Earlier today I read a terrific blog by Jessica. It was simply inspiring. I decided if she can teach her own children Spanish, then so can I. Okay, actually I've been "teaching" them for several years, but I haven't really put my heart into it. Well, this time will be different.
So, what's my plan? Here I will talk about the ups and downs of teaching Spanish to my little guys (ages 5 & 8). There will be times I'll probably will want to pull out my hair and other times I will be jumping up and down with joy. I plan on writing about the activities I do with them, including the resources we use (cds, web sites, podcasts, books).
I will also write about my preschool Spanish class. (Now you're probably wondering why I can't seem to teach my own children, but can teach a class. Ever heard of the shoe cobbler's children?) I'm about to enter my third year of teaching at the same preschool and I can't wait for it to begin. I love teaching this age group.
And lastly, I'll talk about continuing my own Spanish studies. I have been studying Spanish since I was 14 years old and except for a few years after my college graduation in 1993, I haven't stopped. I have a BA in Spanish and studied abroad in Spain, but unfortunately those few years when I didn't keep up with the language hurt me. I'm determined more than ever to get back to my previous level.
So, thank you for joining me on this journey. Now let's get down to business. ¡Adelante!
7 comments:
I'm looking forward to reading your blog! You have a great collection of resources that I will have to spend some time looking at.
Is the preschool where you teach a Spanish immersion preschool? My wife owned a Spanish immersion preschool here in Salt Lake for about 5 years and just sold it so that she could stay home with our son.
Afraid not. I taught for only 30 minutes once a week. I would love to do more though.
In a year or so, a friend and I may start up something in town - travel to the local preschools and perhaps eventually having our own school. :)
I bet it's a lot of fun. That would be great if you could start your own school.
Have you ever taught Spanish for adults? We are looking into starting a conversational Spanish class for adults and I am looking for a good textbook to use.
Afraid I have never taught adults. What are the participants' levels?
You might be able to just come up with a topic the week before, have everyone look up keywords and then converse. Perhaps the teacher could come up with a couple of grammar points beforehand.
For instance, if the topic was about the upcoming election, then either the participants could come up with vocabulary they might need such as votar, candidato, apoyar... or the teacher could.
Or you could also base your conversations on the SpanishPod podcasts. They talk about everyday things - pick up the vocabulary from those.
Hi Josh!
Karen, this is great!
Hopefully your blog will help you stay on track with teaching and learning Spanish with your children. As you well know there'll be some challenges as well as encouraging moments.
I really look forward to following and participating. And maybe we can get our own Skype Spanish sessions going. That's what I need--the practice.
Take care!
Jessica - that's a great idea! I need the practice as well. ;)
Thanks for the ideas on the conversational Spanish class. Those are things that I will for sure take into consideration.
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