When discussing teaching people ask me what grade and subject I preferred. Without a doubt French comes in first place. Whether in the junior high or at the high school, my students arrived entirely, or pretty much so, unaware of the intricacies of learning a new language.
Considerations include pronunciation (the spelling of French words escapes explanation as to how to say a word until unique rules come to light), grammar (the best way to understand English is to study a foreign language as word placement and various tenses are critical), and then nuance.
The last one is probably the most fun as it reflects cultural encapsulation of terms. A “crepe” can be prepared with varying methods and cookware and taste delicious. However, when you purchase one from a huge, Parisian street vendor’s skillet, filled with chocolate delight beyond belief, you truly comprehend the complexity of this special item.
It is also exciting to build on language background. Students who spoke, or better yet read and wrote in Spanish, had a distinct advantage. Since both languages are “romance” languages many commonalities exist. Pronounced differently, grammatical rules were similar and when handed a book in French, those who read Spanish could translate with amazing ease. These students were not second language learners but third! What a gift for life and for the brain.
The grade level with French, from 6th grade through seniors didn’t seem to matter as long as students realized that attaining skill in a new language required paying attention and practicing – orally, in writing, and through reading.
My upper-level students may recall the Amsco workbook. The most inclusive language tool I’ve ever discovered, rote practice of new skills pays off with sound language acquisition. Fussing, the students made their case for “No required workbook exercises.” (Amsco or otherwise). OK, I thought, Let’s see. So, homework became optional as each day we reviewed specific content (in French, of course) as students primed themselves for the traditional Friday quiz.
Week 1 of our experiment: happy students; declining test scores. Week 2: less happy students; lower test scores. And eventually Week 6: unhappy, lost, confused students; abysmal test scores. “Please require homework!”
This developed into frenzied efforts to catch up to succeed on the 9-week exam. They wanted good grades and also knew that the National French Exam landed in April and being competitive, they wanted to surpass one another as well as every other student in Nevada. Determination arose as Lowry often had the top 3-5 students in the state.
A final aspect of teaching French involved the generosity of Home Ec. teachers who offered us the kitchen several times per year. Crepes, French onion soup, Tarte Tatin, quiche, and Buche de Noel – we tried a variety of recipes and tasted many delicious products. In groups of 3-5, each had the same ingredients and the same recipe, but nothing ever turned out the same. Personal variation beat out sameness. I hope that a little culture and a lot of language made a lifelong difference for my students.
I also loved teaching 8th grade English. You may have heard disparaging remarks about adolescents, but I affirm they are the best: wise, honest, inquisitive, and demanding of top-level instruction. 8th graders write far beyond what might be perceived as their capabilities. Seeing the world and life through the lens of purity, words and ideas flow in magical patterns. Students recognize that safety abounds in writing – write it, read it back, reflect on the ideas and ideals, then share, tuck away, or toss. Writing clears the brain of fret, worry, and the non-savory elements of life and replaces them with relief and increased understanding.
Openness reveals the deepest thoughts; covertness exposes the writing but hides it with a cloud of protection. If we all wrote our anger first and then edited what should be said aloud, things might just roll more smoothly.
My 8th graders diverted peer pressure by being original as they established themselves as thinking and capable beings, a skill for surviving the rigors and demands to come. I encouraged outlook expansion through reading and research, not taking the author’s words as the end-all/be-all, but rather examining, rethinking, and double-checking facts versus hearsay then re-formulating opinion. While some discourage developing deep perspective in kids, I find it to be inspiring. Examples, in reading fiction, especially historical fiction, searching offers verifiable background; for non-fiction, two or more sources clarify statements.