As
a teacher, my primary goal is for my students to fall in love with Spanish — to
discover the expressiveness of the language, the depth and range of Hispanic
literatures, and the vibrancy and diversity of Hispanic culture, and my
pedagogical approach reflects this desire. I begin by creating a nurturing classroom
environment that encourages students to take risks and to step beyond their
comfort zone. I model positive risk-taking behavior by investing the whole of myself
in my attempts to connect with my students. I also strive to develop a
relationship with each of my students, getting to know them individually as
people, not just as entries in a grade book.
Nurturing
my students, however, does not mean coddling them or lessening my expectations.
It is my conviction that students perform at the level expected of them, and I
set the bar high. In both my Elementary Spanish II class and my Intermediate
Spanish I class, I incorporated this element of challenge by designing extra
projects for my students that pushed them beyond the confines of the generic syllabus
of the course. In Elementary Spanish II, my section of students produced an
anthology of short stories based on Gabriel García Márquez’s story “Un día de
estos,” and in Intermediate Spanish I, my students wrote and performed an
interactive murder mystery play for the students of an Intermediate Spanish II
class. Both projects required my students to do a tremendous amount of
additional work, but they rose to the challenge and, by their own accounts, enjoyed
the experience.
I
go beyond the basics when teaching, providing information that enriches my
students’ understanding of the subject matter. For example, when teaching
grammatical concepts, I often incorporate etymological explanations and
information about the historical development of the Spanish language. I believe
that students who grasp the “why” as well as the “what” will understand the
material on a deeper level, and thus it will become more meaningful to them.
In
the future, I hope to continue working with students at all levels of Spanish
mastery by teaching both language and literature courses. I thrive on meeting
students wherever they are on their journey and helping them take the next
steps forward. I believe wholeheartedly in the value of higher education, and I’m
committed to doing my part in that enterprise.
