Flamboyán
Class, homework & help
Golden Rule Haiku for all:
Learn. Share. Try. Be kind.
Support all. Be generous.
Be here with purpose.
Courtesy of ACTFL
¡Esto es español, no inglés!
Come to every class prepared for Spanish. By "prepared" I don't mean just class materials -- I mean to be fully prepared to hear, read, write, speak, think and breathe in Spanish. The MOMENT you step through the door, I fully expect you to be yourself in Spanish. You will adopt Spanish first and last names, will write the date in Spanish, ask questions in Spanish...there is no better way to learn a language than to immerse yourself as much as you can! You are responsible for your Spanish learning!
Participation & Engagement: We meet every day in Spanish and that's how your skills will improve - by using Spanish every day! You'll receive a "Peso de participación" that you will need to "spend" daily. It will serve as a tangible reminder of whether or not you have engaged in Spanish that day. Participation is not optional in the class and you will receive 2 points every day for your contributions. (See "Grades" tab)
Absences: You will have 1 week to make up work if you are absent. Email me ahead of time (if possible) to find out what you'll be missing and how to make it up. This applies to any work we do in class (activities, quiz, dictado etc.) as well as your peso. You will need always have your peso to spend (i.e. Spanish participation) to make up, even if there is no physical work to make up. By either calling my Google number or meeting with me at lunch, you will somehow speak some Spanish for the day. You'll start off by introducing yourself then you can say something like "Hola, this is .... and I'm calling for my peso for (day your absent)..." then speak Spanish.
A word on translation, or rather a word against translation
Work that is not your own will receive a 0% without the ability to re-do.
Learning another language does not happen overnight. I know - I speak 3 languages fluently (English, Spanish, French) and I'm working on my 4th (Italian). I've only been learning consistently for 1205 days (my Duolingo streak as of Aug. 22...I'm pretty proud!) Yes, I can tell time, talk about clothing, say where the butter is in relation to the plate, and what I did yesterday and when I was young. etc. Much as I'd love to, I cannot YET talk about what I wish for my children, where I would love to have traveled, what I will do 10 years from now - I haven't learned those sentence structures yet. Even when I do, I won't learn them in 1 day.
My point - I know what Spanish you know & what you don't know YET
And I'd like to emphasize YET! You'll get there. But it takes work, practice, and time. Repeat. Repeat!
The work you do in my class must be yours and yours alone. I don't expect it to be perfect. If it were, I wouldn't be able to teach you anything. More important to me as you learn this language is that you learn from previous mistakes and make new ones, not repeat the same ones.
Repito (I repeat):
Work that is not your own will receive a 0% without the ability to re-do.
Extra Help
If you need extra practice and/or help, set up a time to come see me. You should do this as soon as something is unclear. Do not wait until the day before the test to come for help. If I am not available (see the “Abierto/Cerrado” sign on the door), the following websites are excellent to practice your Spanish skills:
www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/index.php
www.bowdoin.edu/~eyepes/newgr/index.html
www.audiria.com
Duolingo
Spotify Word has a "Learn Spanish" podcast full of options.