The Cardinal

Abby Arace, Beginning Teachers Chair
French Teacher, New Albany Middle School

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. Ann Marie Willis is a Spanish teacher at New Albany Middle School in Columbus, Ohio. This is their 2nd year teaching Spanish.

Samantha Colby, OFLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair
Toledo Technology Academy of Engineering

In a world that is becoming more diverse and language is being used to understand and communicate with others, OFLA must ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are at the core of everything we do. To help create an inclusive space where members and language students feel supported, OFLA has committed to adopting a formal DEI statement. 

Why does a DEI statement matter?

A DEI statement is not just a line of text on a website but a pledge to foster an inclusive space. As members of OFLA and language educators, we are dedicated to promoting intercultural understanding and communication among our students and those in our community. It is necessary that we have a statement that encompasses our association’s core values. 

Jonathan Harris, OFLA Early Language Learning Chair
Spanish Teacher, St. Gabriel Consolidated School

Before I proceed with this article, let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Jonathan Harris and I have been teaching Spanish in grades K-8 at St. Gabriel Consolidated School for nearly twenty years. One of the questions parents regularly ask is a recommendation of an app. I love this question because it shows a passion for the language and a willingness to learn the language on their own time. Listed below are a few apps that have been recommended by NNELL, the National Network for Early Language Learners. The list below are their descriptions and recommendations by their advocacy committee as their recommended apps for parents. Please feel free to use any of these apps and if you are aware of a great one that isn’t included, please notify me (in the comment section) with the name of the app with a brief statement on why you like it. 

Examining Systemic and Classroom Factors in Program Decline 

Dawn N. Michael, OFLA Recruitment & Retention Chair
Reynoldsburg City Schools

This August I unexpectedly became department lead. This was not unwelcome, but a surprise, and it threw me into a position of both advocacy and responsibility. One of the pressing issues at hand was examining the changes in our program numbers in French and Spanish. Given that this is a common challenge world language teachers are facing across our state, I am sharing an outline of the factors I am considering and reflecting upon as I advocate for the programs in my district. I will explain these in general terms so as to  apply them to any district, not just mine.