User:Cojames

Hello! My name is Courtney and I am junior at ODU. I am double majoring in Spanish and Education and I am minoring in Philosophy. Baisically, I will be a student here at ODU forever, because after I graduate I plan on getting my masters in Spanish. I want to teach spanish at the middle school level, or possible teach in a spanish speaking country.

I currently substitute teach in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Being in the classroom has taught me a lot about how students learn, how they interact with each other, and what activities the students enjoy the most. I belive that classes need to be high energy with little time for gaps where teachers often assign busy work. Also, hour and a half class periods do not work to keep the students attention to the subject. After the first hour, the students get restless and that can cause a disruption in the classroom. Bells should be short and sweet with high energy.

Since I will be teaching a language, I think that the most important part in my class will be oral communication. I want the students to be comfortable and excited to learn to speak a different language. Practice and repition are key in learning a language. I will also put an important emphasis on culture in spanish speaking countries. Learning about oher cultures will hopeflly allow my students to be more tolerant. What I really want is for my students to look forward to coming to my class, I want to make the class as enjoyable as possible with lots of fun and creative activities that will keep my students attention. I want them to go home and tell thier families about how much fun they had, and want to show family and friends what they have learned.