Embedded Files
Welcome to my website. My name is Ms. S and I am a globe wandering foreign language teacher. Most, but not all, of my wanderings are in the Middle East and North Africa. My specialty is teaching Arabic as a foreign language but I have been known to also teach English as a foreign language as well.
Learning foreign languages has opened for me doors to wonderful friendships and amazing life experiences. My language skills have allowed me to peek behind the curtains and see how people really live in diverse places. It all fascinates me and my goal is to assist students in developing the necessary language skills to be able to embark on their own adventures in the Arabic. I want my students to leave my class with the ability to use Arabic in real life or at least a strong foundation with which to build towards that goal.
My classes are eclectic in their methodology. The only constant is that all classes are taught via a flipped classroom approach. Beyond that I use elements of story based learning, Total Physical Response, gamified learning, drama, singing, project based learning and more. It depends on the age group, the students interests and the type of class. I am responsible for overseeing classes with students ages 4 to adult. The students have wildly different reasons for learning studying Arabic. Some students are learning Arabic because their parents decided they should, others think its an interesting language, a few need it for work, and one just wants to keep his brain sharp in retirement.
Whatever their reasons for learning Arabic, all of my students walk away from my class with a deeper understanding of the Arab world. It is important to me that students learn that the Arab world is not a monolithic place, but rather a very diverse one with a rich and varied history. The media often portrays the Middle East in a negative light. My team and I try to show our students an honest but balance perspective of both the good and the bad things in the region. I hope my students will travel to the Middle East and make up their own minds about the region. If more Americans had the language skills to have meaningful professional and personal experiences in the Middle East, American perceptions of the region might be very different.
Arabic has a reputation as a hard language to learn. It both deserves and does not deserve this reputation. Achieving true fluency is a bit like running a marathon that has no end. The lower levels of proficiency however, are very reachable. Educational technology tools makes reaching them much easier than at any other time in history. No matter where I am teaching, no matter how far flung, how unreliable the electricity is, how slow the internet is, I always find a way to use technology. To me teaching without technology, when it is possible to use technology, is disrespectful and wasteful of students time and efforts. I wish I could go back in time and relearn all the foreign language I have studied but, with the aid of modern technology.
If you wish to contact me or have any questions, I can be reached at critical.language.service@gmail.com.
Google Sites
Report abuse