Twenty Years in the Classroom : A Look Back

ETA: It would have been wonderful to finish this post back in August, but.....life. With only one month left in my 21st year in the high school classroom, I am determined to finally finish this post on two decades of learning and growth before this school year comes to a conclusion.

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Nothing like a heat advisory to inspire me to sit down in the air conditioning to write about the highlights of the last 20 years of high school classroom teaching and learning. After studying French from 9th grade through all of high school, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and an Master of Arts in French (& Francophone) Literature. Additionally, I studied in France with 11 other students and 2 of my undergraduate professors one summer, and then I spent two academic years working as a teaching assistant in the English department of a French high school. All of these experiences, both in academic institutions and abroad, greatly prepared me for the next steps in my journey to become an educator of French. 

When I reflect on these past 20 years of teaching, I feel a sense of nostalgia, accomplishment, and a continual desire to learn and make more memories.  My life as an educator includes the back-to-school celebrations and photos, school breaks, hurricane and snow days, joyful times, challenging times, sweet surprises, Aha! moments, independent and collaborative learning, continuing education courses, conferences in and out of the country, enriching project partnerships with educators around the world, friendships that were made through our shared love of teaching, graduation ceremonies, and the much needed summer time to both reenergize and prepare to do it all over again.

First Year of (High School) Teaching 

Fall 2005 

Technology in 2005

-There were flip phones that barely made an occasional appearance in the classroom. 

-I had an overhead project on a cart. (There were whiteboards, though!)

-YouTube debuted in December.

-Google Translate became available in April 2006.

Generations of Learners

-Millennials

-Gen Z

-Coming Soon: at least some of the Gen Alpha group

High Schools

-3 (soon 4!) public schools : 13 years and counting (Moving to the new high school in July!)

-1 private school : 7 years

-all campuses are in South Carolina

Courses Taught

French 1, 2, 3 (CP & Honors,) 4 (CP & Honors,) 5

AP French

Mascots & Colors

-the Knights, purple and silver

-the Skyhawks, red with a little royal blue and white

-the Stallions, red and white

-the Blue Eagles, navy blue and grey

-the Chargers, light blue and yellow (Coming Fall 2026)

Yearly Constant

-building a caring and working relationship with my learners

-sponsoring a French or International Club (I chartered a National French Honor Society in 2 schools, and will do so next year at the new school.)

-developing new ways to coach my learners to reach higher proficiency levels

-engaging in numerous professional learning opportunities as attendee, presenter, and/or board member

The Pandemic

-In spring of 2020, my district already had 1:1 MacBooks and iPads, so our learners received instruction through Canvas, our learning management system. When August 2020 rolled around, teachers went back to work, with a thermometer being pointed at our foreheads as we entered the building on masked up. Our students sat in a desk in their individual plexiglass "box." Each room had 12 total desks, so students reported to school two days per week on an A/B schedule. The other 3 days were spent doing eLearning at home. The graduation ceremony for our class of 2021 was held outside at a drive-in theater. It made national news on CBS Sunday Morning! I was home with my 1-year-old baby and too afraid to be exposed to all of the people at the event. (I've had Covid twice -- Fall 2022 and Fall 2025. Whew!)

-It's best to mention this world crisis before I share about curriculum and instruction because this is one of the positives (I know... There's more than one?!?) that came out of that unfortunate period of time in our collective world history. It allowed me to slow down and reevaluate the way I taught going into it and how I wanted it to look going out of it. I do not teach in the same exact way that I did before the pandemic, and I'm thankful that I decided to use that time when we couldn't have celebrations, pep rallies, in-person collaborative work, etc., to revamp and revise much of the materials and methods I used in the classroom up until then. 

-When schools shut down across the United States on March 13th, 2020, I was already home on maternity leave, and my newborn, precious boy was 10 days old. I had already posted all work for the remainder of that year on Canvas, fortunately, so my longterm substitute teacher was still able to provide instruction. Because of the shut down, I was able to spend all but two weeks of the first five months of my baby's life with him at home.

-French Club continued to "meet" every month for the entirety of the school year 2020-2021 through the use of WebEx. Students showed up! Despite our faces just popping up in a little square on the computer screen, we were so happy to connect and "see" each other. For Mardi Gras, we "met" to make Mardi Gras personal protective equipment masks that we could wear to school. Mine is still hanging up on the bulletin board to this day. Additionally, we made cinnamon rolls and decorated them with Mardi Gras colors from the comfort of our own kitchens. We showed them off to each other on WebEx. Such a sad thing to remember, but it was comforting to be together in the best way we could during those dark times. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Curricular Work & Materials

-wrote the French curriculum for levels 1-5 and AP for the private school where I spent 7 years

-led and continue to help lead pacing guide changes to better serve our students as research continues to evolve

-served on the textbook adoption committee for the state of South Carolina around 2007

-distributed textbooks to use with learners for the first 4 years of teaching. I have been creating my own resources to coach my learners ever since.

Places I've Visited for Professional Learning

-Orlando, Florida:  ACTFL and High Schools That Work 

-Atlanta, Georgia:  SCOLT & French Workshops

-Sacramento, California: AP French Language & Culture certification course 

-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: ACTFL and AATF 

-San Antonio, Texas: ACTFL

-Winston Salem, Raleigh, Charlotte, North Carolina: SCOLT & FLANC

-Columbia, Lexington, Greenville, Charleston, South Carolina: SCFLTA

-Columbia, Charleston, South Carolina: AATF Fall Workshops

-Montréal, Québec, Canada: AATF

-My House -- I earned tons of professional learning credits through webinars during the pandemic years. 

Technology

-used an overhead projector for the entirety of my first year of teaching

-moved on to the digital projector on loan for my second and third years of teaching, thanks to the most wonderful world languages coordinator at the SC department of education, Ruta Couet (She saw that I was ready to do more with technology despite the lack of funding for tech resources at the time, and let me tell you how grateful I was and am to this day! Merci, Ruta!)

-took learners to the computer lab, via reservations, so that learners could engage in special tasks or projects (This was the case for the first 4 years of teaching.)

-used the Smart Board technology to enhance my teaching for 7 years 

-have been using the Promethean Board for the past going on 11 years

-teach 1:1 with devices (iPads and MacBooks) since my fifth year of teaching (2010)

-used a little Flip Video Camera and an iPod a few years to enhance instruction

-encouraged use of cell phones for course-related work until the SC cell phone ban began in Fall of 2024 (Cell phones had been a hindrance more so than a welcomed addition to learning for some time, but the device obsession truly reared its ugly head around 2020.)

Virtual Exchange Projects

-These are so numerous that it would take me quite a while to compile a list of them. I hope to look back at all of them sometime this year.

-The first time I remember connecting my students with others abroad was in the computer lab at the private school around 2009. We typed messages back and forth in real time with French students in New Zealand. I had gotten to know the collaborating teacher, Florence, from our Twitter for education connection. It was late in the afternoon here in the United States, and if my memory serves me correctly, it was morning time in the classroom there. We were so excited to communicate in real time with teens far, far away.

-Virtually, my learners have traveled to many places in the world: France (several places,) Martinique, Spain, Morocco, a French language classroom in New Zealand, Sudan via a United Nations peace-keeping officer, and some high school French classrooms in the United States.

-Currently, in Spring 2026, we are connecting with high schools in Rennes and Troyes, France.

Field Trips

-took students to the local art center to see a performance by a West African drumming group -- Amazing!

-coached and took students to compete in the annual Clemson University Poetry Declamation Contest. 

-went to Quebec City, Canada, with a group of students and the Latin teacher during our February break back in 2013. It was unseasonably "warm" there that year. We enjoyed snow, but did not get frost bitten!

-often take French Club students to a French restaurant for dinner in Charlotte, NC, as the last activity before we break for the summer. We have been to Café Monte, The Melting Pot, and Amelie's French Bakery. (During the Covid pandemic year, the culinary teacher and his students prepared a 3 or 5 course French meal for us on campus, with plastic dividers set up so that we could social distance.)

-took French and Spanish Clubs to the International Festival in Columbia, SC, in spring 2025, and hope to continue to do so.

-As a chaperone, I've been kayaking and cabin camping with the freshmen class at the Nantahala River a few times. I also had the pleasure of accompanying the select ensemble choir to perform in Vienna Austria, and Krakow, Poland over the December/January break back in 2012(?)

Fundraisers & Drives

-From car washes to Valentine's Day carnations to candy bars, there have been a ton of fundraisers to support travel for students in the French departments where I've worked. 

-New this year, we've hosted Moe's Taco Kit fundraisers to benefit the children's programs at an enrichment center that serves elementary students/families in our district. 

-For several years now, French Club sponsors an October clothing drive for unhoused men of Charlotte. We work in collaboration with a former neighbor of mine who works with this ministry at her church.

-Thanks to a wonderful French Club officer a few years back, we collect old corrective eye glass frames for the Lyons Club to ship to people in need across the globe.

Summers

-For most of my career, I have engaged in planning, creating, organizing, and any other tasks I don't have time for during the school year. There have been summers where life took me away from it, especially since children, but, for the most part, I try to do a little bit of work every June and/or July. I enjoy taking the time to think strategically and creatively about the ideas that find themselves on the back burner for much of the school year. 

-Eight weeks. We used to have eight weeks of rest and travel and just self-care time, but we have lost a week due to the modified schedule of recent years. It's nice to now have a week off in October and then another week in February, in addition to the usual school breaks.

Mentors in the Field of World Languages Education

-I have been fortunate to learn from some amazing French professors at both of the universities I attended: Dr. Twyla Meding, Dr. Michael Lastinger, Dr. Sharon Wilkinson, Dr. Jeff Persels, and Dr. Jeanne Garane. I had lunch with one of them a few months ago, and hope to see some of the others again sometime soon. Your passion and love of teaching truly inspires me.  Je vous tous remercie ! 

-Ruta Couet impacted my professional life early on while she served as the assessments and standards education associate for the South Carolina Department of Education, and continued to do so as we worked together on the board of our state world languages teachers' association. She always encouraged me and supported my ideas. Merci beaucoup, ma chère amie !

-Toni Theisen, High School French Teacher Extraordinaire, introduced me to Twitter back in 2009 and it changed my professional life....tremendously! We live about 8 or so states apart, but no problem -- I found her on the Internet! Ha. She was featured on the cover of our national magazine for world languages education. I searched her name and then I looked for her on Facebook. As luck would have it, she had a profile there, so I private messaged her, like a good stalker, and asked if we could meet at a coffee shop when I was in the area for spring break. She kindly agreed and I made plans to spend a morning (or afternoon?) in the town where she worked. Oh my goodness, she taught me so much at that Colorado coffee shop, and continued to share her knowledge from then on. I'm forever grateful! Merci beaucoup, ma chère amie !

-I would be remiss if I didn't send out a heartfelt thank-you to all of the educators in the field of world languages and beyond who have impacted my professional life. Many of those educators are people I got to know through Twitter and with whom I have formed lasting friendships. Vous êtes les meilleurs !

Looking to the Future

-The classroom is where I've spent my career, and it is where I intend to remain for as long as I work in the field of education. It's my passion, and, through it all, I'm consistent: I have always strived to roll with the changes in society and the way our students "do school" so as to provide learning experiences that inspire some and motivate most. Relationships with my learners have and always will matter above all, and working with young people enriches my life. Onward and upward !  

Fall 2005

first semester in the classroom

distance learning lab

Sumter, SC

"Conversation Interro" : On Opportunities for Learners to Think Critically and Collaboratively at the Start of an Assessment

This past Monday, I opened Matt Miller's (@jmattmiller and @DitchThatTxtbk on X/Twitter) email newsletter to which I'm subscribed, and quickly skimmed the content, like I always do upon initial glance. I tend to see inspirational ideas I want to revisit at a later time, but sometimes I'm so intrigued that I fully read the section of interest on the spot. This was the case on Monday.

The title of the share in question was "Quick Teaching Strategy: Test Talks." Wow! It spoke to me so much so that I read about it on Monday, and tried it out in my class on Tuesday. A quick read with a no-prep idea --- seemingly perfect! Lucky for me, it was indeed an idea that I found practical and potentially beneficial to my learners. Before I briefly explain what the strategy involves, let me thank Matt Miller for sharing this gem that he discovered while reading his feed on Twitter/X. The idea comes from Mathematics instructor, Howie Hua (@howie_hua on X/Twitter.) Many thanks to Howie Hua for sharing his learner-centered testing strategy!

The Original Strategy From a Mathematics Instructor

To engage in a "Test Talk," learners clear their desks, as they normally would do when it is time to begin an assessment. For five minutes, students have the opportunity to skim and scan the test, and then discuss how they plan to tackle the problems. They are only permitted to discuss the test --- no writing is to occur. According to my understanding, this strategy may reduce testing anxiety that learners may feel, especially just before and at the start of an assessment. Additionally, for students who are used to working with classmates, it can serve as another opportunity to collaborate and/or think critically with others.

How It Looked in a High School French Classroom Last Week

Tuesday of this week, my French 3 learners (1 Honors and 2 CP ) were taking a quiz on the imperfect and preterite tenses in French. Both of those past tenses require three steps to successfully write them. For the quiz, I did the "Test Talk" with a modification. I crafted several sentences that were almost identical to the quiz, and then projected them on the smart board. They had 5 or so minutes to discuss the steps they would need to take to successfully write their answers. At the end of the allotted time, I distributed the quizzes, and they worked independently. 

Post "Test Talk" Observations

During the "Test Talk" learners who chose to think critically with their peers were fully engaged. Those who chose not to talk to others were looking at the sentences, and thinking about conjugation steps independently. In the honors course, the anxiety levels I observed before I introduced "Test Talk" were noticeably less visible as they began putting pencil to paper. In the college preparatory classes, there are what seems to be a larger number of learners who struggle with or just do not enjoy interpersonal communication, at least as compared to the students I worked with pre-pandemic. Consequently, I didn't see as much of a change in confidence levels when we started the quiz. There was a positive change, but it wasn't to the degree it was in the honors course. 

The Survey Says....

While observing everyone take their quiz that day, I stood at my bistro table to observe and watch for any learners with questions, like I always do during assessments, and opened up a Google Form template, and wrote two questions on the experience so as to solicit feedback from the groups. They took the survey on Wednesday (the next day.) Some students were absent and some did not respond. I have about 50 French learners this semester. Below are the results of the survey.

Question 1: 

 

Question 2:

Next Steps 

On Thursday (two days after the quiz,) I projected the data on the smart board. As you can see in the results above, this was appreciated by the majority of students. We agreed that we would use this strategy for future assessments. (By the way, back in the fall, I read something on the topic of surveys and how we use (or do not use) the information we receive from our learners. The greatest takeaway was that we have a better chance of building trust and getting buy-in if we share and discuss the results of the surveys we conduct.)

Our next opportunity for "Test Talk," or (insert French accent) "Conversation Interro" will be in a couple of weeks when the fairy tale unit Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) will take place. Learners will be able to spend 5 minutes discussing the writing prompt before we begin. 

Again, I would like to thank Howie Hua for sharing this student-centered idea with the world and Matt Miller for writing about it in his informative newsletter. Merci mille fois! 

Three Ways to Revitalize Lessons Throughout the School Year

Do you ever feel super energized just before and during the first month of school, and, then, begin to feel challenged to keep the momentum? I'm raising my hand! Since this is on my mind presently, I decided to sit down and write about the ways I try to keep the excitement going for as much of the 180 days as possible.

Whether our learners spend their days in 45-minute class periods, 90-minute blocks, or any other type of schedule for doing school, they like novelty. This often goes for the adults in the classroom, too. I am one of those people, and so I do something about it.

Our jobs as educators do not have to include what can be several days during which we dread a particular lesson, unit, or project. We may be limited by mandated, district-wide unit topics, book lists, and summative assessments, but we usually have some wiggle room to work within those limitations in such a way that our students can be not only engaged, but have teachers who are enjoying coaching and learning. It's possible! Case in point, *most* students and I enjoy the days when we have speaking summative assessments in French now that I made some gradual changes. It used to be a day of intense student nervousness and mental fatigue for everyone. There's still some of that, but it's a lot more enjoyable now. That’s a post for another day, though…

What about the precious little time we have to keep our heads above water? Personally, I don't usually put pressure on myself to create a new learning experience for any specific course or unit at any specific point in time. It just happens when inspiration comes to me, so I'm not suggesting that you devote much more time than you probably already do to your craft. Boundaries are necessary and allow us to bring our best selves to the classroom. 

#1 --- Read what educators from other content areas are doing. 

(Let me preface with this: If you are already up to date and following current practices in your content area, this is a nice addition to your resource bank.) This is one of my main strategies for finding inspiration to bring something new to my classroom. I do Google searches for a general topic and include a content area. If you're a World Languages teacher, you'd be surprised what you can learn from a Math teacher, for example. (I would like to take this opportunity to do a shout out to an amazing school librarian who taught me so much about the great 21st century learning that students can experience in collaboration with the school librarian. Thank you, Jane M., for sharing your brilliance with me!) When you have a minute or two, do a quick search, bookmark a page, and start thinking of ways you could apply what you learned to your content area. Think quick and easy prep.

#2 --- Poll your learners periodically. 

Ask them what types of learning experiences they would like to see in your class. Be sure to give them ideas (preferably a few they've seen and some new ones) to check off in case they need help imagining the possibilities. If you’re comfortable doing so, include an ‘other’ option with an open answer box for the ones who have their own ideas to share. Keep the poll short. Listen to their feedback. Students, just like their teachers, feel the love when they have agency.

#3 --- Talk out loud about teaching and learning with a colleague.

Whether you talk with a colleague on campus or someone in your virtual PLN, the chances that something inspirational will come out of the conversation are much higher than they would be if you silently just mull an idea over in your head. Bounce ideas off of someone, ask if they are doing something low prep and highly effective that could be shared, or just ask if they want to chat about a particular education topic. You never know where that conversation could take you! Make sure you are talking out loud -- this is helpful! 

Best wishes for a fantastic school year! If you'd like to chat more about an education topic of interest or ways to revitalize lessons, please message me here or via Twitter or Threads (@msfrenchteach). I'd love to connect with you!

The Silver Lining in a Pandemic Cloud: Reflections on Classroom Updates

 Wow. The last time I wrote a reflection here was almost two years ago....just around five months after the pandemic initially hit the United States. Since my toddler still takes an afternoon nap, today is the day I've chosen to sit on my shaded patio to revive my blog just a bit. 

There has been so much to weigh educators down in recent years. So much so that it would be easy to lament the struggles we have faced in the classroom and the repeated insults to teachers and the teaching profession of recent times, but I would rather focus on the silver lining; that is, what worked surprisingly well in the face of adversity. To that end, I will share what changes I've made since 2020 to better suit my learners' needs.

1. Post all notes and resources to the LMS daily. Organize content by week and thematic unit.

Pre-pandemic, I posted content online when I wanted to save paper or for "easy" reference, and it was all grouped in a long list by unit rather than week and day. There was often a number of students who didn't know where to find what they needed, but now there is much less confusion. Documents, links, images, and so on are all posted in a more clear and organized manner by week and day. Furthermore, folks who are absent can just get online, and locate the day's work at the top of the course modules page. There, they can access what they need instead of waiting for an email from me with a breakdown of the lesson.  There have been times when I have forgotten to email absentees, so this routine essentially eliminates that error. With our LMS, we can copy modules over from year to year, and just tweak them as needed -- sweet! 

2. Make short video tutorials on key concepts.

The Loom video-making tool was my best friend in August of 2020. I made numerous videos so that learners at home could still move along with us if it was their virtual learning day. I'm not really sure how often those videos are viewed on the LMS now, but I offer them as an added resource if clarification beyond the shared documents is needed. As an added bonus, I am much more accustomed to hearing my own voice without cringing as much. :)

3. Keep track of attendance on paper.  

We were required to keep paper copies of attendance back when we were on an A-B schedule because we could not input attendance for the at-home learners until the next school day. It was a messy document full of A-B notations, but once the hybrid schedule moved to in-person five days per week, it was a neat visual of who was in school. I continue to take note of attendance on paper with one of my many clip boards because I prefer the visual when I need to go back in history to see who was out on a particular day. It's an extra step that really isn't necessary, but I am much more likely to look back at data for attendance trends with my paper record. Time is of the essence, and sometimes paper just makes sense. 

4. Allow learners to make up or redo assessments during class time.

As a district requirement in 2020-2021, educators had to allow for makeup work and reassessments during class since we only saw our students in-person two days per week.  Pre-pandemic, I offered extra help and time to make up work during FLEX (time embedded in school day for learners to visit any class for extra help) or after school. It seemed like students had ample opportunities to meet with me. For most, I'd say that is true, however, I often found that the students who need to see me the most are needed just as much in another classroom. By offering the opportunity to do makeup work during class, work gets made up much quicker. 

5. Arrange the desks in rows.

If you asked me three years ago, I would never, and I mean NEVER, have agreed to move my desks in to rows. In fact, up until August 2020, I had never once arranged my desks in traditional rows. A year passed with mandated rows, and then this past year went by with the same classroom setup. Much to my surprise, my learners seemed to like this traditional arrangement, and I found that they seemed to be more attentive and focused overall in this way. That said, my windowless, small classroom looks much better when the desks are pushed together in quads to form "tables," if you will, but keeping learners facing each other every single day, with the inconvenience of the angle of certain desks, seems less appealing at this point. I'm not sure exactly how I'll design the room this coming August, but I'm leaning towards rows with tennis ball feet at this point. We move around, and collaborate/discuss in the hallways often, so I think it'll be just fine if I do maintain the rows.

6. Create a student-friendly Google Form to complete when leaving the classroom. Laminate passes that say "See Google Form" along with the room number and teacher name.

I had heard about using Google Forms in this way back in the summer of 2020 when I participated in countless online PD sessions. When we arrived on campus for the 2020-2021 school year, our administration informed us that we would be using a school-wide format for paper passes to hand write each time a student needed to leave the classroom for any reason. I complied, and did so for one and a half years before I boldly created the form. There's no going back. It's more sanitary because I can clean the laminated passes, moving forward, and I don't have to halt class to write the same tedious info yet again. (Rule followers: I had an informal drop-in observation this past spring, and was worried that the newest assistant principal would be upset, but then this person surprised me, and said they liked the idea, and wanted to share it. Alrighty, then. Hehe.)

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If other changes come to mind, I'll come back, and edit this post later. In the meantime, I hope that you have a restful summer with a little time for reflection mixed in. What has represented a silver lining during your time as a teacher in a pandemic? 

Reflections on the First Week of Pandemic School

Welcome back to the blog. I thought I'd share some lessons learned during our first week back on campus with our learners as well as some reflections on my experience and plans for moving forward before I have to get a corner of my bedroom ready to film some teaching on this Saturday morning. 

Let me begin by saying that we began the year with an A day/B day hybrid model that we plan on continuing until Covid spread dictates otherwise. I did not experience a single day of eLearning last spring because my sweet baby boy was born 10 days before South Carolina schools shut down on Friday, March 13th. The kids didn't even say "See you soon on Zoom!" because we were told that we'd try to head back to school in early April. Lolol. Little did we know that I'd be enjoying maternity leave while helping my -- at the time -- 9 and 12 year old children succeed at virtual school. 

Flash forward to August of 2020, and here we are.....still living the pandemic life. Last week, during our teacher work days, I had the good fortune of attending most meetings via WebEx and then there were very few of those, so I had lots of time to work in my classroom. Despite the generous amount of time we had to prepare ourselves, I was working Friday evening, most of Saturday, and all day on the eve of the return to campus. It was like the first few years of teaching relived. Noooo. But here I am still making it. It's all going to be OK. Here are a few items I want to share about my week:

1. It is best (and required by our district) to have EVERYTHING ready to go on our LMS (Canvas) before Monday rolls around. I spent way too much time during planning making sure I had published what I needed to have up and ready each day during this first week of school. (This chaos happened this week because of necessity, but it also drove it home to me that there is no time to post lesson work as we go. No time.)

2. I just spent this entire week writing personal emails to each student with the exception of three people who still need to submit their Google Form student info sheet to me. (I must note that we can have a maximum of 12 students in each class, so I don't have the load I normally would in a given here. Writing each and every child takes a ton of time.)  I ask at least one question in each email after I comment on the books, TV shows, hobbies they like. I also commented on their goals and/or concerns about French class. Reply emails have been rolling in, and the conversation continues, at least with some students. I've received photos and memes and been told that I taught a brother or sister or cousin. This has taken forever to accomplish, but I am THRILLED that I took the time to do it, and I now realize that I want to make an attempt to do this every year --- not just during this pandemic. In the past, I often wrote a quick email to students who wrote a question or something I needed to address on their student info sheet, but didn't write to everyone or engage in conversation with them about much of what they wrote. In the past, the getting-to-know-you work happened live and in the classroom, of course. That will still occur, even in this pandemic, but I felt it was worthwhile to reach out to each and every young person right away. 

                                                          A student sent me a puppy photo!

3. I want to touch base with each parent or guardian next. This is a lot, but so important. 

4. A great result of this pandemic is the scheduling of classes. At the high school level, students can begin entering the building at 8:30 a.m. with first block beginning at 9 a.m. Our day ends at 4 p.m., and everyone seems to be doing fine with that schedule. It also feels like school is not moving at the rat race pace it normally does because we have to stop and clean, for example. We also have to travel farther to use the restroom and to fill up water bottles. We must slow down. This is nice.  

5. Pandemic school challenges us every day to recognize what doesn't work and what we could do better. I'm designing the course as if it's all digital so that we will be at ease (hopefully!) when the schools shut down again, therefore, I'm making videos of all concepts to teach as well as words to pronounce, beginning this weekend. These accompany live instruction on days when learners are on campus with me. I look forward to seeing what impact this has on learning because I rarely made lesson videos in the past due to time constraints. 

6. As for the structure of our hybrid model schedule, I've decided to teach concepts every day which means eLearning day learners will watch my lesson videos and do the practice on their own. When they are on campus the next day, we will relearn that material if need by (It's likely.) AND learn new material when needed, before working one-on-one with me as much as we can. If this fails, of course, I'll come up with a new plan, but that's my vision for our semester for now. 

7. Boundaries. I'm going to try to log off from school every day at 4:15 p.m. It's a goal I really believe I need to work towards, so we shall see if that happens. It didn't happen this week, but that's OK. 

                                                   First Friday Afternoon of Pandemic School

Best wishes to all of the educators across this country and world wide who are trying to get it all done so that our learners can succeed while we all work to stay safe during this pandemic. 

If you've already seen your students on campus, what have you learned? Please do share your tips!

Quiet Kids in the World Language Classroom

During the school year, I will often join a weekly, general education chat on Twitter called #satchat which begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings.  One particular time back in November, there was no decision to be made as to whether I would sleep a little longer or join in the conversation because the topic was quiet kids.  I had been thinking a lot about how I could better serve the quiet kids with whom I was working in French class last semester (and quite frankly, almost every semester,) so I was looking forward to acquiring some tips from a wide range of educators who participated in the chat. Chrissy Romano Arrabito, the guest moderator, also wrote a book on this very topic!

After participating in what was an insightful chat, I thought to myself that I would like to extend the conversation about quiet kids with a focus on the world language classroom. I reached out to Romano Arrabito to ask if she would be willing to be interviewed about her quiet kids research, and she so graciously accepted my offer.  Read her bio below.

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Chrissy Romano Arrabito is a career teacher and proud of it! She is currently an elementary teacher at Nellie K. Parker Elementary School in Hackensack, New Jersey and has over 26 years of experience as an elementary and middle school teacher.

Chrissy is dedicated to teaching the whole child, stimulating and supporting innovation in classrooms, and strives to provide authentic learning experiences for her students. Her true passion lies in nurturing the quiet kids, those that tend to fall through the cracks, those that truly need a champion to support and advocate for them. Her new book, Quiet Kids Count: Unleashing the True Potential, presents stories and strategies to better meet the needs of the quiet kids in your classroom.

Connect with her online @TheConnectedEdu or follow the hashtag #QuietKidsCount.

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Interview:

1. How would you describe a quiet kid? 

People think that introversion means shy, but it's not. It's how you manage your energy; how you recharge. Think of a quiet kid's energy level as a cell phone battery -- on lots of apps, and the battery drains quickly. Also, introverts like people. If comfortable, they like being around people. 

2. What inspired you to take notice of the quiet kids and their classroom needs?

My son. He is a shy introvert who struggles in world language classes. He is taking Spanish class right now. I asked him why Spanish is your least favorite class. He explained that it's high energy with lots of speaking. The teacher is high energy, and it's draining to be around. 

3. In the world language classroom, learners acquire language skills through interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication. What would you recommend world language educators do to best meet the needs of the quiet kids who might not want to engage in  conversation with their peers or present their work to the entire class? 

The teacher could partner the kids up, followed by groups of around four, for interpersonal work.

Do choral/echo work (lots of repetition all together.)

Regarding presentations, give the quiet kids a choice: video or in front of the class. To be noted that videos will be shown to the class. 

For partner work, keep the same partner for a length of time -- maybe a month for classes that meet every day or for the duration of a unit of study.  (Side note: Romano Arrabito is not a fan of inside-outside circle tasks.)

My son's ninth grade Spanish teacher last year offered to administer the speaking exam at lunch or before or after school, and those times were open to all learners; otherwise, the exam would take place during class. 

4. Participation is sometimes factored in as a grade in world language classrooms. If this was a mandated practice at your school, how would you accommodate the quiet kids? 

We need to rethink the definition of participation. The old school way is to think that it means raising one's hand. There are ways to focus less on participation and more on engagement.  Tools like Google Docs for conversations and Padlet can make it possible to accomplish this goal. Voice options like Voxer allow us to hear kids' voices, and exit tickets are a good way to see evidence of engagement, as well. 

Ask yourself: What does participation look like in your classroom? 
    -Are students :
          -active listeners in partner work?
          -responding to prompts in a thoughtful way?
          -looking at their partner when they are speaking?
          -listening to their partner?
          -doing discussion prompts?
          -keeping the conversation going and growing?

5. Should we be concerned about student preparedness for the expectations of college professors or the demands of an employer after high school if the quiet kids are not required to step out of their comfort zone from time to time?

Quiet kids do function after high school, and are some of the most successful people in society. We must teach the introverted kids how to be successful with strategies that work. I have taken elementary school students aside who struggled with shyness, for example, and I equipped them with strategies to use to get to middle school. "Striking Early" is one such strategy: if I have something to share, and want to get my thoughts out there, I make sure I'm one one of the first to say what I need to. It alleviates anxiety. People are not shy when they are comfortable. (Romano Arrabito also shared that introverts spend 70% of their time listening; 20% of their time thinking; and the rest is spent speaking.)

Teach strategies that help quiet kids LOOK engaged in class: 
-provide actual conversation starters,  (Romano Arrabito shares some examples in her book.)
-provide tips on keeping conversations going, 
-know 3 things about the topic to keep the conversation going, 
-do homework literally: Do homework. Be prepared. Form study groups. 

Keep in mind that exhaustion is a side effect of introversion. Where is the quiet time built in? Our school day does not include breaks and there is constant interaction, etc. I recommend that teachers do flexible seating. I taught middle school for 15 years, and did not do assigned seating. Build relationships and a sense of rapport. The quiet kids eventually open up more. 

If nobody is teaching the quiet kids these strategies, it's our job as their teachers.  I use strategies to help my own son succeed as an introvert. In 7th grade, I made him advocate for himself. We would craft an email together, and he's functioning really well now. He'll ask people if they've read his 504, and then he'll tell them that he makes As and Bs. 

[To conclude,] remember that there is the "mask of an introvert" which means that quiet kids have to pretend to be something they're not to be successful. Strategies like the ones I just mentioned can enable them to accomplish that goal.

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If you'd like to learn more about Romano Arrabito's work regarding our quiet kids, you can purchase her book on Amazon at this link.

Additionally, click on this link to read the archived transcript of the November 9, 2019 #satchat on quiet kids.

What are your takeaways from this interview on quiet kids? What strategies do you already use to help your quiet kids find success? Feel free to leave a comment below. 

Music, Intercultural Communication, and a Little Dancin'

Good evening,

Now that we have taken off for our annual spring break, I can sit down, and write a bit about what I've been doing with the latest (or not-so-latest) hits on the French music charts. Some people prefer not to think about work over breaks, but I enjoy it because I'm not as rushed to get dinner on the table or run the kids to piano practice.

Just this week, Anne Wolfe Postic, a fantastic freelance writer and content developer from Columbia, South Carolina, posted a photo she took of the beautiful view from her Palmetto State beach house, and captioned it with a quick thought about working while on holiday:

"When people find out I always work on vacation, they often feel bad for me. But maybe they don't know "work" can mean making deviled eggs and pimiento cheese, pouring a glass of prosecco as a prop, then calling it dinner and eating it on the porch while watching a beach sunset. Sometimes work is exactly what you wanted to do anyway."  

This really spoke to me because I'm one of those people who enjoys writing or working on projects when I'm in a more zen state of mind. As for a photo of southern culinary delights and a glass of bubbly, I'm not sure I could find a reason to include such a lovely scene in one of my posts on world language education, but....as the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way. :D

Anyhow, I must add that Anne Wolfe Postic regularly contributes to publications such as The Kitchen, Southern Living online, Free Times, and many more. Check out her work at annewolfepostic.com. (Her hometown is one of many places I call home, so I am especially proud to share a bit about one of the city's best-known writers. Oh, and guess what. She's also a francophile, I believe. Don't quote me on that, but I'm almost sure she has an affinity for French culture and cuisine.)

Since food blogging is not what I'm doing with my career or this particular blog, I'll get back to the original reason for this post. Last weekend, I had the honor of presenting on music and intercultural communication at the joint spring conference of the North Carolina chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) and Spanish (AATSP.)  Heather Tedder (@HeatherAMTedder,) my wonderful French teacher colleague from a couple hours north-west of me, so kindly invited me to come share with her North Carolina friends. What a warm welcome I received there! Living and working somewhat on the border of the two Carolinas has its perks!

The theme for the conference was play, so music fits in quite well. There's so much joy when most people hear a good beat or a meaningful song lyric. Heather remembered a post I had written on music back in 2015, and decided to ask me to present on it. I just went back and read that post, which can be accessed directly here, and let me tell you, I now realize three things:

          #1 I must go back to all of my old blog posts, and change all of those old, broken Wikispaces links to google ones. It's still shocking that Wikispaces shut down;

          #2 I no longer look for music on Sundays to use on Mondays like I did back in 2015.  I now have a husband and two kids, and our weekend time is most always sacred. On Fridays during my planning, if not before, I decide on a song for the following Monday. (Side note: I wrote this post on the weekend because it's my birthday, and I'm enjoying it my way. Hehe;)

          #3 I am glad I blogged about music four years ago because I had forgotten that I began purposefully introducing music at that point. Also, it's fun to see how it has all evolved.

Before I post the link to the presentation, I just want to point out a few things about this work:

-This project is a work in progress.  When I began looking closely at how I could use music as a springboard for intercultural communication, I gave one to three extra points or class euros on assessments if learners could recall the current song title and/or musician's name or answer questions about the topics that were pulled from the song. If you're against all forms of "extra credit," you could do what I'm about to explain to you in the next point. But first, I want to mention two things about extra points. First, I don't give too many extra points via Lundi en musique learning, so it doesn't change much.  Second, I'm very much for standards-based learning yet I'm only permitted to administer retests on major assessments, and the highest grade one can earn is a 70%. I believe in second chances, therefore, my learners can "pay" with euros to retake both minor and major assessments with the possibility of earning a 100%. This is how I work with the demands of common assessments and retake policies that don't completely align with my philosophy.

-The next step in this project will be to make the intercultural learning -- both identification for novices and comparisons for intermediate learners -- an integral part of the unit. I still might offer an extra point or two for remembering songs and/or music groups, but my goal is to coach learners to use what they learned to demonstrate intercultural competence in every unit we explore.

-I am beyond pleased with the proficiency gains I've seen as a result of this project. My learners are using language better than before by applying expressions they've learned on Mondays.  Example observation: Students are STILL expressing how they get from point A to point B in various contexts.

-Last but not least, I'd like to acknowledge some friends who have helped me with this project:

Leah Wilt - French Teacher at a high school in my county. Merci beaucoup, Leah, for creating many presentations of musicians/music groups.  If anyone would like to have access to them, please DM me on Twitter or send me an email. Contact info is in the presentation.

Ruta Couet - retired SC Dept. of Education World Languages Associate (A.K.A. the AMAZING Ruta who was on the committee that wrote the 2017 ACTFL-NCSSFL Can-Do document) Merci beaucoup to Ruta for presenting on intercultural communication at SCOLT in Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago. It was helpful to hear her thorough explanation of what they created. In fact, I was only going to share about the novice and intermediate levels until I saw her presentation.

Heather Tedder - French Teacher at a high school in Boone, NC. Merci mille fois to Heather for inviting me to present at the NC conference. It gave me the push to really focus more on music and collect evidence of the benefits of the project.

My French learners - Without these wonderful young people, I wouldn't have explored French pop music or thought so deeply about how to address the Can-Dos of intercultural communication as much as I have lately. They bring smiles to my face with their dance moves, good cheer, and interest in the music.

Filling out the bracket for French March Music Madness fun, thanks to @mmecarbonneau)

It was such a pleasure to work on and share this project with others. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about the project, presentation or resources I provided. There is a link to my Padlet and Google folder within the slide show.

Presentation: Jammin' on Mondays in the World Language Classroom

Happiest of Spring Breaks to you, and bonne continuation as we finish up the year!