teachers who worked in the schools and districts I have at one time considered working in and I was able to ask them about their experiences.
However, this is my 12th year of teaching, and I am just not feeling it. At the K-12 level, the bureaucracy and mandated testing is ridiculous. Each year my classes fill with students who lack in critical thinking but are required to take tests day after day. Talk about test anxiety.
A friend of mine said something poignant and I will paraphrase, a man or woman only submits to that which he or she believes in the vision. I no longer believe in the vision for our national education. It is run by corporations and politicians who have never been inside the classroom and our students are paying the price for it. This sentiment was felt by other educators that I spoke with at the conference. A few said, I just have have 8 or 5 years to go and I'm out of it. It's not fun anymore and I concur, it definitely is not.
Don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly believe in education and having a child this summer has forced me to reconcile with my internal struggles regarding our national education system. It is no longer worth it to me to wake up at the crack of down, drive to work, be in a building all day, teach and test and have to take work back home with me as the testing and data reporting never quit, and then try to squeeze in time for my family. So after this semester, I will doing freelance writing, tutoring, children's book publishing and finishing my dissertation. An old colleague once told me, in life you each choose money or time, only the rare few get to have both. I definitely understand the sentiment and this upcoming school year, I choose to value my time. Children say little for only so long, and I want to give my child all of the opportunities to learn as much as he can. I am all for bilingual education, and of course in my area, there are no bilingual schools, so I just might have to be his Spanish teacher.
For those of you continuing on in the classrooms, I will still have information and resources to help you. I am also opening up a store on teacherspayteachers, so be on the look out for that. Keep networking whether you decide to stay in the classroom or not. Foreign languages are forever!
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