SPANISH CLASS NOTES   (Found on the floor of Sara's English classroom)

Michael Harvey
Chapter 5:  Poetry Unit

Create a poem in Spanish, addressing one of the themes from the last four units: 
     1. Family/Emotions
     2. Activities/School
     3. Food/Clothing
     4. Seasons/Weather

The poem can be anything that you want but should include at least 10 vocabulary words that we have learned this nine week period.  It can be made into a poem or a rap and will be performed next Friday. The poem should not only make sense but have the English translation next to it.  

Dear Saul,

     I'm glad that you like the video ideas!  Thanks for your thoughts.  Now, I want to know if you could advise me on something a little different.

     I have a student with disabilities in one of my classes.  She has autism and refuses to sit down in the middle of class.  She is constantly out of her seat and singing to herself.  When I try to address her, she is rarely engaged, barely able to comprehend my words.

     Her IEP doesn't address these issues explicitly and I'm not sure how to manage her behavior.  I know that the IEPs are updated each year, but parents can actually wave the process if they so desire.  I sure hope that we are able to adapt it soon, so that the rest of her teachers and I can be on the same page concerning behavioral issues.

     Do you have any ideas of how I could help her focus, so that I don't have to waste good teaching time trying to focus this student?

                                                                                                                Much love,
                                                                                                                          Sara

Dear Saul,

     I'm so glad I went to the teacher conference!  I didn't think it would be worth the time and money, but it was!  I went to sessions on ESL, video literacy, and even digital video production seminars. 

     First, I learned about "video grammar," which consists of establishing shots, reaction shots, and perspective shots, respectively.  Just as grammar manipulates language to convey specific meaning, different video shots can communicate to the viewer.  But that's not all!  Music, sound effects, and lighting can all effect the conveyed meaning!

     How does this apply to teaching?  Why, my students can create and "deconstruct" film, developing their own ideas of our literature would look on screen!  Deconstruction allows the students to understand the relationship between reading and writing.  Finally, as the keynote speaker explained, the students can "construct personal stance on literature."  I cannot wait to use film in the classroom!

     Perhaps you were right after all!  Maybe I do need to be more open to multimodality in the classroom!


                                                                                                            Much love,
                                                                                                                      Sara

ESL TEACHER MAGAZINE ARTICLE  (found in the teacher lounge)

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) is an incredible job opportunity for English-speaking Americans throughout all of Korea.  Korean schools truly emphasize education to an extreme degree--running classes all day and night, with both lunch and dinner as the only break to students and leaving them little time to relax at home before getting a good night's rest.  English is also an important aspect of this education, in a world where English is used especially in business and trade. 

Among the English teachers in Korea, there are certain characteristics that tend to be prevalent.  For example, for teachers with bachelor degrees in education, 15.9% of the teachers had no experience, but for TESOL certified teachers, only 12.3% of teachers had no experience.  Therefore, for non-experienced teachers, it is better to have a university degree, rather than a certification. 

In addition, 44% of the nonasian population is male, while only 9% is female.  Only 5% of the asian population is male, while 42% is female.  Therefore, it tends to be that more nonasian teachers are male and more asian teachers are female.  It's unclear whether these are the preferred demographics or if they are simply what is made available to the schools. 

To find more about demographics, visit this website:  http://www.korean-school.blogspot.com/.

Despite the differences in demographics, the teaching experience is very much the same.  Teaching ESL should be creative and active, perhaps with dice games, fake money, and flash cards.  Memory, hangman, and sparkle are all games that can be matched with songs and poems to help the students learn. 

Another interesting approach to student literacy is "Teaching with Picture Books."  Picture books create more engagement for the students, surrounding them with tangible stories and visual aids while they attempt to comprehend the texts.  The teacher can read aloud, assign pair readings, have groups or stations around the room, or allow for independent choice. 

To read more about this interesting teaching tool, visit this website:  http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/. 

Teaching ESL in Korea may not be easy, but the opportunities are endless!  Consider teaching abroad in Korea today! 

ANONYMOUS NOTE  (misplaced in Sara's school mailbox)

Mr. McGonnigal,

     Thank you so much for being such an incredible teacher!  It's been years since I have been in your classroom, but I will always remember the genuine compassion you showed to your students, always aware of the personal attention they needed and the help that they required.  You were always active and engaging, challenging the students but also appreciating their own input and unique knowledge.  You always encouraged students be the absolute best that they could be, and you showed me what real teaching is.

     Now, it's been years since I've even seen you, but your memory has inspired me to pursue a career in teaching, as well.  I hope that I can be as helpful of a guide, counselor, and coach as you were in the time that I spent in your class!  Thank you for the wisdom you imparted to me, just for being you, and thank you for the humble attitude you had, teaching us that we would always be active learners ourselves!

     I hope you continue to love teaching in the way that you always have, and I hope you never lose sight of your goals.  Thanks for your inspiration, and thanks for your teaching.

                                                                             Yours truly,       
                                                                                     Past student, future teacher, forever learner

Dear Saul,

     I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I actually LOVED your blogging idea!  Now, you know me.  I am not one to enjoy the utilization of technology in the classroom very much.  However, I cannot deny the possible strengths of using blogs as an assessment.  Students often hate to journal or write essays.  Even creative fiction or creative nonfiction are too difficult for them to get started with.  Perhaps they would actually be engaged in blogging, though!  A few students have talked about blogging between classes, and I didn't even know what they were talking about...  I had never heard of these "web logs" before... but it turns out some of the students actually enjoy writing after all!  I just need to point their passions in the right direction.  Also, I feel that it's less intimidating for students that ARE uncomfortable with the idea of writing, because they can sit at the computer and write more informally. 

     Thanks for the advice.  I know that I haven't been very open to your ideas in the past, but maybe you've got something with this technology business, after all.

                                                                                                            Much love,
                                                                                                                      Sara