January 23, 2012
Hi everyone,
Putting aside the ridiculous, attention-getting title of this post, there is of course no doubt that exposing students to authentic, native speaker materials is essential in any student’s Spanish education.
However, is there also room for non-native stuff like mine?
In my first video blog, I share my thoughts on the subject:
NOTE TO STUDENTS: This video is directed to teachers. You’re welcome to watch it, but you probably won’t find it very interesting.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Feel free to leave comments below.
this is true
I absolutely agree with you. I often have that guilty “who am I to teach this” feeling. I used to not even want to talk to other gringos in Spanish because it felt so awkward and I know my kids feel that way when asked to perform dialogues with one another. But I think that as a person who had to learn the language the same way my students are learning it gives me an added advantage over a native speaker, I know what pitfalls they face and I have developed tricks for retaining the material that native speakers don’t necessarily think of. I love your site and so do my students. Keep up the awesome work. Nicole Fallon, Sarasota, FL
Nicole, I learned the traditional way, also. And, frankly, I had difficulty with it. Spanish never came easy for me. But I can draw on those difficulties I had and use them to better explain things to my students.
I enjoyed hearing your comments. I’m still very self-conscious speaking Spanish outside of my classroom setting. Speaking in generalities, my native speakers and their parents have usually appreciated that I have a love and respect for their language even if I can’t speak it fluently and don’t pretend to do so. I always let them know that they are lucky that it comes naturally to them; I have to think about it. I find very proficient non-natives to be the most critical along with people who don’t know any Spanish and mistakenly think that because I studied Spanish, I can say everything and communicate with absolute ease.
I just found your site and I love it…I want all of my students to have fun speaking and not be embarassed.
Not only should we non-native Spanish teachers thank you for your wonderful music and videos, but also for these cogent and empowering comments. ¡Hablamos español con orgullo!
I totally agree with you. I am a K-8th grade Spanish teacher. Both of my parents are from Costa Rica, but I was born in California. I grew up with Spanish only at home throughout my entire life while at the same time growing up with English at school, with friends, etc. So I grew up learning both languages at the same time. I agree that anyone that feels comfortable and has a proficiency of speaking Spanish can teach it. What native speakers add is more personal cultural experiences and how different countries say different things/meanings of words. I’ve been told many times that when I speak English I have no Spanish accent and vice versa. To this day my parents only speak to me in Spanish mostly because that’s the language they’re most comfortable with and were brought up with. I have used MANY of your videos/songs especially with middle school. A favorite is PAN. Kid’s love rap! Gracias Sr. Wooly por todo tu trabajo!
¡Ud. tiene razón, Sr. Wooly! My father is from Puerto Rico. I began learning Spanish in middle school and I was destined to become who I am today. I have the passion, have acquired a native accent (although my gringa accent comes through often) but your humor and talent along with TPRS have given me permission to go with the flow, not worry about the obscure authenticity 90% of my students will never learn! I am not a grammar queen and never will be! I stammer at least in my mind, whenever I try to decide when to use the subjunctive and if I just used the appropriate form or not…if I didn’t worry so much about these issues that I feel guilty about perhaps I would have had more conversations with many other wonderful people! Carry on Profe!
senoritagraham,
Yes, it never came naturally to me either. In fact, I even dropped out of Spanish in high school. Had to start over in college, and it wasn’t until I lived in Costa Rica that I became good at it.
And that guilt that comes with not being perfect at it is so absolutely silly. We don’t expect our math teachers to be amazing mathematicians at every level of math.
I don’t think that I could have said it better myself!! We all love your website and have had a lot of fun with the songs, music videos and games! Thank you!!!
I’m with you on this one Señor Wooly! I believe this so much that in my home with my two young children, I’m speaking only French…and French is my NON-Native language…and I’m surely far from perfect (I teach French & Spanish). I think it’s awesome how you have your students help you create your videos! And it’s definitely perfect that you perform YOUR songs…I’m sure no one else you could hire to sing would have the personal connection to them as you do!
Thank you for all that you do…and if your ears are ever ringing, it’s probably because I’m tweeting about you or sharing your links with my edmodo PLN or on my website.
Keep up the great inspirational work!
I totally agree with you. Here in California, where 40% of the population is of latino descent and most speak Spanish, I get that a lot. One nice thing about being surrounded by Spanish speakers, however, is that my students hear it being used and so they try to use it…because you’re so right about that word ‘authentic’. Who’s to say a non-native speaker speaking Spanish isn’t authentic?It’s shouldn’t be put in a box to be used another day.
Nicole, you are absolutely right about learning it from someone who learned it the same way. I know for a fact! I teach students mostly for whom English is their first language, as it was mine. I have also taught English at night to Spanish speaking adults. Teaching Spanish is much easier for me than teaching English! I understand how my students are approaching it (just as I did) whereas, the Spanish speakers have the monumental task of learning English and I have been speaking it my whole life. In other words, native speakers are not always best at teaching their own language (it was much harder for me anyway). Perhaps that’s why 80% of high school Spanish teachers are not native Spanish speakers (not sure where I got that stat….I read it somewhere).
Thanks to everyone for the really nice remarks. I definitely did not post this video blog to get compliments, but…well, they’re still nice to hear.
If you would like me to post more of these video blogs, let me know.
Your video blog brought back memories of my first day as a Spanish teacher. The other Spanish teacher at the high school was a native that told all her classes that Spanish was very difficult and many of them would fail her class. I was introduced to her in the office and she immediately went on a tirade in Spanish directed at me that she was in charge of the Spanish Department (we really didn’t have a Spanish Department) and that I had to follow her lead and teach what she taught and I was to answer to her. I was left with my mouth hanging open and flabbergasted that someone could be that nervy and rude. And to add to my frustration, I could only think of French at the moment (long story) so I answered her in English much more politely than I felt. I was the fourth Spanish teacher they had hired in four semesters and she was the reason why. I stuck with it and taught there for five years before moving to a different school.
I love these videos and songs and love how they inspire, entertain and demonstrate that Spanish is accessible and fun to my students. I have now taught Spanish for 11 years, I am a reader for the AP Spanish Language test, and am still trying to learn to speak better. I also teach English and am still working on that also! I am proud to be a member of our school’s Language Arts department which I feel is aptly named. Thank you for your videos, songs and your thoughts!
As a non-native speaker of Spanish, I feel that I can relate to the struggles of those trying to learn a new language and I can sympathize with their embarassment when they make mistakes especially in front of native speakers. Soooo, I have dared my students to use their Spanish in circumstances where they are most vulnerable. I call it “the Chipotle Challenge”. They have to go into the restaurant where there is almost always a long line of people waiting to order…and they must order in Spanish and speak loud enough for anyone near them in line to hear. Then they have to come back to share with the class how they felt, what was the reaction of the people behind the counter, etc. I include myself in that challenge…and let me assure you, it takes courage to stick your neck out like that in public. Some of the students who actually took the challenge come back with a bit of bravado for having had “the guts” to do it..It’s all part of using what you’ve learned in the classroom. Honestly, learning another language for the first time, especially in an artificial situation such as a classroom, is, in my humble opinion, far more difficult than the oft touted “rocket science” curriculum. The complexity of all that goes into that adventure far exceeds something you can learn by rote or by perusal. (How about that word?)
I agree as well as yet another non-native Spanish teacher. I think one of the most important parts of our job is to make the students love the language. ‘Authentic’ materials can be very intimidating to students, complicated sentences and fast speakers. Videos like yours along with books to read like ‘Los Baker Van a Peru’ or ‘Las Piratas del Caribe’ make the process of learning the language more fun.
By the way, I’ve been a huge fan for years – all the way back to when you only had ‘Billy la Bufanda’ – thank you for helping me teach my students.
1. Amen
2. Continue blogging
3. Oh, and thanks. Mil gracias.
Thank you for your site!
I am what you would call a native speaker. Born and raised in Ecuador I love having the chance to share my culture and I used your materials because my kids can relate to you and you teach them to have fun with it. Keep up the great work. I am a Big Fan.
We watch at least one of your videos everyday. I hear kids singing the songs outside of class. We love them and you. What I have been feeling really bad about, though, is that almost every day a student pleads, “We want to make a video too!!!.” I just sigh and say that I just don’t know how, and that’s true.
Señor Wooly – From what I’ve read in others’ remarks and from what you’ve said, I think many of us that are not native speakers share the same feelings. But, I LOVE the language and I LOVE sharing it with my students and they feel that and appreciate that. The fact that I’m not a native speaker and they see how much I enjoy the language, and that I welcome opportunities to learn more, helps to give them confidence that they too can be successful in their communication abilities in Spanish.
We can’t change the fact that we weren’t born “native Spanish speakers” but that surely shouldn’t hold us back from using, appreciating, and loving the language. You’re right…I visit my friend from la República Dominicana several times a month to practice my Spanish with her, and even though an outsider that would listen to us could quickly spot which of us is the “native speaker”, I AM COMMUNICATING with her in SPANISH. Clear evidence that…. I am a Spanish-speaker!!!
Please do continue to post video blogs! Many of us (especially Elementary level) Spanish teachers are a one man (or woman) band. You are a wonderful partner in crime whether you know it or not… thank you!
I feel the same way. I felt very nervous to start teaching Spanish because I felt like native speaking students and their parents would attack me for not being a native speaker. In fact, even into my 4th year, I still feel self-conscious at times, especially because my principal is a native Spanish speaker and I feel very put on the spot that, with him being billingual and never having had to learn another language to proficiency, he will find some fault with me and do away with me for not being a native speaker. I know this is irrational because if that were to happen, he would have done it already, but it’s hard to shake off the feeling of being insufficient for not being a native speaker. This summer, studying more Spanish in South America, I encountered a retired Spanish teacher who had taught for 25 years… with a very very strong English accent and what I considered to be poor grammar, despite a rich vocabulary. It sort of gave me confidence that, no, I don’t have to worry about being perfect. As long as I know more than my students and make an effort to expose them to native content and to continue to pass on what I know to them, then even if I am not perfect, I am still giving them a gift of a new language.
ok, so i am a native speaker, and while i have been teaching for 20+ years, i have never been so excited to teach as i am this year. not even exaggerating. i found your website last spring and signed up in the fall. haven’t looked back. your songs are hugely popular, and not just with my students. haha, i have the same “warped” sense of humor, so this stuff totally speaks to me
precisely because of the wild goofiness of it all, the kids are immediately at ease and just rolling with the language. for acquisition purposes i love the catchy tunes and the way kids want to listen to the songs over and over…that is a lot of unforced repetition!!! and yes, the kids relate so much more to seeing other kids their age. like you said, it creates a welcoming feeling rather than an elitist vibe. and of course you need to sing your own songs…duh!!! mil gracias 
Great video blog!! You are very entertaining to listen too and I hope you continue to upload more video blogs. I love your definition of “spanish speaker”. A lot of the time my students will say they can’t do something because they “don’t speak Spanish” to which I reply “Yes, you do.” They may not be 100% fluent yet, but they can certainly speak Spanish. There is always doubt in speaking a foreign language and it makes a lot of people uncomfortable to try to speak a language they are not 100% comfortable and confident in, but that doesn’t negate what they CAN do. Thank you again. I will be sharing this blog on twitter.
-justin
@spanishplans
Sr. W. aka Mr. James Wooldridge,
I enjoyed your video blog and reading all of the comments too. It really does help when we realize that we are not alone in our experiences as non-native AND native Spanish teachers. My surname with Sra. in front of it is a bit like the restaurant name, Carlos Murphy’s. It may seem incongruous for a woman with an Irish surname to be teaching Spanish but it really shouldn’t. It’s even my married name; I’m actually English and German. Who can explain one’s love for and fascination with the Spanish language or ANY language for that matter. The Spanish language is like a fun puzzle to me and there’s always one more fascinating piece to it that I hadn’t discovered before. I’ve been a Sr. Wooly subscriber for about three years now and it’s been the perfect mix of TPRS and Sr. Wooly materials along with some traditional lessons thrown in along the way for good measure. Do blog more….por favor.
Mil gracias, Sra. McC
What an inspirational post and what a great forum to discuss, comment and learn together here! Oh, Señor Wooly and all the great Spanish speakers/teacher above…I had a college professor (native speaker) in graduate school who made me feel as if I would never be an actual “Spanish-speaker”. My heritage is German and Irish…I have absolutely no authentic Spanish in my genetic make-up whatsoever and I never want my students to feel as I felt in grad school! My grad program was filled with native speakers who were all Spanish teachers and I envied them all. I started learning Spanish in high school and just absolutely LOVED my teachers, felt confident in my abilities and thought I made sense and could make sense of the Spanish language. You said it so perfectly in this post Señor Wooly. Language is about making meaning and communicating through a language so that others can understand you. Thank you for this post and thank you for your site. music, games, humor and obvious intelligence!
Your songs have changed the way I run my classroom and changed the way my students feel about “speaking” Spanish. I teach Spanish to K-8…your music has brought a great spice back into my classroom! Muchas gracias.
Lauren
Querido Wooly: Qué simpático eres!! Jajajaja! Yo creo que los que NO son native speakers tienen mayor conciencia de lo que cuesta aprender Español, nosotros los native speakers take it for granted that our students got it right the first time! y por lo tanto, los English speakers son mejores maestros en ese aspecto. Yo siempre recurro a mis amigos English-speakers para checar cómo voy con mi enseñanza. Y tus materiales son LO MAXIMO, a mis alumnos les fascinan!!! Y a mí también. Son las canciones que siempre quise tener para enseñar, y nunca se me hubieran podido ocurrir a mi. Eres un GENIO! Gracias! Lov ya! Nora
You are a legend in my school here in the UK. The students and I love what you do. It certainly helps drill key language.
Due to a crisis in the recruitment of languages teachers into the state system.(UK) I have had to learn my Spanish “on the job” I have learnt most of it through the internet using Skype/online courses. My main language is French. Therefore, I do feel a bit of a fraud. Also I have never lived in Spain. A couple of holiday ans that’s it!
But I am able to hold a fluent conversation over skype whilst sometimes checking wordreference.com for words.
I am honest with the students when I don’t know something (which isn’t often) So I agree with what you are saying.In the sense that we are always learning and there isn’t great divide between native and non-native.
Finally the UK is even worst than the US for our ability to pick up another language. MOst children don’t even study them anymore! (apart from the middle class ones!)
Anyway keep it up. Your work is brillant!
Jeanzk, thanks for continuing to follow my stuff. It really means a lot to me.
“The Chipotle Challenge” sounds absolutely awesome. If you don’t mind, I’m going to steal it and use it with my own classes.
Senoramiss, that sounds really painful. I often wonder why veteran teachers shun, ignore and often outright insult brand new teachers. Maybe it’s the same as new arrivals in a war. Since you don’t know if they’re going to survive, it’s not worth building a relationship.
SenoraSnipes, I didn’t really know how to make videos either. Just look at my house tour video. That was done with a sketch outline of a script, a friend with a camera, and 2-3 hours of goofing off. If it interests you, just start doing it. You’ll quickly find out whether you like it or not.
Angela,
I can definitely understand your fear of being “found out”. Frankly, we language teachers size each other too much on our talents. I’m pretty sure that history teachers aren’t looking at each other and thinking, “Yeah, but how much history does he REALLY know?” You should be a good Spanish speaker — of course you should. But you don’t have to be an amazing Spanish speaker to be a great Spanish teacher. Some of the worst Spanish teachers I had growing up were absolutely brilliant with the language.
Justin, thanks for tweeting about me. Really appreciate you helping to spread the word.
I think I have a Twitter account, but I’ve never sent out a single message. Maybe I should do that. I’m @senorwooly
Stopsley, that’s really interesting about UK being bad at studying other languages. I’ve always been under the impression that Europeans were amazing at it (due to the close proximity to other nations). Why do you think that is?
And thanks for the kind words. Glad to know that my stuff is getting viewed in the UK. My plan for worldwide domination is nearly complete.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and I agree with you! My students beg me to watch your videos and the truth is that I can’t always let them. Too much material to cover!!! However, every time I get a chance, I do use your materials. Bottom line, they enjoy it! Please keep making videos (and more unit-related videos)! Thanks for doing what you do. Also, It is hard for them to understand “authentic native materials” since we native speakers of any language speak too fast!
Karen Alberty
I agree with you when you say native speakers don’t own Spanish any more than we own English. This is my first year teaching, and I teach two classes of native Spanish — a daunting thought for me even now. I never will forget the looks on the students’ faces when they came into the class the first day and saw a gringa. It has been a long, hard road with them, but I think they’re finally beginning to understand I can teach them something they don’t know already. It’s high time we give up the notion that native speakers speak perfect Spanish. They don’t any more than we speak perfect English — a point I try to get my beginning Spanish students to understand when they feel overwhelmed. Thanks for your videos. My kids love them.
Anyone even trying to communicate in another language should be commended, not ridiculed. Many times, I’ve found, native Spanish speaking parents don’t want to talk to me in Spanish and pretend they don’t understand me so they don’t have to deal with their children when they are disrespectful at school. These are usually the children who were born in the U.S. but parents were born in Mexico. I’ve found many times that these students can’t read and or write Spanish the way I can as they were never taught this. Also, I tell the students I am teaching proper Spanish as they don’t have a class called Spanish Slang 101 at most colleges. Learning another language is supposed to be fun. That’s why in many schools it’s an elective. Whatever happened to taking a class to learn and have fun? I love your website and so don’t my students, especially at the middle school level. Your website also teaches my students the fun you can have using a language with technology. Keep up the good work! We look forward to learning another educational silly song.
“Spanish is a language … to communicate.” YES! SI – and we never know when – or where – that communication will take place. I started learning Spanish before the internet and before there were any Spanish-speakers where I lived. The first time I used the language outside the classroom was on a train in Yugoslavia, talking to the Greek sailors with whom I shared a second-class compartment. The overlap between classroom Spanish and deckhand Spanish was slight, but it was enough to give us a connection – and it gave me a shared lunch, some shared music, and a story for life! My kids are dumbfounded when I tell them about it.
Hola Sr. Wooly,
As you know I am your fun since I found your site. I even paid for the next two years so I do not forget to get during the summer. My boys love your song, they all beg me to listen to them. Since we are elementary school I have to choose carefully what songs to teach. I am a native speaker, but I have to say than my non-native colleagues know more Spanish grammar than me. I am not sure what kind of teacher put down other for not having a native speaking accent, but I can assure you than most of us are very happy to hear the “gringos” speak our language whether they have an accent or not. I do have an accent when I speak English, but I can communicate perfectly well. I do not think that most of the native teachers/speakers feel that way. Sorry, for your experience with the mom the first year of teaching. You know how moms can be. I also got from a mom one year when I started at the school I am teaching now, that my accent was not Castilian, therefore it was not the proper one. jajajajaja se imagina eso? So, there is always people that will make you feel bad no matter how good you are. And…… you are good. I just wish that you add more songs geared to our little community. Elementary school. I know I would love your songs and my students, too. Keep up the good work. I commend your imagination and creativity. Muchas gracias!
I love to see you and your studens performing. I guess that is so real and that is the main reason why the students love it!
You are so right. Plus I must say the people I have met that are AUTHENTIC speak incorrectly or have no idea about grammar. Slang or Spanglish is used a great deal of the time.
I think you are super great and AUTHENTIC as well!!!!!!
Keep up the amazing work.
My students LOVE Señor Wooly. They ask for the videos constantly. I actually hear them singing the songs in the hallway! I applaud your imagination and courage to create something fun for our kids. You have struck a chord with my Middle Schoolers that no other method or medium has been able to do. Keep it up. It makes my job easier.:)
An important point for any of your critics to remember is that you are teaching correct pronunciation and grammar in your videos. An authentic accent often gets in the way of clear communication and is not that useful anyway since there are an infinite number of accents in the world. I’ve had exchange students in my classes from almost every Spanish speaking country and there is no question that some are much easier to understand than others because of their unique accent. I take pride in not allowing any of my students to get away with using lazy or “gringo” pronunciation. I have always believed that the primary purpose for learning another language is to be able to communicate clearly, and that cannot happen if the language is spoken with poor pronunciation. Here is an example: How many times have you had students ask you what a word or phrase means and you have no idea since they can’t say it correctly? Many of these phrases were even “taught” to them by a native speaker. Keep up the good work! My students love your videos and I am confident that their learning is improving since your videos reinforce the grammar concepts that I am teaching.
Hoy es martes el 24 de enero.
Estoy de acuerdo con Ud. Sr. Wooly!
I had the same feelings when I first started teaching Spanish- Who am I to teach Spanish.
But, I changed my mind and have been enjoying and continue learning after 20 years of studying Spanish I still don’t “know it all”. and I don’t sweat it.
Hola, Sr. Wooly y profes:
Thanks for the blog and the comments! It got me thinking…with so many Spanish teachers that are passionate about what they do weighing in here, I’d love to see some ideas shared! Sr. Wooly, in your next blog could you share some ways that you use your videos/site. I’d love to hear how other teachers use the site, as well…there is so much you can do with it!
Gracias! Amanda Cisneros
Thank you Sr. Wooly for bringing this subject to light! Yes, we non-native speakers can be made to feel inadequate by some people, but for rthe most part, I think my perspective as a non-native speaker gives me a certain advantage when I am teaching my students. I am always telling them about real-life experiences I had when I used my Spanish and how when you beging to speak Spanish, you may not say everything perfectly, but if you at least TRY (and that is the first step – being brave enough to try!), most native speakers will listen and gently correct you (if you ask). This is how I learned to speak Spanish in a fluent way when I was living in Mexico and Argentina. I do think my perspective as a non-native speaker enables me to anticipate problems students may have in understanding the language structure and also in realizing WHY learning certain grammar (like irregular verbs) is important. Overall, I feel like it is an advantage because we know where they are coming from – heck, we were once there ourselves!!! I am STILL constantly asking my native-speaker comrade (who teaches Spanish 2 Pre-AP and is Columbian) to help me with my Spanish, and she DOES. I share this with my students – how today I learned such-and-such from Senora Harrington….. it is a lifelong process, but the process is the fun part!!! And most native speakers are so thrilled that you are trying to learn their language that they will gladly work with you.
Senor Wooly, I am using your videos almost daily. I have created grammar exercises to go with the songs where we dissect the song and what it means. My students love your songs and videos. It has revolutionized the way I teach because it is FUN, REAL, and is has a story to follow or a problem (like real life). Keep up the good work and know that you are helping so many students fall in love with the Spanish language and you are making my job FUN!!
Kim Earley at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, TX
Totally agree with you as a native speaker
Please Keep blogging and my students love your song!
You don’t know how much I appreciate all of you having this discussion! I teach 3 levels of Spanish at a small high school along the rugged coast of northern California and only one other teacher and I make up the foreign language department here! My colleague teaches mostly native Spanish classes although English is his dominate language too and i, pues yo soy 100% gringa with a great love for the Latino folks! We end our first semester this week and I’ve been feeling so inadequate lately dealing with the fact that I still make some mistakes when i speak, but I always tell my students that is how we learn…through trial and error.
Part of their final was to sit in my comfy chair and converse with me in Spanish with questions that they knew ahead of time….talking about real life….and that is my motto which is “MAKE IT REAL”…’cause just like Sr. Wooly said; “it’s all about communicating with others” and we know that learning the language of other people begins this wonderful journey that leads us into the heart of a culture itself where life is enriched, discoveries are made and we become more accepting and appreciative of one another.
Eve Oliphant at Fort Bragg High School
P.S. My three TA’s (teacher assistants) are native Spanish speakers. I invite native speakers into my classroom to share their way of cooking, traditions, music, celebrations, etc. I also give my students assignments where they have to interview native speakers about something (like their use of usted, etc.) We’ve also done “intercambios” with the ELD classes. Our community is about 30% Latino and the students are encouraged to use what they know right here in our little town. ¡Es maravilloso ser bilingüe!
Sr. Wooly – you are absolutely right! I have been teaching for the past 13 years. I lived in Spain where the “authentic” Spanish is spoken and I try to instill the desire in to my students that they can learn “authentic” Spanish as well. I teach them that language is shared; that’s the beauty of the Spanish language. Spaniards are pleased as punch when I or we try to learn the language because they feel it’s a ownership – not because it’s theirs, but because they want us “gringos” to like them – owners of the language!
You are a stud! And my students love your stuff!
Thanks so much for posting this, Sr. Wooly. Listening to what you had to say and reading all of the comments was like therapy for me. I am in the middle of my first year teaching, and this was definitely something I needed to hear before going into the second semester.
Hey Sr. Wooly, this was a great post. You are completely right, no one person own a language. I’m a native speaker who happens to be a Spanish teacher and in my classes I teach everything that will be useful for my students without caring one bit if it’s “authentic” or not… My students absolutely love “Puedo ir al baño”. I teach in the Chicago Public Schools and as you probably know –since you are our neighbor– we have very limited resources. It would be great if we could get some kind of special rate to complete access!!!!! Un fan, EM
Wow, I can’t believe so many teachers feel the same way. I know I do a good job teaching Spanish because it was hard for me to learn, but I always feel a little embarassed speaking with the other teachers at my school.
I LOVE using non-native materials because, especially at the lower levels, the native speakers are just too hard to understand for beginners. My Spanish 1 high school students even have pen-pals who are Spanish 1/2 students in Wisconsin. But they are so excited to get their letters, spot mistakes, and communicate in Spanish. I don’t think they’d take that level of ownership of the language if they didn’t understand or felt intimidated trying to communicate.
Magnífico, Señor Wooly! I have recently discovered your site and I’m am enthralled and inspired. I really connect with the bold humor you use! Your videos have me in hysterics and awe, and I show anyone who will give me 5 minutes of their time. As I showed the first video to my middle schoolers today, I exclaimed, “Amazing, right? I wish he had been MY middle school Spanish teacher!” I made an amateur “meses del año” rap/music video with them last year and I am inspired to keep on keepin on!
In relation to your video blog, I empathize. Students and parents either ask where I’m from, how I learned Spanish, or if I’m really fluent. Even one of my 2nd graders asked me today, “so can you like speak a lot of Spanish?” I smiled and proudly responded, “A ton! Want to hear?” My first year teaching, last year, most students just asked me what it was like growing up in Mexico…mind you I’m blonde/blue eyed-clearly Scandinavian. At the most recent open house/admissions night though, nobody seemed surprised that the Spanish teacher “didn’t look Spanish!” have I begun to make a name for myself?! Well, no pun intended, but I credited it to my husband of 6 months who so graciously gave me the last name of Sánchez.” “Me llamo Señora Sánchez” does all the talking! Ha!
Totalmente de acuerdo. Soy profesora de inglés y de español y soy española. Durante mucho tiempo me sentí profesora ¨de segunda clase¨ cuando enseñaba inglés; afortunadamente, ya hace mucho que tiempo que dejé de creerme un patito feo cuando me comparaba con un nativo ;O)
Desgraciadamente, sigue habiendo gente que piensa que un nativo te va a enseñar su idioma mejor. La buena noticia es que cada vez son menos.
El mejor profesor de idiomas es aquel que es simplemente un buen profesor y sabe crear un ambiente fluido entre él y sus alumnos y entre los alumnos donde el aprendizaje del idioma tenga como fin la comunicación, no la pronunciación perfecta o la gramática perfecta. Ahora que también enseño español me doy cuenta de que el hecho de ser nativa no hace que sea mejor profesora. Es mi formación y mis habilidades como profesora las que hacen que tenga éxito.
Excellent site and work!
Hola Sr. Wooly! I’m a native speaker from Spain and I teach my own language. And I totally agree with your point! I speak English with some accent, and with some mistakes, but I can definately speak English and get my message across. I believe this is the important thing of learning a second language: to be able to communicate!
I do use your site with my middle school students, and they love it! They sing your songs all the time, and I really like it too! Muchas gracias!
I love that you made this point. It is difficult when teaching students as a non-native. However, I think it does show them that YES, they CAN learn Spanish, regardless of their background. I teach in the coalfields of West Virginia, and we often joke about “redneck Spanish.” However, I still think sincerely that this is STILL Spanish.
My kids love your videos by the way. Keep up the great work.
i love this…especially the point of how important it is to have our students see us having fun…even if we aren’t perfect…our passion for language is why we teach in the first place…and that comes across…even with our funny accents…:)