Home » Overcoming Fears

Category: Overcoming Fears

5 Reasons Why Educators are Uniquely Positioned to Learn Spanish

I want to share with you 5 reasons why I think teachers are exceptionally positioned to learn Spanish in comparison with your average profession.

  • Reason #1: Access
  • Reason #2: Extended Breaks
  • Reason #3: Exemplar Learning
  • Reason #4: Understanding of Persistence
  • Reason #5: We need work life balance

Let’s return to Reason #1: Access

Teachers have unique access to speakers of Spanish in their classroom, their students’ families and families throughout their schools.

Very few people have the opportunity to speak with native speakers in their target language the way that teachers do.

We can do it when we greet our students in the morning, during lunch in the cafeteria, by sending texts and making calls to parents, when they come into the building and for parent-teacher conferences. Whether or not we are prepared to have a whole conference in Spanish (there should be an interpreter there to help), we can practice whatever level Spanish we do know with our families.

This is really important, because my Spanish students who are NOT teachers or who do not work in public schools do not typically have this level of access to Spanish-speakers. It is something they have to seek out actively in the community. That, or it is something that only happens a few times a year when they are traveling for work or vacation.

We, on the other hand, have VIP access just about every single day of the year.

 * * * * *

If we take advantage of the opportunity, our daily access to native-speakers is simply language-learning gold. 

 * * * * *

#2: Extended breaks

In the public school system, we get a winter, spring break and a summer break. Even if teachers are teaching summer school, we still have an extended time when we can travel to a Spanish-speaking country.

When we travel, we actually can spend a good amount of time there, putting ourselves in a position where we are required to speak Spanish with others. If traveling isn’t an option, the extended time can still be used to participate with consistency with the Spanish-speaking community in our local area. 

Many other professionals get only two weeks weeks paid vacation throughout the year — if that. Those two weeks are typically split up throughout the year, and if a regular person (non-teacher or non-school staff member) does have time to travel abroad, their trips are quite short.

The short bursts do not allow them to practice the language over an extended period of time or to access parts of the community they would benefit from practicing with.

For someone traveling for a short time, it is fairly common to really only get to interact with folks at the hotel, tour guides, or other tourism-centered professionals, who likely already speak English. (While it is still possible to speak Spanish with those professionals, doing so can seem much trickier to the traveler, for fear of offending the other party’s English or simply because once you start in English, it is harder to switch over.)

* * * * *

We have to rough a lot of things as teachers, but having long chunks of time to choose what to do with, is a massive plus.

* * * * *

#3: Exemplar learning

What I mean by “exemplar learning” is that teachers know great learning.

We see exemplar learning in our students, and we are learning constantly. Therefore, when we think of what we need to do in order to practice our Spanish, we already know.

This is an area where it might not be so obvious to others. Where other professionals might rely on their own experiences from school and revert back to their own study habits (whether strong, weak, or ho-hum), we have gained a deeper and broader perspective on what is important for the learning process.

  • We can observe our students who are the best learners (sometimes this is the quick learners and sometimes this is the slow learners who overcome obstacles with much effort). Doing so reminds us of the habits and attitudes that helped our students grow, and we can replicate those in our own lives. 
  • We can think back to past experiences in the classroom when we made growth as a teacher. Perhaps this was our experience going from a struggling first year teacher to building muscle memory and expertise until we improved our practice, classroom management and instructional.
  • We can think about our colleagues who we have watched make the same transformation, and reflect on what was important to their process.

* * * * *

Again, we can replicate the most effective learning practices to maximize our efforts to learn the Spanish language.

* * * * *

#4: We have an understanding of persistence

Many of our peers outside of education want success to be instantaneous.

The other side of this is that when they are not instantly successful, they can think something is wrong with them.

Marketing, social media highlight reels, Facebook and Instagram ads, and plain old societal pressure all contribute to this. It is understandable. 

We, as teachers however, know that consistency, curiosity and a growth mindset are necessary to gain true mastery of new skills and knowledge.

* * * * *

We know that when a learning process is slow, it is a signal to simply keep it up.

We know that when we don’t have instant success, nothing is wrong with us.

In fact, we know nothing is wrong, period.

* * * * *

We can therefore approach the challenge of learning a new language with a big-picture perspective.

We already know we are not going to learn everything overnight. We expect to learn bit by bit by bit by bit, as long as we embody those three characteristics above:

  • Consistency
  • Curiosity
  • A growth mindset

While we will still have fears and insecurities about not being perfect and not feeling 100% confident in our Spanish, we can at least approach the process knowing that slow and steady is not only normal, but good. 

This gives us an immeasurable advantage.

* * * * *

More than anything else, it is people’s mindset, frustration and discouragement that stop them from learning a language, NOT the difficulty of the language itself.

* * * * *

#5: Teachers NEED more work-life balance

Teachers are exceedingly busy. I know. You’re shocked. 😉 

But yes, many people without knowledge of the #TeacherLife might be unaware of this fact. 

While I said earlier that we get extended breaks … they are well-deserved. WELL-deserved, my friends!

During the school year, we are running a marathon.

Most people don’t realize that being a classroom teacher doesn’t mean you are just working during the school day. We have early mornings and late nights. We go in on the weekends, we are grading papers at home or writing lesson plans at a coffee shop. We are even looking for our classroom when we float over to the dollar section in Target when we are shopping for our families!

One former colleague used to describe it this way to non-teachers:

Imagine that in your job, instead of an afternoon meeting you have to prepare for right before lunch … your WHOLE DAY is that meeting. And you have to prepare for it outside of that work day.

And the next day you have ANOTHER meeting the WHOLE day, which you have to prepare for outside of those hours. And so on and so forth.

*Ahem* I will say it again! During the school year, we are so. darn. busy.

Yet the time that we work will fill up the space that we give it. Yes, more experienced teachers told me this when I was still very green, and yet it took me years and years to learn. I suggest we need to remind each other of this no matter how long we have been teaching! 

This busy-ness, this perceived scarcity of time, can sometimes be a teacher’s first excuse not to learn a language.

It is almost automatic to say, “I don’t have time”.

I want to flip that on its head and say that for our own health, for our sanity, our relationships, our joy of life …  

We NEED more work-life balance. 

This is all the more reason to leave school and go to a Spanish class … to take that time for you and your goals. 

It is all the more reason to travel on a break and have a change of scenery and have fun that helps you with a goal that is important to YOU.

It is all the more reason to look for opportunities in your city where you can volunteer or participate in a festival, or do other social activities that allow you to practice your Spanish and get outside of your normal routine … to have a special time.

One of my fastest growing students, who I had the pleasure of working with for only 8 lessons before she moved to California, expressed to me that before deciding to take Spanish lessons with me, she felt that she did not have time. 

And then once she finally decided to do it, she looked forward to our lessons every week. 

She looked forward to taking that time just for her, getting to learn something that was important to her. 

She said it added a freshness to her day and her week that she didn’t have previously.

* * * * *

So I want to encourage all of my fellow teachers out there — don’t let time be your excuse. Let it be your reason. 

* * * * *

You deserve to take one hour a week for a class, or for an app, Spanish online lessons, or a conversation group, what have you. You deserve to pursue a goal that’s important to you.

I predict that it will rejuvenate your love of learning, bring joy into your life, and open up possibilities that you haven’t even imagined when you start to practice your Spanish. 

* * * * *

So those are my five reasons. If you can think of any others, I would love to hear what they are! Good luck to you on your Spanish journey. 

 

If you would like to listen to the unedited audio version of those post instead (that I recorded in the car), you can listen here.

Be warned! This is not a podcast! I have not done any fancy editing! You can even hear my blinker going while I’m on my morning commute to work!

 

 

My Top Tips to Listen and Understand More in Spanish

I will admit to you that there was a not insignificant period of time when I would converse in Spanish … you know, I would say something to someone else and be so proud of what came out of my mouth, and then … and then that someone else would answer back.

At times I wasn’t entirely sure I understood them.

Then there were times I was absolutely sure that I didn’t understand them.

So what is an aspiring Spanish-speaker to do?

Ha. If you see yourself in this story, or if you know this could be you when you start conversing in Spanish more, then you. are. not. alone.

Developing your listening ability is such a normal part of the process that it is literally an entire “domain” that is assessed in language acquisition assessments (all four include Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing).

Listening can develop in different stages, but for most people who live in an English-speaking country who engage in formal Spanish training at some point (especially if that was in school), listening can be a sticky domain.

In class, you learn to read and write. You can fill in the blanks like a pro. You can conjugate verbs, you know the words for the items in your kitchen … but listening is a different story.

Why is it so hard to just listen?

Apart from just not getting much practice in traditional classes, listening is made still more complex in the real world, where different people have different accents, different mannerisms, and different quirks. Some speak fast and others slow. Some use slang and others use more “proper” Spanish. When you are trying to get your feet wet, it can be a challenge!

So it is no surprise that many of my students have asked me for recommendations for how to practice their listening skills. Then I flashback to hours in the Language Lab at Georgetown, with my big fat headset on, listening to outdated sports or news coverage in Spanish … and my commitment to never put you through that is instantly renewed. You’re welcome. 😉

That being said, it is still definitely a good thing to practice your listening. And it can help to do it in a low-stakes environment when you’re not in the throes of a conversation, staring like a deer in headlights when the other person speaks.

So I have put together a few tips and tricks that I recommend to spice up your Spanish listening in a way that can be enjoyable and enrich your life beyond just Spanish!

So here are my BEST Tips and Tricks for Listening Better and Understanding More in Spanish:

1. watch Spanish language music videos on youtube… with closed captions.

Just try a song, and in the bottom right-hand corner, click the “CC” or closed captions button so you can read along while you listen. Not every song will have this option, but the highly produced music videos often will. Some of my favorites, from slowest speech to fastest are:

      • Luz Pinos: Mozo is entertaining
      • Calle 13: La Vida has closed captions. (The words are pretty fast, though)
      • Jósean Log: He does a lot of lyric videos like Chachachá, Jacaranda, and Contento de Contento
      • Juanes: Check out La Plata
      • Latinoamérica by Calle 13 doesn’t have captions paired with it, but it is a beautiful song and a beautiful video, and the song is pretty slow and clear. When I used to teach Zumba classes, this was my favorite cool-down song. (The second round of the chorus is in portuguese, so don’t think you’re crazy when you don’t understand.)
      • If you’re a Shakira fan, some of her Spanish songs have closed captions, like Perro Fiel. (“Perro Fiel”, by the way, means “Faithful Dog”. Romantic, huh?)

 

2. Learn a new skill or do an activity in Spanish on Youtube!

Just search for the Spanish word or phrase, and then have a blast. For example …

  • If you want to work out, and you can do something at home, search in youtube “ejercicio” for “exercise” and choose a video that looks good, such as this “cardio intenso” video.
  • If you’re a yogi, you can do the same thing. However, typing in “yoga” probably won’t get you many Spanish videos since the word is the same in both languages. Instead, try something like “hacer yoga” or “rutina de yoga” and you will find videos like this one.

The benefits of using this strategy are that you get a visual along with the instructions, AND if you do the activity along with the video, you are triggering yet more connections in your brain to internalize what you are hearing.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand all the words. The point is that you are hearing language, following along, and your brain, over time, will make meaning.

  • If you cook, try following a recipe!

Maybe you want to make paella (hello, Spanish accent), tacos de pollo (I love this lady, plus she speaks slowly and clearly). or something that’s hard to screw up even if you don’t understand the Spanish like guacamole (this one is quite entertaining and also breaks down the words for the ingredients).

If any of these videos seem too difficult, this is what you do:

Look up a video teaching you to cook something you already know how to make.

Even though you still might feel like you don’t understand, since your brain can focus on the language only and not on the food as well, it can focus in and listen for the words it expects to hear. Do this once or twice a week and you’ll start to pick things up after a while.

    • First type in “receta para [insert food]” or “cómo preparar [insert food]”. If you like one of these, you can subscribe to their channel and
    • You can do this with anything! Learn how to sew (coser), arrange flowers (arreglar flores), or clean the stovetop (limpiar la estufa)!

 

3. Listen to something designed just for listening!

I developed these because when my Spanish students said that the podcast I am about to recommend below was too difficult, I couldn’t find a listening resource for beginners that I that was very useful! So, story of my life … if it doesn’t exist, make it.

I love, love, love this podcast. It is real stories about real people that are told in a truly artful way and suck you into the story just like This American Life, The Moth, or any other great storytelling podcast.

The host co-narrates with each Spanish-speaking guest. Yet she catches you up, gives you context, and sometimes even teaches you a word you’re about to hear by speaking in English.

That way, even if you don’t understand every single thing, you won’t get completely lost, and will certainly learn along the way. I can’t recommend this podcast enough.

This is a great resource to develop your listening as well. It is definitely challenging, including for me. But if you want to push your Spanish to the next level, it is just what the doctor ordered. The last one I listened to was someone’s talk about what their experience being held hostage by FARC in Colombia for several years taught her. Intense! But oh so good.

 

4. Have a Spanish movie night!

I know you’ve heard this one before. But here’s the key:

Unless you consider yourself very advanced in which case you are probably not reading my blog … watch the Spanish movie with Spanish subtitles.

That’s right. Not English subtitles. Not no subtitles. Spanish subtitles.

This is very important to making connections between the reading skills you already have and what your ear hears. Often times, especially when hearing something out of context or novel, our native English brains don’t know how to make sense of the sounds we hear even if we know the words.

Where does one word end and the next begin?

Did he just say “Take my french fries for a walk this morning”???

It can be quite frustrating, and for this reason, not a lot of Spanish learners make it through a whole movie if they even sit down to watch it in the first place.

My favorites are Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta) and Como Agua Para Chocolate, but the reason I put this last is that I am still working on where you can get these movies in their entirety in Spanish AND with Spanish subtitles short of buying the DVDs themselves, although you could definitely do that. (Como Agua Para Chocolate is hard to find in Spanish with Spanish subtitles. Here it is with English subtitles. And in the meantime, I will keep looking.)

You can also find movie clips on youtube and watch with closed captions there, too. Just remember to click the “CC” button when you watch!

If you try any of these strategies, I would love to know about them! And if you have any tips to share, please let me know!

When You Don’t Know a Word …

“What is this?” I asked, pointing to the clock in the illustration of a pre-k classroom. (It was a kinder English proficiency test, if you’re wondering why I would be doing this.)

“A time” he told me with great confidence.

He couldn’t yet pull out of his brain the word “clock” though he has likely heard it before. However, he knows this round black-and-white object on the wall is used to tell time… so, logically, this item would be called “a time”. What could make more sense?

Now, did I fill in the “correct” bubble on the assessment? No.

But did I, the human, understand? Yes.

Communication achieved.

5-year-old Juan is a teacher for all of us while learning a language. Don’t know the word, but know what it is for? Take a stab at it.

The worst that can happen is … shocker … someone will think “Oh! Not quite it, but … yeah. I get it.” Not too bad, right?

After all, communicating in the real world is not a standardized assessment with a clear right and wrong or a score of any kind. The end goal is to understand and be understood.

So the next time you have the opportunity to engage in Spanish…take the plunge!

I promise … you will be alright.

And when you realize you are drawing a big fat blank on a word … remember Juan and use another related word you do know to get your point across.

Relationship and communication is about so much more than getting the exact precise word.

It is about interacting with each other in the best way possible. It is about overcoming challenges, because when you do, you’re sending the message that the other person is worth the effort!

Laugh and giggle, gesture and stumble over your words, nod emphatically and signal. As you use what you know, and get creative to fill in the rest, not only will you build relationship along the way, but your language will slowly grow to fill in the gaps.

So go out there, my friend! You’ve got this! And always remember … Juan’s got your back.

Why You Want to Sound Foolish with Parents

Have you ever said anything like …

“I’m afraid of sounding foolish to parents when I try to speak Spanish.”

“I’m afraid I won’t sound professional.”

“They’ll think I’m an incompetent teacher.”

If you have ever said or thought any of these things, I wrote this blog post just for you!

I get it. Learning a language is vulnerable. Fear and insecurity come with the territory.

But at the end of the day, if we let our fears stop us from speaking at all, guess what… We won’t ever make any progress. But you know that already.

So here are some reminders to help you let go of some of your fears…

The experience of “feeling foolish” or being unable to communicate “perfectly” in Spanish is the same way our Spanish-speaking parents likely feel just about every time they walk into our school building or answer a call from the school or see a permission slip if it hasn’t been translated.

When Spanish-speaking parents encounter a staff member in the building, how do they know whether they can say “hola”? Most of the time, our parents will attempt English first with “Hello” or “Thank you” just assuming that staff is only English-speaking.

If that is their chronic experience day in and day out, year after year, I know that we can find the strength to feel vulnerable in our conversations with them.

Secondly, keep in mind that just as you are a Spanish-learner, they are English-learners.

Who will be more judgement free of someone who makes mistakes? Nobody!

They understand better than anyone the challenges of learning a second language, and navigating a conversation outside your comfort zone!

If anything, they will appreciate you more for trying!

Also, immigrants coming to us from other countries inherit a deep respect for teachers in their home culture.

In Mexico, for example, most students and parents will call the teacher “Maestra,” not as a way to address them if they forgot their name (like “Teacher”), but as a title of respect, the same way we might say “Doctor” or “Your Honor” in the United States.

So rest assured, as long as you love their child and are doing your job to help them learn and grow, you are not in danger of losing their respect.

Quite the contrary, they will most likely respect you all the more for going above and beyond to communicate with them as best you can! But it will be the best kind of respect …

not the kind that puts you on a pedestal, but the kind that makes you human, and connects you as two hearts who love the same kid.

Additionally, parents from other countries are often looking for ways to thank you for all you do.

And I have found that helping you with your Spanish is one way they can do that!

It doesn’t cost them a dime, it doesn’t need another inch of your bookshelf to display, and it won’t pack on the pounds (like some edible gifts)!

Practicing with you is a way to pay it forward and a way to connect with you such that you have a truly unique two-way relationship.

I hope these offerings help you overcome your fear of vulnerability, or of losing the respect of parents because you don’t have complete mastery of their language.

If nothing else, remember three things:

      1. They understand the challenges of speaking another language first hand!
      2. They already respect you highly, and hearing your Spanish will only cause them to appreciate you more!
      3. You offer them a way to do something for you in return for all you do for their child … which they are very eager to do!

Do you have any other insights you can share? How do you frame this for yourself to overcome the vulnerability of speaking Spanish with parents?