1.

I learned that you need to walk into every situation with your eyes wide open and with
and open heart. If you go into each Field Placement, or classroom, with preconceived
notions about students or the environment that youll be in, you may miss the small
nuances all around. Each dynamic between the students in one class may not be the same
as another, so each time you visit a different class period...the strengths and commitment
made not be the same level as their counterparts.
2. I figured out that just because a teacher is a teacher, that does not make them the best
person for that job. It sounds pessimistic, however I was completely walking into this
situation with rose colored glasses and assumed that the class would be a functioning,
well informed, and conversing (level appropriate) set of students. This was not the case.
I, at first, questioned if my standards were too high, but then remembered back when I
was a highschool student and this was unlike that time period, or even another language
in that school with the same grade levels. At that level, these students should practice
more to learn from their mistakes and accomplishments. I later learned that she was a
Lateral Entry Teacher and was good on paper, but had no education for being an
accomplished educator.
3. I learned that patience is not only a virtue, but necessary for being around students with
educational and disciplinary needs that are being addressed. Sometimes its not widely
known about what their main concern may be. Maybe it is long term or something that
can be fixed in the interim to allow for better language acquisition. Most students go
through something at one time or the other, but those that have certain special needs that
aides them with learning may not share their struggles, so be patient and understanding so
that you can give them what they need to succeed.
4. I figured out that if and when you are entering the classroom, leave your troubles at home
and walk into each visit with a big smile and happy voice throughout the visit because the
kids enjoy it and respond better to someone they think cares about what they are doing,
and is genuinely interested in their day. If you can accomplish this on your visits, then
you set up a good foundation for a fruitful partnership.
5. I came to the conclusion that technology may be good for an aid in language research,
but shouldnt be used as a crutch for the students on every lesson. This usage of the
internet and Chromebooks can cause them to lose site of their proverbial mission of
acquisition because they are given the answers easily instead of making the proper
connections between textbooks, notes, classwork, etc. Meaning that they do not put into
practice what was taught via the other mediums.
6. I learned that even at my age, I can still learned from the students. I was pleasantly
surprised once by a student who was given the assignment of an Acrostic Poem to
describe himself. He put so much work into finding colorful adjectives to describe what
made him what was essentially HIM! He had so much articulation, passion, and drew a
colorful picture in my minds eye. I was so pleased with him, because normally this
young man is a goofball and wont pay attention, but not this time! So I go back to the
 statement before of you may not know what a kid is going through, because I later
learned that he started new meds for ADHD. What a difference and a change.
7. I found out that perfection is not always the main goal with students when trying to get
them to learn a foreign language. You must put yourself out there just as much as youd
like them to do. Make mistakes, keep at it, and never think failure is in your path. The
students will accept shortcomings only if they are led to believe that they are capable of
just that; something less than perfect. Encourage them to try and they might surprise you.
8. Walking around and showing a steady presence encourages the students to stay on task
and that you are there to aid them if needed. There were times I observed the students
shut down and play on YouTube or their phones if they thought their teacher wasnt
going to circulate around the room. A positive presence around the room helps instill a
more uniformed and functioning classroom environment with less distractions for those
who actually wish to learn. Plus the teacher takes less time with discipline and more on
instruction.
9. I also figured out that busy work, language packets, or textbook exercises are useless
without having them use the language and practice their pronunciation & content with
their classmates to help reinforce what they learned from the written assignments. To run
a classroom (foreign language) like this defeats the purpose of learning to speak
French. Its setting them up for less than perfect results in the future. As a language
student myself, I know that if Im not made to practice speaking with others Id lose
language content acquisition and become rusty and ill-prepared for future classes.
10. But most of all, I learned that you have to give yourself a break once in awhile. As my
favorite saying goes: "a ne se fera pas en un jour; mais un jour a se fera!" (It won't
happen in a day, but one day it will happen!). I have to remind myself of this everyday because
Im impatient when I am not perfect while trying to accomplish my goals. After all, Im only
human...I always tell the kids this, but fail to remember it for myself.