Motivating Students to Stay in the Target Language

I want to share with all of you a way that I am motivating my elementary students (and inadvertently, myself), to stay in the target language during our class.

I recently read a blog post by La Maestra Loca about classroom management.  She uses a tally point system to motivate her students to avoid using English and communicate to the best of their abilities in Spanish.

Spontaneously last week, I decided that I wanted to try this.  The follow class, I said “Boys and girls, we are going to do a challenge today.”  There was so much excitement. Ooo! A challenge! “It is going to be all of you verse me.”  Even more exciting! “What we are going to do is if you catch me saying anything in English, you will earn a point.  But (!) if I catch you saying anything in English, I earn a point. Whoever has more points at the end of the class wins.”  My students were so excited and motivated to do this. I was excited that they would be working collaboratively to achieve a goal: beat the teach.

I started by giving my students strategies to use if they heard their peers or me using English.  We reviewed simple phrases like “No ingles” and “Solo español”. Obviously, I didn’t want my students shouting out “You used English!” in English.  They needed the strategies to remind each other in Spanish.

For the first class, this was EXTREMELY successful.

I was so surprised at how well this went.  At the end of the class, there were less than ten tally marks in total on the board at the end of the thirty minute class.  That meant that there were less than ten utterances of English throughout the whole class. I loved that. I decided to try it again with the next class.  It was another great success. I continued to do this successfully with my classes for the rest of the week.

I knew the novelty of it wouldn’t last for long and there needed to be some kind of reward at the end if I wanted to keep my students engaged.  I thought for a couple of days about what I could put out there as a reward. Eventually, I came up with a simple idea.

For each day my class is able to speak less spanish than me, they will earn a “llama”.  I asked classroom teachers if I can hang these llamas in their room. That way, I don’t have to be in charge of carrying around charts to keep track of llama numbers for 11 separate classes.

Since the llamas are kept in the classrooms, the students will seem them all day long as a reminder all day long that they should be using only spanish in my class.

When a class earns ten “llamas”, they will be treated to a reward.  For the first round of rewards, I’ve decided to do a Spanish game day.  My students are really excited about it. We’ve played academic games in Spanish class before, but we’ve never had an official “game day”.  I have some games up my sleeve that I know my students will like, but ultimately I will give them the choice about what (Spanish-based) games they will play.  After all, it is their reward.

So far, my llamas have been successful.  It’s easy for me to do and it’s fun for them.  I could see this motivator working successfully with any age group.

What motivators do you use with your students? Share them in the comments below!

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Making Time For Yourself as a Teacher

At the start of the school year, my district was lucky enough to hear Carrie Stack present to us.  Carrie is the founder and face of the Say Yes Institute.  She travels the country as a motivational speaker, inspiring others to be positive.

During her presentation, Carrie shared this (look up!) quote with us and it has stuck with me all year long.  Teachers have one of the most draining jobs in the world.  By the end of the day, our tank is empty.

Sometimes it feels like the work day never ends.  In the past, if something wasn’t addressed during the school day, it waited until tomorrow.  Now, almost all of us have our work email connected to our phones and check it often.  We feel compelled to address everything right away.  There are even some of us out there who will send work emails during vacation.

Why do we do this to ourselves?  It’s vacation!  We are supposed to be refiling our cups! We need to separate ourselves so that we can come back feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the new daily challenges.  Teachers care so much about their students and want to do them right.

But as Carrie pointed out to me and as I’ll point out to you: if we don’t refuel our tanks, we are going to break down completely.

This post is to remind you that it is OKAY to unplug and detach yourself from work at some point each day.  You need this! It will fill your cup!

I’ve compiled a list of 25 (free!) ways to make time for yourself below.  So turn off that phone, put away those lesson plans, and let the world know that for the next half an hour, “It’s all about ME!”

1. Spend time outside
2. Play with your pet
3. Cook a healthy meal
4. Paint your nails
5. Leave work at work – grading in front of the tv is NOT the same as relaxing in front of the tv!
6. Listen to your favorite music
7. Take a nap
8. Cuddle with your cutie
9. Take a bubble bath
10. Start a blog to express your thoughts (like I did!)
11. Listen to a book on tape
12. Go to the gym
13. Cook a dessert to bring to your co-workers (you’ll be filling their cup while you fill your own, it’s a win-win!)
14. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while
15. Meditate
16. Pray the rosary
17. Go for a run!
18. Take a drive
19. Start a new hobby!
20. Take a mental health day
21. Go to bed on time
22. Start a journal
23. Read a book – for fun!
24. Listen to a podcast  (Inspired Proficiency by Ashley Uyaguari is a great one for language teachers)
25. Take a walk with a special someone

 

Thanks for reading!  Do you have a way that you spend your ME time that’s not on this list?  Share it in the comments below!

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How to Simplify your Inbox

A teacher wears many hats.  She is always juggling three or four things at once.  If you teach, you know what I’m talking about and are probably saying to yourself “three or four, try ten or eleven!”.  It’s our responsibility to stay on top of things and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.  This can be very demanding and overwhelming at times, especially if organization falls to the wayside.  One of the tips I include in 5 Ways to Minimize the Stress of Teaching is to keep email organized.  I want to tell you today how I do just that.

 

Most email pages allow users to create categories or folders to organize emails.  I started using these folders two years ago to filter any and all emails I receive.  This tool is AMAZING and I’ve never looked back. Here’s how it works:

 

I have a category to fit every email I receive.  As I said before, I wear a lot of hats and so I have a LOT of categories.  They include: office, tech notes, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, emails from my principal, emails from my vice principal, emails regarding various councils I am on at my school and a few more.

 

As an email comes in, I decide what to do with it: filter now or filter later.

 

Filter Now

Some emails I can filter right away. For example, if I get an email about an upcoming assembly, I will make note of the date and time in my planner and then filter this email.  This kind of email doesn’t require me to respond, and so it doesn’t need to live in my inbox. You wouldn’t leave read mail in your mailbox, so why leave read email in your inbox?

 

Filter Later

So, why might I wait to filter an email?  Let me give you an example to explain. If I get an email from my department head asking when I can meet with him, I will keep this email in my inbox until I’ve responded.  Maybe I am reading it quickly before my next class and don’t have time to type out a response right away. Since I don’t want to forget to respond, I leave the email in my inbox as a reminder that I need to take action.  After I’ve responded, I will filter the email into a category. In this example, I have a category specifically for emails from my department head. When I filter emails, it feels like a weight is lifted off of my shoulder.  It’s one less thing I need to think about and remember to do. Once the email is filtered, it’s no longer taking up space in my inbox and distracting me from other things I need to get done.

 

It’s important to remember: filter later doesn’t mean filter never!

 

If you leave too many items in your inbox, you will get bogged down by them and it will be unclear which items you’ve tackled and which ones you haven’t.  This is how things fall through the cracks and that is no bueno.

At any given time, I will have no more than five or six emails in my inbox.  It’s my ongoing “to do list”. Before I leave work every day, I make sure my inbox is completely cleared.  This gives me a great sense of accomplishment and I feel relaxed knowing that no tasks are following me home or into the next school day.

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Teaching on a Budget

It’s hard to be an effective teacher without the proper resources.  Many school districts run on tight budgets and asking administration for money is not always an option.  So how can you provide your students with what they need and avoid breaking your own bank? Read on to learn some of the ways I’ve made it work for me!

Save on Classroom Materials

When you’re looking to make a purchase for your classroom, explore your options!  The Dollar Store and Target Dollar Spot are great places to find cheap items for your classroom.  I usually hit up these spots if I’m looking for holiday pencils, class prizes, or classroom storage.  I also stock up on items that I know I need when they are on sale. Two winters ago I bought mini snowman erasers to give out to my students before Christmas vacation.  They were $1 for a packet of 100 so I decide to buy a bunch. I’ve had enough to last me these past two years and they still bring a smile to my students faces when I hand them out as little Christmas gifts.  I haven’t had to make any purchases since that trip to Target two years ago. Like all of us, my budget is tight around the holidays so this has really saved me.

Another place I shop quite frequently is Amazon.  I use Amazon all the time because of the convenience.  I don’t need to physically go somewhere to shop.  I can do it from my computer or my phone, and since I have Amazon Prime, the item comes within two days.  I’ve recently discovered that for certain items Amazon will give you the option to buy used. The used items are given a rating and sometimes a few comments on their condition.  I bought my laser pointer presenter used from Amazon and saved $16. It arrived in its original packaging with the instruction manual and everything. If I didn’t know I bought it used, I wouldn’t be able to tell.  Click here to read about why I think using a laser pointer in class can relieve stress.

Create a Wish List to display in your classroom on Back to School Night or during Open House.  The phrase “many hands make little work” applies here. Imagine if every parent in your class helped to purchase an item for your classroom.  Wouldn’t that be amazing? I’ve created a pinterest board of cute and creative ways to ask parents to help out without being pushy or demanding.  Parents pick an item from the board and physically take home the piece of paper so they don’t forget what they’ve agreed to purchase.  If you have the time and resources, make a short video of students in your class asking their parents to help out. Show this video as a way to introduce your Wish List display.  It’s much harder for parents to say no to their own child! 🙂

How to Fund Big Ticket Items without Spending a Dime

There are many ways teachers can get funding for projects in their classroom.  Most school districts have a PTO or equivalent organization that provides yearly grants for teachers.  These grants can range from small amounts ($50) to very large amounts ($1000+). The trouble is, they aren’t always publicized well.  At my school, there is an organization that will provide grants to teachers for “intensive study”. At first, I had no idea what this meant. It wasn’t until I spoke with a colleague that I found out “intensive study” could include anything from attending a weekend conference to traveling abroad to study the culture of another country.  When I found this out, I decided to take a chance and apply for the grant. I was thrilled to find out my proposal had been accepted and the organization was going to to help fund a summer trip to Peru to work with teenage moms who had been abandoned by their families. It was an incredible experience and one that I would not have been able to afford on my own.  A lot of my colleagues were surprised to hear my trip was going to be partially funded by this organization because many of them (who have worked at the school longer than me) didn’t even know the grant program existed. So do you research and ask around! There are opportunities out there looking for you to take advantage of them.

If you are looking to get funding for supplies in your classroom that are outside of your budget, consider creating a Donors Choose project.  Donors Choose helps teachers create requests for necessary classroom materials.  With the click of a button, families can donate however much they want to help fund your request.  Once the request is funded, Donors Choose sends the materials to your school! Last year, I was able to fundraise enough to purchase 4 iPad minis with cases to use with my classes.  Since it was my first project on the site, Donors Choose agreed to match every donation I received within the first two weeks. That meant if I received enough donations, I only needed to raise half of the cost!  I let parents know about this opportunity and had my project funded before the two weeks were up! It was amazing to see how eager parents were to help create this opportunity for their children. Other teachers in my school have used Donors Choose to receive Chromebooks and other items for their classroom with just as much success.

 

Do you know other ways teachers can save big?  Comments your ideas below!

5 Ways to Minimize the Stress of Teaching

Like most teachers, my schedule is very hectic to say the least. I teach 11 different classes and each class meets three or five times a week, depending on grade level.  I don’t have my own classroom and am constantly on the move. In total, I work with over 250 students in any given week.  That’s 250 different personalities, different needs, and different proficiency levels. So how do I keep stress to a minimum?  Read on to find out!

 

Tip #1: Get yourself a planner, and USE IT!

I’m putting this one first because it is the most important.  My planner is my holy grail. Without it, I am completely lost as a teacher.  I write down everything in my planner. I know a lot of teachers who will use the standard planner provided by the district at the beginning of the year and it works well for them.  But for me, I want my planner to be bright and exciting to look at. Afterall, I’m going to be using it every day. I’ve fallen in love with the Erin Condren teacher planner and continue to use it each year because it works for me.  Receive $10 off when you buy using my link!

The monthly view is where I can write down things like meetings, assemblies and school vacations.  So I won’t miss anything, I transfer all of these dates to the weekly view as they come up.

The weekly view is where I write down my lesson plans so this is the page that’s bookmarked for me.  Right now, a physical planner is better for me than anything computer-based because I can easily jot down notes and reminders for myself on the side. But this brings me to my second tip which is…

 

Tip #2: Use Google Slides to document your lessons!

While I love my planner, I don’t want to have my head down every time I need to know what comes next.  I recently saw a teacher using Google Slides as a sort of menu for her classes and I decided to try it out for myself.  The next day, I created a slideshow of the lesson I was teaching to each grade. I projected the slideshow in the front of the room so both my students and I could see them.  The slides were simple. One said “Vamos a leer un libro” (We are going to read a book) with a picture of a boy reading a book. Another slide said “Vamos a cantar” (We are going to sing) with a picture of music notes.  With the click of a mouse, my students and I knew exactly what was coming next. I’ve started to use this technique every day and my students really like it because they know what’s about to happen. I really like itbecause my students are a) reading Spanish, b) recognizing that I plan lessons every day (not just pull ideas out of nowhere), and c) staying in the target language more than before.  Since I am a traveling teacher, writing down a daily schedule on the board is not an option. I would need to do this eight times a day. I love using Google Slides because I don’t need to carry around a memory card since everything lives in the cloud. All I need to do when I enter a classroom is log in to my Google account and everything is there for me. I am looking forward to next year when I’ll only need to tweek the slides from this year.

 

Tip #3: Embrace the Laser Pointer

This is another tip I picked up from a teacher I observed recently.  If you’re going to adopt the GoogleSlides method, you’re going to need this lazer pointer presenter or an equivalent.  With this, I am able to change slides from anywhere in the room.  It is fantastic! Before, I would be chained to the computer at the front of the room.  I couldn’t easily monitor my students behavior and, at times, they took advantage of this.  My classroom management has drastically improved because of this tiny little controller and yours will too.  I’m serious. I’ve seen teachers use a wireless mouse as well. The second greatest thing about this tool is the laser pointer.  I use a LOT of visuals when I am teaching Spanish. It is easier for me to maintain 90% TL when I am using visual aids in the classroom.  I can use the laser pointer from anywhere in the room to point out something on the board. I don’t need to run back and forth to the board, tiring myself out and creating a more stressful classroom environment.  This flexibility allows me to move around the room how I want, helping students along the way. If this hasn’t convinced you enough, think of how excited your students will be when they find out you have a laser pointer and think about how much fun it will be to use it in your teaching!

 

Tip #4: Organize your Email Daily

This next tip applies to anyone, not just teachers.  Most email pages allow users to create categories or folders to organize emails but a lot of people don’t use them.  I started using these two years ago to filter any and all work emails I receive and I have never looked back. When I filter my emails, nothing gets lost in the shuffle or slips through the cracks.  Here’s how it works:

I have a category to fit every email I receive.  At this point, I have a LOT of categories (more than shown in the picture! and they include: office, tech notes, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, emails from my principal, emails from my vice principal, and emails regarding various councils I am on at my school.

As an email comes in, I decide what to do with it: filter now or filter later. If I need to take action or respond, I will leave the email in my inbox to filter later. For example, if I get an email from my department head asking when I can meet with him, I will keep this email in my inbox until I’ve responded.  Maybe I am reading it quickly before my next class and I don’t have enough time to check my schedule and get back to him. I don’t want to forget to respond so I leave the email in my inbox, knowing that I will see it there later in the day as a reminder to respond. Every time I open my inbox, I will see the email there and know I still need to respond.  After I’ve responded and written down the meeting in my planner, I will filter it to a category. It’s no longer taking up space in my inbox and distracting me from other items I need to attend to.

Some emails I can filter right away. For example, if I get an email about an upcoming assembly, I will make note of the date and time in my planner and then filter this email to the appropriate category.  This kind of email doesn’t require me to respond, and so it doesn’t need to live in my inbox. You wouldn’t leave read mail in your mailbox, so why leave read email in your inbox?

At any given time, I will have no more than five or six emails in my inbox.  It is my ongoing “to do list”. Before I leave work every day, I make sure my inbox is completely cleared.  This gives me a great sense of accomplishment and I feel relaxed knowing that no tasks are following me home or into the next school day.

Tip #5: Eat that Frog!

I saw this image on Instagram recently and fell in love with its message.  I have started to apply this mentality to my work and personal life and it has (so far) been successful.  I am happier, calmer, and able to get more done in less time when I decide to just do it rather than wait.  I am the queen of procrastination and always put things off until the last minute. This leaves me feeling stressed and anxious.  If I need to photocopy something for work, I’ll wait until right before the class to do it. It’s not that I don’t remember I need to photocopy, it’s that I know there is still time to do it.  But that whole time I am not doing it, I am thinking about how I need to get the photocopying done and it keeps me from focusing on whatever other task I’ve decided to do instead of photocopying.  When I finally get around to it, I get anxious that something is going to go wrong.

In this example, I worry that I’m going to find the copy machine is broken, or there is a line, or maybe I’m going to run out of paper half way through the job.  These worries and anxieties can be applied to any task, business or personal. Grading, calling a parent, making lunch for the next day, laundry….you name it! We put these things off and then stress about doing them last minute. Instead of waiting, do these things first!  Eat that frog!

 

I hope these tips help to relieve unnecessary stress in your work life.  Thanks for reading!

 

Thanks for reading! Have other tips you want to share?  Leave them in the comments below!