The Cardinal

Kirsten Halling, OFLA Public Relations and Advocacy Chair
Professor/Chair, Wright State University

World language teachers can easily recite the multitude of personal and professional benefits of language learning – stronger communication skills, better understanding of English grammar and syntax, the ability to think on your toes and creatively work within the constraints of limited vocabulary, heightened cultural awareness, improved memory function and brain flexibility, robust problem-solving skills, and the list goes on.

But can learning a language save your life? Of course, if you’re stuck in a foreign country and you need to communicate to eat and find shelter, knowing another language augments your chances for surviving and thriving. But what of those junior high and high school students who haven’t yet gone abroad? Can language learning help them navigate the tender years of self-discovery and doubt? Can learning about new cultures and different ways of thinking be a beacon of light in the darkness? For some children, the answer is clear, as evidenced by the following testimony from an Ohio French teacher. 

Julia Thomas, OFLA Early Language Learning Chair
Spanish Teacher, Oberlin City School

One thing that a parent commented on last year during online teaching was how I taught my kindergarten students examples of respect and how to treat each other only using Spanish. The parent said that as their student watched me on screen and listened to me say things like, “Is it respectful to talk while the teacher talks?” and, “Is raising your hand respectful?” they could understand what I was saying and saw students respond positively, showing that they understood. 

That comment really stuck with me as I continued on through the year. The fact that, even over the Zoom platform, students could see, understand, and interact, was very encouraging to me. 

I want my students to love learning and to enjoy Spanish class. More than that, I want them to be kind, considerate, empathetic humans; therefore, I try to instill in my students the idea that they are kind and respectful, that they can make smart choices, and that they are cared for.

Megan Brady, OFLA Beginning Teacher Committee Chair
Spanish Teacher, Northwest Local Schools

The OFLA Beginning Teacher Committee is working hard to connect with new teachers and to support them in becoming excellent, innovative, resourceful, and long-lasting world language teachers. Our goal is to provide a network of resources, strategies, and tools for new teachers. We want new teachers to know that they are not alone, and that OFLA is here to help them. To this end, we will be interviewing new teachers throughout the year and highlighting them in The Cardinal. Jamey Howie is a Spanish teacher at Canton Central Catholic High School in Canton, Ohio. This is his third year teaching Spanish.

1. What is your favorite thing about being a teacher?

My favorite thing about being a teacher and a coach is building relationships with the students and seeing them grow as students and people. I really enjoy helping students build the confidence to try something they haven’t done before in the classroom and on the court, supporting them when they fall short, and celebrating with them when they do eventually succeed.

As remote learning ends, classroom technology is here to stay!

Lauren Racela, OFLA Technology Integration Committee Chair
French Teacher, Milford High School 

As we jump into a new school year, many of us are grateful to be back in a face-to-face school environment. After a variety of different remote and hybrid environments, many teachers are reflecting on a few of their favorite technology pieces from last school year that they can keep in their plans for this year. For this article, I consulted with the members of the Technology Integration Committee to compile a list of technology supports we are carrying over from last year into this school year. 

New Program Provides Continuation of Immersion Pathway

Marcia Davis, OFLA Secondary Language Learning Chair
World Language Middle School, Columbus City Schools

On August 26, 2021, Columbus City Schools welcomed 325 students to World Language Middle School or WLMS, as this brand new language school opened in the freshly renovated former Dominion Middle School building in Clintonville.

Guided by the principles of academic rigor and inclusivity, WLMS continues and enriches the immersion pathway by bringing together a multilingual community of leaders. Our global educational environment will advance knowledge, critical thinking, and cultural awareness in all students.

This brand-new program is affectionately known as THE MOVEMENT! Our goal is to continue and enrich the immersion pathway through which students from our feeder elementary schools, Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy, Ecole Kenwood French Immersion Academy, and our English language learner newcomers from Columbus Global Academy, can continue to learn and grow as we advance knowledge, critical thinking, and cultural awareness in all students as we build a multilingual community of leaders.

Ryan Wertz and Kathy Shelton, World Language Consultants, Ohio Department of Education

As autumn in Ohio gets underway, we are grateful for everyone’s efforts to keep classrooms up and running as the pandemic continues to challenge our collective ability to educate students. This moment in time continues to present myriad challenges to educators and learners alike.  We admire your perseverance, and we laud your continuing efforts on behalf of your students.  We have heard so many heartwarming stories of success and triumph over adversity these past several months. Recently, we were able to get out and visit a few Ohio schools – our first such visits since Fall 2020.  When you are an educator who no longer works in a classroom setting – or even in an office setting with other educators, visits like these are really good for the soul as they reaffirm all the great things that are happening in world language classes around the state. We are so proud of your recent accomplishments, and we encourage you to keep up the fight on behalf of Ohio’s K-12 learners!

Alondra Pacheco, Ohio Buckeye AATSP President 

Spanish Teacher, University School, Hunting Valley

AATSP’s 103 Annual Conference this past July in Atlanta was a resounding success. The conference gave educators from the United States a chance to meet and reenergize for the new school year. We look forward to our 104^th Annual Conference in Puerto Rico 2022. The conference theme, Valorando nuestras raíces y construyendo nuestro futuro / Valorizando nossas raízes e construindo nosso futuro, encourages us to embrace our roots as we build our future. The deadline to submit a conference proposal is October 15.

The National Spanish Examinations is celebrating student achievement with a special Shout Out. Nominations are accepted for our student spotlight and winners receive a special prize from the NSE office.
National Teach Spanish Week took place Sunday, September 26- Sunday, October 3^rd. The purpose of National Teach Spanish Week (NTSW) is to promote the teaching of Spanish as a profession, to call attention to the current Spanish teacher shortage nationwide, and to emphasize the importance of Spanish as a world language. In recognition of National Teach Spanish Week, the AATSP will be giving away free First-Year Memberships. These memberships will be good for the rest of 2021 and all of 2022.

(Or saving a world language program generally)

Dr. Roger Anderson
Assistant Professor of International Languages & Cultures, Central State University

Last week, Dr. Benjamin Rifkin -professor of Russian at Hofstra University- gave an insightful talk to participants and members of the ACTFL SIG on Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL’s).  His points were particularly astute because of his experience as an avid Russian linguist and instructor, as well as an administrator in higher ed previously.  Find his bio here:  https://www.hofstra.edu/faculty/fac_profiles.cfm?id=6653

The talk was highly informative for LCTL educators in institutions of higher education, but with recent legislative moves to devalue world language education, Ohio educators of all languages- commonly and less commonly taught- should pay attention, in K-12 and higher education alike.  Moreover, the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Modern Language Association reported that 650 world language programs ended in institutions in only three years, between 2013-2016.  These are terrifying numbers. Language programs cannot afford to be low-hanging fruit because low hanging-fruit will get cut.

What follows is a very brief summary of some key points he offered.  Attendees of the ACTFL 2021 Conference will be able to hear Dr. Rifkin speak on these issues and interact with him in a “simulive” session.  He graciously allowed me to summarize some of his points with fellow OFLA members. 

The Founding of Ohio’s “City of the Gauls”

Dr. Roger Anderson, Central State University, Assistant Professor of International Languages & Cultures

Ohio history is full of neat stories with French connections.  Ohio’s French instructors can draw from this heritage, or at least be aware of how modern Ohio has been influenced by French-speaking peoples.

Gallipolis (pronounced by locals as “ga-la-poh-LEES”) is a village on the Ohio River town with picturesque views and a very unique history.  Even its name, and the name of its county, “Galia,” evoke its French origins (remembering that ‘Gaul’ was the Roman name for France).  It is a story with particular resonance in today’s era of scammers and less-than-honest marketers. 

Alexis Blum, Spanish Teacher, Minster High School

Welcome back to school, OFLA! It felt like this summer flew by and August came and went before I had the chance to even think about school. If you’re anything like me, the start of this school year seemed to come very quickly and has been fast and furious ever since. The past two school years have had teachers across the country questioning their practices and changing their approach to almost everything in their classrooms. One thing that has kept me grounded in my classroom was establishing and maintaining classroom routines. By setting and maintaining my classroom routine, I also clearly communicate expectations for each student. 

When I talk about classroom routine, I’m talking about the general outline and flow to my lesson. Every day, I greet my students at the door and they must give me a password to come in. The password, usually something related to class but sometimes just for fun, is established every Monday, and they repeat it for the entire week. If I’m not standing at the door, my students wait for me. This routine is established in the first week of school, and my students know that I hold them accountable to this routine. It is also nice because my students hold me accountable to this as well, calling to me if I’m not at the door, or bombarding me with passwords when I do get to the door. This has become such a common practice in my room that older students will shout out old passwords as they walk by in an attempt to help their younger friends or joke with their classmates about knowing (or not knowing!) the password.