#Langchat

I started doing #langchat twitter discussions after reading about them on blogs like Musicuentos and Sra. Spanglish Rides Again. I wasn’t sure that I could keep up with the people in the discussion. I felt like I was way out of my league, but I jumped in with both feet and got started sharing my opinions/experiences about the topics.

Then, something happened that kinda blew me away-all these people whose blogs I have followed and whose ideas I’ve tried to incorporate into my own teaching were responding to my posts. They were listening to what I had to say and giving me positive feedback and constructive criticism.

Sometimes, there can be a wall that we put up around the people whose work we admire, making them seem impenetrable. They seem like they are so awesome and inspiring, like they can do no wrong. Why would they respond to what I have to say? After langchatting, though, I have a different feeling about it. People I’ve never met in person have taken me under their wing, so to speak, and have guided my thinking about all manner of teaching methods and practices.

#langchat has brought me into a world that I never knew existed, a world where I’m not alone as the only language teacher at my school. For the last four years teaching at my school, I have done things based on my gut instincts and the things that I learned in methods classes. Now, I have found a community of people to bounce ideas off of, to let me in on new practices and ideas, to build me up when I have a bad day.

Thank you all!