E-mails and Spell Check

Because I'm a teacher's kid, I always kind of blurred lines between teachers and students. I was never under the impression that they pulled a cot from under their desks to sleep when students left for the day. My afternoons and summers were spent at school, whether it was the Lower Elementary at which my mother taught, or the school in which one of my friend's parents taught. Teachers' kids were all friends, and we roamed the schools once everyone else left. Because the lines were always a little blurry, I treated my teachers like actual human beings. Now that I've gone all around the world, let me make my point. Most people move on after graduation and have to try their hardest to remember their 9th grade geometry teacher's name, but that isn't the case with me. My constant connection to the school environment allows me to keep a constant connection with my teachers of the past. One of my favorite teachers was my high school Spanish teacher. He was the best teacher I've ever had and when people ask why I'm going to teach Spanish instead of English (which I would excel at), I simply tell them that I want to create more people like me. That may sound pompous, but what I mean by that is that Señor Ramirez made me absolutely love learning. He showed how fun and useful languages can be and made me feel so accomplished and proud when I mastered something new. If taught correctly, new languages can change a person. Again, I'm rambling. Sorry!
Because I keep in touch with my teachers, I decided to practice my writing by emailing Señor in Spanish. He has not yet responded, but I know he eventually will and will add corrections and tips. If he allows me to do so, I will probably email him while I am studying in Spain. I started out my language-learning journey with him, so I'm very comfortable with writing to him. Speaking, however, is a different story--he knows exactly where I started and where I should be.

Anyway, here is what I sent him. Although I just said that I was comfortable writing to him, I'm still a perfectionist and hate to mess up, so I felt a bit self-conscious when writing this.

Hola Señor!

Voy a intentar escribir este e-email en Español, pero es un poco (o muy) difícil. :) Estudiaré en España el junio. Voy a vivir en Alcalá. Está cerca de Madrid. ¿Tienes consejos para mi? Mis examenes son el primer semana de mayo, etonces voy a ir a Destin con mi novio. Después de vacacion, visitaré tú en PHS y prepar para mi viaje a España. No puedo pensar más para escribir. Mi cerebro no funciona antes de mediodía.

Hasta pronto

Looking back on my email, I see that it's very rigid. At this point, my writing should be more conversational. This is something that I definitely plan to work on, both in writing and speaking. I would encourage my future students to write to people they actually know. It makes the conversation more realistic, whereas if I told them to write an email to a made-up person, they may feel a bit lost. This class, as well as this blog, has taught me the value of real conversations, and I know that real conversations are easier to have with people you have known for a while.

ESPN Deportes

When waiting to eat at La Terazza last weekend, we were seated at the bar area. Like every other bar, they had the sports channel on. However, unlike most bars, the channel of choice was ESPN Deportes. This immediately caught my attention and I began to watch and listen. They were just going over highlights of a few wrestling matches, which I do not keep up with at all. However, apparently there was a little controversy  bout one of the fighters, so the discussion was pretty heated. In addition to two news anchors, they called in several other people. Because they did this, I got to hear a few different voices and dialects. I understood most of what they were saying because it was pretty repetitive, but there were also subtitles and statistics to help me out. Having to wait and just happening upon this station made me realize just how accessible Spanish could be in my own home. I could easily turn on the TV or radio as I do chores or homework and just listen to it in the background. This would not only help me with my listening skills and teach me new words, but it would also help me learn to listen while doing other tasks like I do in English.

International Hour

Last Thursday, I attended International Hour at the BSU. This is an event that they hold once a week. Students from all over the world who are currently attending MSU go to the BSU and fellowship with one another. This provides a great opportunity for those who are learning a new language to practice with a native speaker. Because Ruth goes often, she guided me around and introduced me to Spanish-speakers from various countries. We all had fun goofing off, talking in both Spanish and English. While we were eating, I asked for a few keys words that I knew I would definitley be using while I'm in Spain in June. I learned that ranch isn't translated at all---they simply say "ranch." I feel that little bits of information like that will make life abroad a little bit easier. I plan to continue going to this because it is a very relaxed atmosphere and I have friends who are learning to speak Spanish there to sympathize and help me along. I'm not sure how I could arrange for my future students to talk to native speakers face-to-face, but I do know that this is something that every language learner needs to do in order to get over their fear and anxiety of speaking in the target language.

Leer Una Revista

 

To practice reading in Spanish, I looked at a Spanish magazine. I had a few, but I chose this one but it wasn't a translation of an American magazine, so it seemed more authentic. When doing this, I realized that magazines are beneficial for many reasons. I was reminded that prices (as shown in ads) are written differently than in English. I also realized that magazines can be used to explore a nation's culture. The top stories, design of the ads, and even the recipes included in the magazine can all tell more about a culture than I previously would have imagined. From what I saw, magazines do not typically use very many "big words," so even those who are not fluent in the language can understand the message that is being conveyed. The pictures that go along with most of the articles are also a great help to the understanding of them. 

Por Telefono

As the semester is coming to an end, everything is piling up. As always, I have an oral exam in my Spanish IV class as part of the final. This time, it is a paired exam. Since my professor is so fantastic, we got to pick our partners. This not only eases my nerves because I get to pick someone who I can depend on, but it also makes studying and practicing easier. As usual when it comes to Spanish, my friend Megan and I are together. She encourages the use of Spanish as much as possible, so I called her to discuss when we would practice instead of just texting about it or discussing it in class. This was a great way to get some speaking down, and I mostly felt comfortable because it was a friend. Her enthusiasm is quite contagious. This conversation was very helpful because Megan wasn't afraid to correct me. I have a tendency to over-conjugate, like saying "necesitamos pracitcamos" instead of "necesitamos practicar." Megan, although she hasn't taken any education classes yet, has picked up on recasting. When I made that mistake, she said "Es verdad! Necesitamos practicar pronto!" She and I decided that we should have more phone conversations about everyday things in Spanish. We do try to speak mostly in Spanish when we're in class together, but to willingly use it outside of class is something that I believe will greatly improve both our fluency and our overall comfort in using the language. I'm not sure how I could have proof of my future students having conversations on the phone in Spanish, but I do believe it would be a good thing for them to do because I don't think that scripted or in-class pretend conversations would lead to the same results. 

El Mariachi

Every time I go home, I go to our local Mexican restaurant and have lunch with my best friend. It's a tradition we have kept up with for a while now, and I realized that I could use this to my advantage. Because we are there so often (and live in a very small town), the workers know our names and faces. We have a nice camaraderie, so I felt very comfortable asking them to order in Spanish...and that's what I did. My order is simple, so I didn't struggle much. However, I did have to ask how to say "sour cream." My waiter told me that it's "crema agria," but I don't know if this is the universal term for it. That is something I will have to look into before my trip to Spain.

This is definitely something I could do with my future students, as my high school Spanish teacher did with us.  I know that students love any reason to get out of school, so taking a mini field trip to a local Mexican restaurant would be a great incentive to have them practice their speaking skills in a real-life situation.