Recently Spanish 3 students at my school have been exploring different social and conservation problems through news, stories, and videos. While social activism is not exactly on the forefront of any of these sixteen year olds’ brains, I have found that there are 3 factors which play a very large role in student buy-in and […]

On those mornings when thoughts about helping a particular student or trying out a new activity jolt me out of sleep way too early, it is comforting to know that Jody Schneider is already up and grappling with something similar. I know this because she once offered to meet me at 5am! I consider Jody […]

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” John C. Crosby WAFLT members are invited to participate in our mentoring program, one of the many benefits of membership. WAFLT supports mentor partners by establishing connections and providing resources to the partners as requested throughout the professional development […]

YOU are an advocate!   How do we internalize and carry forward the positive and energizing messages from the 2018 WAFLT World Language conference? If you were in the audience for the keynote address, you heard these powerful words from the keynote speaker, Dr. Edward M. Zarrow, 2016 ACTFL National Teacher of the Year. “A world […]

As we approach conference season with WAFLT and ACTFL just around the corner, many of us are getting excited for the new ideas, the networking, the recharge to our batteries. In addition to teaching language classes, for the past 25 years I have spent many hours in classrooms observing others and working one on one […]

One of the best things about the beginning of a new school year is the chance to rethink and reset our good intentions. Because of our passion for learning languages, one of those intentions is surely advocating for learning another language and connecting to other cultures. We know that it is vital to have quick […]

As we all begin to prep for our return to our classrooms, one of theearly lessons in the year I look forward to is having the conversation with students about why languages matter and why it is important to learn about other cultures and communities. To me, this is a pivotal portion of my work […]

Diverse stakeholders join forces to support language learning Speaking out about the value of learning   languages   comes naturally to World Language teachers. We have experienced the joy of connecting with other individuals and cultures through language and are eager to share that joy with others. However, our advocacy efforts can feel lonely and frustrating when […]

The 2018 WAFLT Summer Institute is just around the corner. To help folks get charged for this year’s theme, “Digging Deep: Comprehensible Input, Authentic Resources and Growing Professionally,” it seemed appropriate to share a few definitions and current resources from the web that provide a range of thought on this topic.   First, What is CI? […]

Reprinted with permission from Maria Pulcini and JNCL-NCLIS. On February 15-16, the Joint National Committee for Languages – National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS), the authority on language policy in Washington, DC, hosted its annual conference, Language Advocacy Day. Unique in the field, the event affords the opportunity for those in the language learning and […]