SPANISH LANGUAGE

At a young age, I understood that to teach one must become a great learner. Since then it has been my personal challenge to excel at everything that is asked of me.

 

Countless times I have heard my father refer to Confucius. “He is the single most influential “religious” figure in world history” he would say. Confucius was a public history teacher who thought the present had something to learn from the past. His philosophy was, at heart, his duty. He strived all his life to teach everyone a sense of responsibility for excellence. I remember, “having to read his words;

“I will not enlighten a heart that is not already struggling to understand, nor will I provide the proper words to a tongue that is not already struggling to speak. If I hold up one corner of a problem and the student cannot come back to me with the other three, I will not attempt to instruct him again.”When I read these words I remember thinking, “he must not have had many students”. He would only teach the ideal student, the students who were hungry to learn. I don’t share Confucius’ absolute teaching philosophy.

 

I have always been hungry for knowledge, but I have obtained one of life’s greatest secrets, that is, that everyone in this planet doesn’t have to be perfect to be a good student.  I, myself, have never been the most perfect of students, neither the brightest nor do I expect anyone to be perfect.

 

I believe that anyone can learn and that I will find a way to answer my students’ questions or help anyone who asks for my help.

 

Learning a language is no small task. It requires building foundation upon foundation. It can’t be done without some dedication, time and practice. That is why; I present my students with all the resources and opportunities that they may succeed on their goals.

It is import to understand how each student learns best. I need to be able to adapt my teaching techniques to suit my students’ individual learning styles to enable them to benefit the most from the course by learning in the style that best suits them.

 

Technology is a big part of my in classroom and off classroom sessions.  I believe that being more of a facilitator and less of a lecturer helps students to come to a better understanding of materials.  My students may prepare for class discussion by reading power point e-lessons, to introduce new concepts and and online quizzes to asses their understanding of the new material. It is necessary to constantly make sure that the students understand the materials by having a written or oral reflection as the semester develops.

 

Learning a language is an adventure that starts by needing a tour guide and ends by becoming the town chronicler or journalist. It is a privilege to be the guide for all who venture in learning my beautiful language. I consider it my responsibility to make the ride fun and interesting. There are certainly lots of fascinating things to learn in Spanish. For those who consider this their undertaking, I welcome you.