Today I had my 2nd Spanish lesson. I took a test my first lesson (this Tuesday), my teacher assessed it and came back today with a full plan on what we will do each lesson for the summer to whip my Spanish into shape. My grammar is sloppy and its just been so long since I had a formal Spanish class. I'm so excited. We're doing it Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for an hour and a half each day. My teacher's name is Nelly and she is from Ecuador. She observed in my classroom this past semester for her education class at a nearby college. She did a wonderful job today of teaching me different grammar points and idioms and I learned sooo much. The greatest part about it is that if we get off, it's totally ok because we're still speaking Spanish. She's also really good about not speaking any English. I might tend to want to cheat but she's smart! The most essential thing is just to practice Spanish. Talk talk talk.
Another interesting part about today was that I got to walk in the shoes of my kids (school kids that is). It was really really interesting to be in their place - being a student in my 2nd language. Nelly and I did a lot of just talking back and forth. While yes I understood about 95% of what was said, I missed things at times. Sometimes I would ask her to explain but sometimes I really thought I could figure it out. Wanting to save face and hope to regain understanding as she keeps explaining I politely respond with a nod or an "ok". As do my kids - and I totally buy it! They're smart. Most of the time, I'm able to come around and understand what was going on but sometimes not and a smile and nod is just the least embarassing thing to do.
Then, we did a worksheet together. It was about idioms and phrases. There were a couple that I really didn't know and felt pretty lost on. I sat there and quickly tried to figure it out, feeling a little silly that I was not understanding. I mean I'm a teacher! I should get them all right! Then, without really reading all of it, I just guessed...wrongly. Guessed again...wrong. Even a 3rd time I guess wrongly. That's totally what my kids do - and sometimes they get lucky - and I buy it! They just start pulling things out of their hat to get it over with and hope for the best. I enjoyed being a student today. Such valuable insights gained today in Spanish lessons with Nelly. Maybe sometime I'll post in Spanish...
1 comment:
I admire you so much that you are wanting to improve even though no one is making you. You just want excellence in your job. I like that about you! One of the many things I like about my daughter-in-law.
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