Have you ever had a class mascot in class? A stuffed animal, puppet or doll of any kind? If you haven’t, consider giving it a try. With my middle and high school students, I had a monkey named Gaston. I used Gaston when I needed someone to “talk to” in class to demonstrate a conversation or activity I was expecting the students to do. Gaston was also there when I needed someone to “respond” to me for those same purposes: demonstrating, modeling, speaking, etc. Can I also just mention Gaston was super willing to demonstrate how faire la bise works with my beginners! Gaston was always my first volunteer to have sentences written about him. He was a good sport when my intermediate learners were learning the passé composé, for example. I shared a whole story about Gaston’s escapade with his banana on the bus. Quel désastre! I knew my boundaries when it came to secondary language learners and a stuffed animal, and I stayed within those limits. I think they just thought I was crazy for always “talking” to a stuffed animal. But did they understand my expectation of the coming partner conversation? Yes. Why? Because they had seen it demonstrated ahead of time between myself and Gaston. And now I have the experience of teaching preschoolers. And not just any preschooler. TWO YEAR OLDS. No, that was not a typo. Two-year-old preschoolers. Say what?! God asked me to do something I have never asked or imagined I would do (proof of Ephesians 3:20): He asked me to teach preschool this school year. I couldn’t deny nor ignore the opportunity and nudging. I obeyed. Side note: Boy, have I learned a lot (humility, patience, empathy, and perspective, to name a few)! I also have new gratitude for preschool teachers…wow! They are amazing. Special, one-of-a-kind. I wanted to share how I incorporate some fun French into our mornings that the children LOVE. Can you guess what I’m going to share? Yep…Introducing…drum roll… Hibou, our French-speaking owl puppet. He’s a gem, super patient and full of grace. The children listen to Hibou and look at him in wonder and curiosity. I have incorporated songs into our time with Hibou and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the children catch on and sing the words. Even for the children who aren’t forming words yet, they sure yell “ÇA VA!” during the “Bonjour!” song. Their “ça va!” sounds like “ba ba!” but they are singing (aka yelling) and doing the motions with Hibou. They LOVE him. I’ll share three of the songs we do with Hibou:
Bonjour les enfants! Bonjour les enfants, comment ça va ? (teacher sings & waves Hibou left to right) ÇA VA ! (children throw their arms in air and sing) Bonjour les enfants, comment ça va ? ÇA VA ! (children throw their arms in air and sing) Ça va bien, ça va mal, ça va comme ci comme ça (thumbs up, thumbs down, hand slant side to side) Bonjour les enfants, comment ça va ? ÇA VA ! (children throw their arms in air and sing) Tourne, Tourne, Petit Moulin (Mes Comptines pour Danser © E&D, Night & Day Library) Tourne, tourne, petit moulin (move hands round and round) Frappent, frappent, petites mains (clap hands) Vole, vole, petit oiseau (flying motion) Nage, nage, poisson dans l’eau (swimming fish motion) Beau front (Un Deux Trois, First French Rhymes, ©Frances Lincoln Limited 1995) Beau front (point to forehead) Beaux yeux (point to eyes) Nez de cancan (point to nose) Bouche d’argent (point to mouth) Menton fleuri (point to chin) Guili-guili-guili. (tickle Hibou) This song might be their favorite simply because they get to tickle Hibou’s tummy avec un petit doigt. Gaston is loved by his middle and high school French friends. Likewise, Hibou is loved by his preschool friends. They have both brought a lot of joy and learning into our classrooms. Do you incorporate puppets into your teaching? Tell me how!
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I am a teacher and I struggle with confidence. Do you?
Yes, it is true. I am a teacher and I struggle with confidence. Well, actually, I struggle with confidence in other parts of my life, too. Let’s add parenting and teacher-author business to the list, too. I will go through spurts where I teeter-totter back and forth between lacking confidence and then comfortable with where I am. Times where it weighs on me and times when I just keep moving along, doing the best I can. The times when it weighs on me, my thoughts look like this:
So, how do I cope? I wish I could say a hot sugar-free vanilla chai could do the trick, but it doesn’t, and it won’t. If I were to deny the only One who gives me life, then I deny all. Jesus, for me, is how I cope. I confess all the yuck of my heart (envy, greed, lack of contentment, lack of self-worth, placing my value in man’s hands) through tears and confession and He renews me. Let me share what it was like for me just last week. I was feeling less than with our teacher-author business. All those questions I already mentioned consumed my head. I was tired of feeling this way and wanted it to go away. I was swatting all those yucky fleas swarming around me and it wasn’t working. Finally, as I shared my struggles with the other half of French with the Hobbs (my wonderful husband), the tears dropped, he prayed, and I fell asleep. The next morning, I felt noticeably and positively better. Alone the next morning, I gave all my battles to the only One who can give me the self-worth, strength, and life I need. This is how I fight my battles. Instead of trying to swat it all away, I ask, “how can I be used and molded to turn groaning into glory?” Ignore and forget the lies, fear, and deception of Satan. I believe God gave me a passion for teaching and I am good at it. God led me to a teacher-author business because we can make effective resources to help other secondary French teachers. I am somebody. I am right where I need to be at this moment in my life. I will keep my eyes on things above, not on earthly things. I believe God will take care of me, even in ways I don’t ask or can’t imagine because of His power that is at work in me. So back to those heavy questions with renewed eyes:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) “Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (1 Peter 3:4) CONFIDENCE. It’s hard. It’s real. I am not the only one with confidence issues. If you’ve read thus far in this post, then you struggle, too. Let me leave you with the only words that can truly encourage: Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. (Proverbs 3:25-26) But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. (Jeremiah 17:7) I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13) Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence , so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) So do not throw away your confidence , it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36) May you go forward full of confidence in the One who loves you more than you know. Love, Andi |
Who are the Hobbs?Originally, we are from the Midwest and the East; however, our paths took us to Angers, France where we met and fell in love. Archives
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