Voices of SCOLT

Voices of SCOLT

SCOLT is pleased to introduce a new blog for its members.  Welcome to The Voices of SCOLT. This monthly installment will highlight posts from the region’s Teachers of the Year, scholarship winners, and other SCOLT sponsors and patrons as they share their respective journeys.  Get inspired, learn strategies, and become part of a collective voice.

All The Levels

by Carmen Scoggins

A teacher’s life is full of levels.  Levels of joy, frustration, exhaustion, student-ability levels, levels of languages, proficiency levels, levels of wine :), and on and on and on.  Keeping up with all the levels of elements of our lives can be challenging, but when we use the levels to move us forward, levels become our salvation.

I started teaching elementary and middle school Spanish twenty-four years ago.  I did that for nine years and then moved over to our local high school where I have been for the last fifteen years.  I also started teaching Spanish and methods at Appalachian State University fifteen years ago. So, needless to say, there have been many levels in my teaching career!  In my experience with all these different levels, I have come to a few conclusions:

• Planning is key no matter the level!
• Students are basically the same.  They have individual needs and want to be cared about.
• Teachers must connect with other teachers.  No one needs to go through this journey alone.
• Maintaining personal balance is a MUST!

Level 1: Foundation – Get it together

Planning is the basis of all that we do in the classroom.  It sets our students up for authentic experiences, opportunities for collaboration, and the hope of creating lifelong language learners.  Think about what you are already doing in your classrooms to help your students be successful. Do you plan for the varying student levels in one class?  How do you support students at their current level? How do you challenge students who are ready to level up? Planning takes lots of time and energy, but having a good plan for a unit, lesson, or activity can make or break how our students learn.  I always rely on backward design so that my students and I have a destination in mind before we head down the path. Maybe you use the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-do Statements as a road map or perhaps you have created your own “I can” statements.  Whatever you use, make it accessible to students and be ready to provide lots of roadside assistance!  Do you have one lesson that you absolutely love to teach? Why is that? What makes it hold such a prominent place in your planbook?  How often do you let yourself experience a lesson plan makeover? Keep the things that worked; drop what is out of date or unsuccessful; reflect on how you can make a lesson better; rework old and tired ideas.  It might not be like winning a fashion makeover on the Oprah show, but I promise you that you will feel more alive and in style if you give yourself a personal lesson plan makeover.

Level 2: Scaffolding – Personalize it

Our students need us – on so many levels!  In today’s world our students should feel safe and empowered to learn.  They need to know we care about them so that they will trust us and what we are are teaching them.  How does this look in your classroom? I want to establish a comfortable environment where mistakes are welcome and laughs and smiles dominate the space.  My students and I cheer together and we cry together. We support each other and share experiences that connect us.

As teachers we must create a level playing field with multiple paths to be successful.  In my classroom I expand learning opportunities for my students by offering them choices.  They get to demonstrate how they want to showcase what they know, are able to do, and understand.  They choose activities they want to work on which puts them in the driver’s seat. All high school students look forward to the day when they can drive, so capitalize on that idea in the experiences you offer them.  I evaluate my students frequently and make them think about what and how they are learning.  I conference one on one with each student which shows them that I care about them as an individual and how they can contribute to the bigger picture.  I encourage my students to reflect on where they are and offer suggestions to help them along their path.

Then I elevate my students to build up their courage and to sustain the ties we have created.  My students help each other through challenging tasks, work on projects they care about, and reflect together.  We celebrate everything in my classroom! Just show the students that you are human and smile all the time! It’s truly all about attitude!  Expanding, evaluating, and elevating my students leads to the best “E” – empowerment! I empower my students to take ownership of their own learning, to be confident in their abilities and to become lifelong language learners.  By teaching a language we have an awesome opportunity to create empathetic and global contributors to our future.

Level 3: Connections – Ties that bind

Teachers need each other!  Very often we have to fight to keep our programs alive, to be treated as an equal to STEM, and even to have the supplies we need for our students.  And how does all this happen? We do it together! We follow each other’s blog posts, get inspired through tweets, and attend conferences to learn together (and maybe to feel like a human being again!)  You are part of something bigger and you need your village around you at all times. Being a part of SCOLT, ACTFL, and state organizations is a fabulous way to remember that you are not alone. We are all at different levels in our careers, but whether we are a beginning teacher or a veteran, we MUST support each other and stay strong together.  And world language teachers are a different breed! Maybe it’s because we come from diverse backgrounds and countries and we have a broader view of the world. Maybe it’s because we get to talk about people and connections and culture everyday. Whatever the reason, we all seem to have an infectious energy about us which transfers to our classrooms.  There is no doubt that the world language hall at my school is bouncing everyday! As world language teachers we offer a certain level of life to our students because what we teach is all about life. Remember how important YOU are to establishing this life, this culture for our students. Keep learning, listening, and leveling up! Stay connected, present at conferences, and be open to learn from each other.  Teachers need each other!

Level 4: It’s personal – Gut check

Alright.  Now it’s time to get serious.  It’s time to look in the mirror.  What do you see? Who do you see? I see someone who is optimistic, caring, creative, and really short!  I see someone who loves to smile, adores learning new things, and is passionate about giving back. But the levels of what I see change everyday.  What I have to remind myself is that I need to take care of me. First. And foremost. I cannot be anything to my students if I am not taking care of myself.  There’s a reason we put our oxygen masks on first before helping others. We have to be good to ourselves! On every level! How do you put good into your day? Maybe you spend time with your family, take a walk, read for an hour, exercise until you feel strong, sit at a cafe with friends, or just sit quietly on a mat and breathe.  It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do YOU! Find the right level of joy and happiness in your life so that you are powerful enough when the levels drop a little. Make time for yourself – time to reflect, time to be grateful, and time to rest. As amazing as teaching is, it can be equally draining, so create a work/life level that puts you first.

Always go back to the modes

A teacher’s life is full of levels.  Workload,s emotions, connections. All kinds of levels.  So when you feel overwhelmed, want to get back on track, or need to feel level, just remember to always go back to the modes:

• Interpretive mode – Listen to others; listen to your students; listen to yourself
• Interpersonal mode – Create a dialogue with students; discuss strategies and ideas with anyone who will listen; share ideas with others
• Presentational mode – Use backward design to plan your lessons and units; be yourself; be prepared for anything!

And remember these words from a wise person, “Life is short. Take the trip. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake!”  Love all your levels!