After two full weeks of taking Spanish classes and living with a Spanish speaking family, I am ready for a break! I am not sure how much more my brain can take. I am physically and mentally exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to think and speak in a new language. It takes energy to come up with the words to use to be able to communicate with my familia tica. Sometimes I try to form complete sentences, but I often find myself resorting to two word fraises. For example, “Need shower,” and “Paper here.”
When we were at the hotel this past weekend in La Fortuna, I turned on the T.V and began to flip through the channels. It was a wonderful feeling when I found a familiar movie on that was in English! It was so easy to watch. I didn’t have to work hard to understand it. Sometimes when we’re at school or in town at a store, it is a relief to hear people speaking English. It is extra tiring to come home after four hours of Spanish class and have to speak in Spanish some more. I am ready for a break from this new language at least to rest my brain for a little while.
I am positive this is how English Language Learners feel. They must be exhausted after school each day just from trying to understand. This is something I will definitely keep in mind when I have ELLs in my classroom. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is helpful when I am able to work on an assignment with a peer that speaks English. We can discuss the Spanish words in English to make sure we understand what we’re doing.
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| Mi Familia Tica |
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