Lauren

I have taught all levels, from preschoolers through adult language learners in college, and have a wide variety of techniques and resources at my disposal to help students master skills and concepts. For me, it's the relationships I form with my students that matter the most; I like to build lessons around my students' needs and interests to keep them engaged in the lessons and to show them how they can use their new language for self-expression and in everyday life. I have several philosophies I follow when working with students: I stress focusing on strengths instead of concentrating on weaknesses, rewarding the effort instead of the outcome, and sticking by my students by being their biggest cheerleader. During my graduate work I met my husband, then a graduate student in French, and we've had a wonderful life speaking French at home, traveling to French-speaking countries and raising our daughter bilingual French-English. As I am also a former Spanish teacher, living in Texas is like a dream - it's so easy to speak and learn Spanish in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (although I hear quite a bit of French here, too!) Any French or Spanish students are bound to find ample opportunities to practice their new language skills.

Keeping students engaged in a subject can be tricky. By knowing my students personally, I can tailor the lessons to fit their interests. For instance, if they like football, instead of just practicing adjectives in Spanish I can ask the students to describe the football player they admire the most. Other ways to keep students engaged are to begin with easier material and material the students have already mastered as a warm up, and then gradually transition to more difficult material. One can also to change up how the lessons are presented, switching between reading, drills, a short conversation, a You Tube video, etc. to keep the momentum going. "Reward the effort, not the outcome" is my mantra as both a teacher and a parent. If students are struggling it is imperative to show how the work they put in usually pays off in better grades.