I was,... I mean I am,... well actually I'm supposed to be on the Weight Watchers program. I started over the winter & was doing well till I started getting pains in my leg. First I tried my own remedies, like walking longer and harder to "work through" the pain. That ended the day I actually had to walk backwards in order to make it home painfree! Then I had a doctor's prescription for physical therapy. The therapists did their best, gave me stretches to do at home, deep massages, asked many questions to help pinpoint the source of the pain; but I usually walked away from there with the same pain I walked in with. About the same time I signed up for yoga classes to see if they would help (again my own remedy.) Then we took tests like x-rays and MRIs. What they finally discovered is that I have arthritis in my hip. I'm waiting now to see the orthopedic specialist & find out what course of action he has for me.
I'm thinking, this has been all winter (about 6 months now) and I don't SEEM to be any further along than I was in November. However, we have tried various interventions, and at least we ruled out what would NOT work. I suppose there could be some other underlying issues besides arthritis, but I'm hoping that's where the expertise of the orthopedic specialist comes in.
What this brings me around to are my students, especially my strugglers. I have students who struggle academically, physically and socially. While most have made steady progress all year, others have struggled to achieve each new level of reading, each new concept of Math, and each new depth of writing. Some have held their ground on a Reading level for so long, they wonder if they'll ever move on to the next level! We have implemented the Response to Intervention plans, and these students receive additional small group support. I have faith, as I have seen this happen in past years, that these students will also succeed. We just need to be patient. I have often seen a student who has held on at one Reading level for several months, only to find that they jump 2-4 levels at the end of the year. Something finally clicked for them.
Did I do anything wildly different? Not usually. We use best practices, assessments and interventions that are scientifically based, and teachers, interventionists and Reading specialists who develop strong encouraging relationships with these students to gently push them toward success. And they do succeed! Some of our students need the help of additional professional specialists, and as I've mentioned before, our specialists do a great job of helping our students, inspite of not being bilingual. The rest of us, teachers and parents, sometimes need to just be patient, looking toward the end goal, and continuing to be our students{ best cheerleaders! I know sometimes I forget that part in all the stress of doing, doing, doing. That's when I just stop and say to my kids, "Did you know, I really like you a lot!" (¿Sabías que yo te quiero mucho?). Sometimes they say yes, and sometime they say no. That's when I realize my approach to teaching has gone out of balance. I need to stop & say it again, (¡TQM!), followed by a big hug.
We'll get there. Your child will get there. Remember the tortoise & the hare? Slow and steady....oh and don't forget to practice those flashcards!
~Sheryl René
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
T-H-E.....Who knew?
I love that our Immersion program is so well supported by some terrific specialists who work so hard to help our students who struggle. These specialists are our Resource Room teacher, psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist and Social Worker. They are not Spanish speakers, so their time is limited for working with our students; but they have done a heroic job of being available to confer with us, to listen to our frustrations, concerns, and questions, and to offer us advice, with full knowledge that it may or may not be applicable to our Spanish Immersion setting.
I am thankful for "teachable moments" as one professional to another. Just this week I was talking with our Resource Room teacher, and she mentioned her concern that our Spanish Immersion students tend to get stuck spelling 'the' as 'thu'. She was so perplexed as to how these students came up with 'u', until I explained that with Spanish the vowels have only one sound, and that sound is spelled just like it's name says. So for these kids, when they hear someone say 'the' in English they go directly for the letter that they've been taught that makes the "uh" sound in English.....the letter u! (Good ole' short vowels!!) These students are actually employing great transfer skills from one language to another, only those skills aren't always univeral.
I was so encouraged that day when the Resource Room teacher not only accepted my explanation, but expressed her thanks for that mini lesson in Spanish phonetics. Now she has new understanding to help these students make the transition back into English, either as part of the reintegration of English into the Immersion classrooms, or for students who are transferring out of the Immersion program and back into the traditional classroom. LIkewise this same Resource Room teacher has given me many helpful ideas to help my student who has cerebral palsy. Thank you!
Do you have auxiliary staff who have been particularly helpful in your Immersion program? I encourage you to take time today to let them know how much you appreciate them! I think we all realize that there will not be an overabundance of bi-lingual specialists anytime soon in our schools. So what can we all do to better service our struggling immersion students and continue to involve our specialists? Let us know how you tackle these issues!
~Sheryl René
I am thankful for "teachable moments" as one professional to another. Just this week I was talking with our Resource Room teacher, and she mentioned her concern that our Spanish Immersion students tend to get stuck spelling 'the' as 'thu'. She was so perplexed as to how these students came up with 'u', until I explained that with Spanish the vowels have only one sound, and that sound is spelled just like it's name says. So for these kids, when they hear someone say 'the' in English they go directly for the letter that they've been taught that makes the "uh" sound in English.....the letter u! (Good ole' short vowels!!) These students are actually employing great transfer skills from one language to another, only those skills aren't always univeral.
I was so encouraged that day when the Resource Room teacher not only accepted my explanation, but expressed her thanks for that mini lesson in Spanish phonetics. Now she has new understanding to help these students make the transition back into English, either as part of the reintegration of English into the Immersion classrooms, or for students who are transferring out of the Immersion program and back into the traditional classroom. LIkewise this same Resource Room teacher has given me many helpful ideas to help my student who has cerebral palsy. Thank you!
Do you have auxiliary staff who have been particularly helpful in your Immersion program? I encourage you to take time today to let them know how much you appreciate them! I think we all realize that there will not be an overabundance of bi-lingual specialists anytime soon in our schools. So what can we all do to better service our struggling immersion students and continue to involve our specialists? Let us know how you tackle these issues!
~Sheryl René
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Baseball--béisbol--yakyuu
Spring Training is officially over. The Big Leagues have chosen who will be in "the Big Show", and who needs more preparation, rehabilitation or just maturation. For those of you who are in Spanish or Japanese Immersion, this season offers you a new theme to build your lessons around, as baseball is a passion in many Spanish speaking countries, Japan, and of course the USA! Baseball and Spanish are very close to my heart. Our son, Caleb, started playing baseball in Venezuela at age 6, and let me tell you in Venezuela they are SERIOUS about their 6 year old baseball players! No T-ball for them! Give them just a few weeks of coach pitch, and send them out there like the big boys! They practice 2-3 hours on each of their practice days. I remember many times seeing Caleb eat supper with his eyes closed, and his head just about falling into his plate, he was so tired. But he never wanted to give it up! With no worries about Winter weather in Latin America, the kids play baseball almost the entire school year. If they are a winning team and make it to national playoffs, they can be playing 12 months out of the year! That's one reason why you see so many Latin players in the Big Leagues these days: they've been training for this since they were 6 years old!
Many children in Latin America who do not have access to "little league" baseball, play their own version of street ball using broom sticks (palos) and metal bottle caps (chapas). What terrific training for finding that "sweet spot" on both the bat and the ball! Another thing that I always appreciated about raising our children in Venezuela was the "single sport focus"; that is, the parents weren't as driven to put their children into every sport available. You just picked one (for the most part) and stuck with it. While that might seem very limiting to us in the US, I saw how it helped our own children focus on a particular activity, and to hone their skills in that area. I truly believe that that ability to focus on one thing, and do it well, is an invaluable life skill, especially in light of our world of multi-tasking/multi-distractions.
That leads me back to the start of the 2012 Baseball season. We are so fortunate to have a minor league team, the West Michigan Whitecaps (part of the Detroit Tigers organization) right here in Grand Rapids! These players are just starting their professional baseball careers. They're fired up, nervous, over-confident, shy, and many of them do not speak English. We have had players in Grand Rapids from Japan, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Panama, and Mexico. If you're fortunate enough to live near a minor league team, such as the WhiteCaps, I highly recommend that you check with their business office to invite a player to your classroom. I've had players from Venezuela, the DR, and Puerto Rico in our Immersion program. We usually have them visit individual classrooms to speak to the students in Spanish about their life as a baseball player, their favorite foods, colors, etc. and always end with a time for the players to give the students their signatures. While it doesn't take much time from either your day or the players' lives, it reaps rich dividends in "real life" interaction in the target language, and sometimes begins some very special relationships between the players and the kids. I think we've actually helped ticket sales because of the visits! :)
I'll leave you with this commercial that highlights playing baseball in Venezuela with "chapas y palos":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ztZ2ww6zg
Play ball!
~Sheryl René
Many children in Latin America who do not have access to "little league" baseball, play their own version of street ball using broom sticks (palos) and metal bottle caps (chapas). What terrific training for finding that "sweet spot" on both the bat and the ball! Another thing that I always appreciated about raising our children in Venezuela was the "single sport focus"; that is, the parents weren't as driven to put their children into every sport available. You just picked one (for the most part) and stuck with it. While that might seem very limiting to us in the US, I saw how it helped our own children focus on a particular activity, and to hone their skills in that area. I truly believe that that ability to focus on one thing, and do it well, is an invaluable life skill, especially in light of our world of multi-tasking/multi-distractions.
That leads me back to the start of the 2012 Baseball season. We are so fortunate to have a minor league team, the West Michigan Whitecaps (part of the Detroit Tigers organization) right here in Grand Rapids! These players are just starting their professional baseball careers. They're fired up, nervous, over-confident, shy, and many of them do not speak English. We have had players in Grand Rapids from Japan, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Panama, and Mexico. If you're fortunate enough to live near a minor league team, such as the WhiteCaps, I highly recommend that you check with their business office to invite a player to your classroom. I've had players from Venezuela, the DR, and Puerto Rico in our Immersion program. We usually have them visit individual classrooms to speak to the students in Spanish about their life as a baseball player, their favorite foods, colors, etc. and always end with a time for the players to give the students their signatures. While it doesn't take much time from either your day or the players' lives, it reaps rich dividends in "real life" interaction in the target language, and sometimes begins some very special relationships between the players and the kids. I think we've actually helped ticket sales because of the visits! :)
I'll leave you with this commercial that highlights playing baseball in Venezuela with "chapas y palos":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ztZ2ww6zg
Play ball!
~Sheryl René
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