Texas Foreign Language Association Journal
Summer, 2011
Volume 58, Edition 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Board Contact Information .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Letter from the President – Teresa Tattersal ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Fall Conference Information and Map .............................................................................................................................................. 4
TALS Update – Susan Wrenn ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
TFLA/ SW COLT Spring Meeting – David Timms .......................................................................................................................... 6
Engage Children in Language Learning – Nella Spurlin .................................................................................................................. 8
Online Education: Bridging the Distance – Les Stone .................................................................................................................... 10
Call for Papers for Global Caribbean Conference ......................................................................................................................... 12
An Under-Utilized Resource – Lorum H. Stratton .......................................................................................................................... 13
Amazing Argentinian Adventure – Janet L. Smith ........................................................................................................................ 15
C'est le fun ! Universite Laval – Amy Abercrombie King ............................................................................................................ 18
Customs and Traditions, Mexico and Ecuador – Maria Zambrano ................................................................................................. 21
NCLIS and Advocacy Information – Phyllis Thompson ................................................................................................................ 24
TFLA Grants & Scholarships for Members & Students ................................................................................................................. 26
2010-2011 EXECUTIVE BOARD
President: Teresa Tattersall
Coordinator International Language Dept.
J.P. Stevens High School, Northside ISD
600 Ellison Dr; 210 397 6450, ext 3175
San Antonio 78251
[email protected]
Exec.Secretary & Treasurer: Eugenia Simons
1320 Modiste Drive
Houston 77055
713 468 4959 (TFLA)
713 468 5930 (fax)
[email protected] or [email protected]
President-Elect: Pauline Sayers
LOTE Curriculum Specialist, Katy ISD
6301 South Stadium Lane
Katy 77494
281 396 2621
[email protected]
Executive Director & Exhibits/Advertising Director:
MayDell Jenks
Director of Other Languages Katy ISD
6301 South Stadium Lane; phone: 281 396 2619:
Katy 77494; fax: 281-644-1818
Vice President: Nella Spurlin
Temple High School, Temple ISD
415 N. 31st Street; 254 778 5014
Temple 76504
[email protected]
Journal Co-Editor: Janet L. Smith
Virtual Learning & IB Coordinator
Westchester Academy, Spring Branch ISD
901 Yorkchester Drive, Houston 77079
713 251 1800
[email protected]
Recording Secretary: Susan Dworaczyk
LOTE Department Chair
Klein Oak High School
22603 Northcrest Drive
Spring 77389
832 484 4937
[email protected]
Journal Co-Editor: David E. Timms
510 West 27th Street
Houston 77008
832 767 3300
[email protected]
[email protected]
Director of Technology: Hajime Kumahata
Rice University
[email protected]
Public Outreach & Advocacy: Phyllis Thompson
14525 Misty Meadow Lane
Houston, 77079
281 702 2293
[email protected]
Immediate Past President: Sandy Harvey
World Language Coordinator, Fort Bend ISD
16431 Lexington Blvd., Sugar Land 77479
281 634 1237
[email protected]
Director of Site Selection: Maria Trevino
7302 Sidbury Circle
San Antonio 78250
210 860 5299
[email protected]
TFLA Website
www.tfla.info
Hello TFLA Colleagues!
Happy summer! Hopefully you will have a relaxing summer in whatever
way it pleases you. TFLA board hopes that the summer gives you a
chance to recharge those teaching batteries and of course, participate in
those activities that make life so pleasant.
While we are enjoying the summer, we may have a heavy heart. There is no doubt Texas
teachers are experiencing a difficult period. Some of you may have seen colleagues leave due to
difficult choices a school district made. There are also a number of fresh, enthusiastic new
teachers eager to be in the classroom. Unfortunately, their careers have been delayed for an
unforeseeable time. This is truly tragic. The fear of losing a position is not an additional stress
that educators also need. It is imperative that we emphasize to the Texas legislature what we do
is crucial to the success of our state as well as the nation. Our area of specialization is especially
significant as the world becomes smaller due to the advances in technology.
Learning another language most definitely makes one into a better-rounded person. It is an
indispensable tool in the world of work. In the areas of business, the military and national
security knowing another or several languages can open many “economic” doors. There are
individuals in these areas supporting and encouraging learning languages. As teachers and
advocates of our subject area we must tap into these resources. Bring them into our classes, ask
them for their expertise and give us ideas as to how we link learning languages to the world of
work. It is through our individual and collective efforts we can demonstrate learning languages
as a necessity to personal as well as professional advancement. If we are willing, we can be our
best spokesperson!
I hope truly hope you have an enjoyable summer. As you are relaxing or are preparing lessons
for the upcoming year, please take time to reflect upon your significance as a teacher. Find ways
to share what you do with others outside the field of education. Let others know what you do is
important and why it is crucial to Texas’ economic success.
Last we will have our fall conference in Houston this October. Please keep an eye for details
through emails and the TFLA website. Our theme focuses on the many aspects of student
academic success.
Respectfully,
M. Teresa Tattersall
TFLA President
TFLA FALL CONFERENCE, HOUSTON OCT. 13 – 15 2011
OMNI HOTEL , 4 Riverway
713 871 8181 fax: 713 871 0719
EXIT 610 at Woodway, go west. Pass first traffic light. Hotel is on south side.
Go all the way to back for free parking.
TFLA RATES: $125-135 for standard or king
Complimentary fitness center & wireless internet in rooms
CALL 800 843 6664 for reservations
Texas Association for Language Supervision (TALS) Update
By Susan Wrenn (Lewisville ISD), President
Debbie Callihan (Northeast ISD), President-elect
Connie Kunkel (Cy-Fair ISD), Secretary
Debbie Oliver (Midland ISD), Treasurer
The 2011 TeCCL (Texas Conference on Coordinating Languages) conference promises to be
very exciting. Supervisors, Coordinators, Department Chairs, and Teachers in charge of LOTE
professional development from around the state are invited to join us for a day of exciting
learning presented by Mr. David Jahner, the Foreign Language Director for the Gwinnett County
Public Schools in Georgia. Mr. Jahner’s topic will be “The Language Supervisor's World
Wide Web: Communication, Connections, Cultures and Cadres”. In this day of constant
change, building communication and connections among cultures, and creating cadres is more
important than ever. We hope you will join us as we share our experiences and grow as
professionals.
TALS is also delighted to announce that our registration fee for the TeCCL conference will only
be $100 this year. We understand the budget crunches that all of our school districts are
currently experiencing and we want to make it possible for you to attend our one-day conference
which is held the day before TFLA (Thursday, October 13th). To read more about our
conference as it grows closer, please go to txassoclanguagesupervision.wikispaces.com.
To become a member of the Texas Association for Language Supervision, you may send $20 to
Debbie Oliver, TALS Treasurer, 615 West Missouri Avenue, Suite 220-H, Midland, Texas
79701-5017. TALS is open to all individuals who are interested in and/or responsible for the
supervision of a program in Languages Other Than English (LOTE) in Texas public or private
educational institutions. Our target audience includes language supervisors, coordinators,
department chairs, and teachers in leadership roles.
For more information about TALS, please contact any of the officers:
Susan Wrenn, [email protected]
Debbie Callihan, [email protected]
Connie Kunkel, [email protected]
Debbie Oliver, [email protected]
See you in Houston!
TFLA/SOUTHWEST COLT Spring Conference
Ft. Worth Hilton Hotel
April 7 – 9, 2011
Presenter, Beth Smith
Plano Senior High School
Janine Erickson, TFLA
Honorary Lifetime Member Award
Academic Dir. & Spanish Program Coord.
Denver Language School
MayDell Jenks , TFLA Executive Director
Lorrie Ann Button-Edelson
Texas German Teacher of the Year
Presenter Andrea Martin
Morton Ranch HS, Katy ISD
Teresa Tattersall, TFLA President
Nella Spurlin, TFLA Vice President
Michael Sorum
Chief Academic Officer
Ft. Worth ISD
Sandy Harvey
TFLA Immediate Past President
Andrea Henderson, Elkins HS, Fort Bend ISD
Susan Dworaczyk, TFLA Secretary
Engage Children in Language Learning: Start a Summer Language Program
by Nella Spurlin, Temple High School, Temple, TX
Several years go, our district explored ways to expose children in the lower elementary grades to
language learning. We considered and even planned out a possible outreach program in which
high school students could come to the elementary schools to teach once a week--only to
discover that the elementary schools simply didn’t have the time in the school day to
accommodate such an approach. Our next option was to consider a class for grades K - 3
through our district’s summer enrichment program. We decided to pilot this with German, and
offered “KinderDeutsch” for the first time in the summer of 2005. It was such a hit that it is now
an annual offering, and Latin and Spanish also provide similar programs.
In planning our initial project, I wanted the class to be a fun, engaging and very active
experience. Contributors to the AATG list serve responded to my questions with great advice-to focus on a theme and build in a lot of song and play. Since German fairy tales are so wellknown, that became our central theme. I recruited one of my students as an assistant, and we
worked out the logistics. We decided to run our program for one week, for three hours a day.
Each day involved some group learning, games, songs, outdoor play, snack time, and a craft.
We also sent a newsletter home each day, explaining what our focus had been and listing new
vocabulary with phonetic pronunciation, so parents could practice with their children.
For the first three days, we based our instruction on the Three Bears--not really a German fairy
tale, but simple and familiar enough that it could be told in cognates and easily understood. It
also allowed us to teach numbers, family members, basic furniture, and some simple question
words from the story line. As the children arrived on Day One, each child chose a teddy bear
name tag from a variety of colors and a coloring sheet. When all were there, we had some group
time to learn a welcome song (“Guten Morgen”), teach how to ask and give names, and play
some getting acquainted games. We taught colors with colored construction paper, “I spy” with
classroom items, and their name tags. Numbers came next, which we practiced with number
cards, the flyswatter game, and a circle game in which each child wore a number and announced
the number of the person to whom he would throw the ball next. We followed this with some
basic TPR (“Steht auf!”, “Setzt euch!” “Geht schnell!”) and another song. After about an hour
and a half, we went outside to play “Red Light, Green Light” and “Fischer, Fischer” (each
student had a colored sticker and could take a certain number of steps when their color was
called). After outside play, we came back for a snack, and we taught the students to tell us what
they would like in German--“Ich möchte . . . “ On Day One, our snacks were Gummi Bears (we
asked which color they wanted in German) and orange, apple and banana chunks. Next we
learned a song about the color of the fruit (“Ich habe eine Banane”). As we were nearing the end
of Day One, each child received a Schultüte--the paper cone filled with goodies and school
supplies that is a traditional gift for German students on their first day of school. Ours was a
simple paper cone filled with stickers, some candy, crayons labeled in German, a photocopied
coloring book with pictures labeled in German from Enchanted Learning, and balloons. We took
a digital photo of each child, to be part of their craft activity for the next day (a construction
paper picture frame with “My name is …” in German), then learned our farewell song (”Auf
Wiedersehen”). On each day through the rest of the week, we reviewed what we’d learned
through games and added new elements: family members, animals, clothing, more foods, body
parts, etc. We retained the basic structure of a welcoming song, group time, language games,
instruction, song, game, TPR, story time, outdoor play at about the end of the second hour, snack
time, craft time, and circle up/sing farewell song for each day, moving into the story of Little
Red Riding Hood for the end of the week.
Through the years, we have learned a few tricks to make the logistics work more easily. We now
have specified the class for grades 1 - 3; incoming kindergarteners are not used to the structure of
a classroom yet, and it was challenging to meet their needs along with those of the older kids. I
now have two assistants, and that’s about right; the students earn CAS hours for IB or service
hours for National Honor Society. We change activities about every 10 minutes and really
overplan; sometimes an activity just doesn’t fit the kids, and we just go on to something else.
When teaching clothing, we have done “dress up” in really outsized clothing. This activity needs
to be at the end of the day; the kids will have a great time, but nothing else will be learned that
day! Have lots of band-aids on hand; someone will invariably get a scrape playing outside, and
band-aids work absolute miracles. Bring lots of crayons and paper for fill-in activities. Do crazy
things--on body parts day, we have gingerbread men (usually sugar cookies) for our snack, and
bite off their feet, hands, heads, etc.! Be flexible--you never know what might really speak to the
group. I have a plastic tub with folders for all our KinderDeutsch stuff and keep it all together,
so everything is at hand. Above all else, relax and have fun--that’s what the week is all about.
There are many resources that will help in setting up a summer program. For German, AATG
offers a binder of lesson plans, games, songs, and other activities called “Kinder lernen
Deutsch”--this is a truly indispensable resource. Check out children’s websites in your language
for games, songs, and craft ideas. www.kikisweb.de had many great suggestions for German.
Enchanted Learning has lots of language-oriented picture and coloring sheets. The Dollar Store
and other discount places are often treasure troves for props--I found stuffed animals of all kinds
for $1.00 a piece one year, and teddy bears with matching clothing last year.
All along, our main goal was just to expose kids to the idea of another language; it seemed very
unrealistic to think they would retain much of what they learned. Last year, however, we had
three boys who had come back for a second time, because they’d enjoyed the first year so much.
I was amazed at what they remembered, although it had been a year since they’d last used their
German; they still knew their greetings, numbers 1-20, all their colors, family members, and
some animals. They were enthusiastic and a delight to work with. Research has already
demonstrated that kids learn languages more easily at young ages. While American school
systems are not always set up to permit this type of optimal instruction, a summer program may
be a way to promote a lasting love of language learning.
Online Education: Bridging the Distance to Make Better Teachers
Les Stone, Fort Bend ISD
[email protected]
The Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Non scholae sed vitae discimus.” Many language
teachers agree with this quote which translates from Latin as, “We learn not for school, but for
life,” but what happens when life gets in the way of learning? Although many foreign language
teachers advocate a life-long love for language learning, few pursue their education on a
graduate level. According to a publication called HR Exchange, only 27% of Texas teachers
hold a master’s degree (Roza and Miller; TASB HR). Some of the main road blocks preventing
language teachers from pursuing graduate degrees include: distance, availability of a good
program, time, and money. For many TFLA members, mileage or distance from a university
that grants master’s degrees in their desired field of study halts their education. Texas is a large
state, and those who teach in remote areas may have to travel hours to attend the closest
university. Finding an institution that offers a graduate degree in their specialty presents another
difficulty. Plenty of local universities offer graduate degrees to those who want to pursue careers
as counselors or administrators, but they offer little to teachers who, although wanting to stay in
the classroom, also wish to increase their knowledge base and skills. Finally, the time factor also
presents another obstacle. How can a teacher cope with time consuming duties such as paper
grading, sponsoring club meetings, coaching, contacting parents, attending conferences, meeting
with professional organizations, raising a happy family, and still find time for graduate study?
For those who think taking off work, moving into a dorm, and attending a school as a full-time
student in country that speaks Spanish, French, or Latin will never happen, the convenience of
online classes, also known as distance learning offers a solution for teachers thirsting for
knowledge.
Teachers of Spanish, as always, have the most options. Although Texas has yet to develop an
online option, New Mexico State University offers both an MA in Spanish and an MA in
Teaching Spanish at a price of $600 - $650 a class if the student agrees to take no more than 6
credits per semester. Interested teachers should visit
www.nmsu.edu/~langling/MA%20Online.html. A more exotic option comes from the
Universidad de Jaén in Spain. This university, which advertises frequently in ACTFL
publications, offers dual master’s degrees in Teaching Spanish and/or English as Second
Languages. Teachers can find more information on this program at www.funiber.org.
Moving on to French teachers, they need not feel left out. The following universities offer online
master’s degrees to teachers who have an interest in either Spanish or French. First the
University of Southern Mississippi offers a Master of Arts in Teaching Languages (Spanish,
French, and ESOL) at a cost of $1326 a course for out-of-state residents. This website has
details: www.usm.edu/foreignlanguages/. Next Auburn University offers an MED in Foreign
Language Education (Spanish, French) at about $930 per class with details located at
www.auburn.edu/distance_learning/auonline/auol_credit_courses.php. Then, in contrast to the
previous universities, Bennington College offers what it describes as an “intensive low-residency
program” which combines three weeks of course work during the first two summers and one
week in the final summer with two years of online courses which when successfully completed
yield a Master of Arts in Teaching a Second Language degree. Interested teachers should visit
www.bennington.edu for details.
Next Latin teachers also have an online with low-residency option from the University of
Florida. The Warrington College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers an online Master of Latin
through their Department of Classics located in Gainesville, Florida. Students must, however,
attend a minimum of two Summer Latin institutes. Interested teachers should visit www.ufl.edu
for details.
Finally, although only loosely related, New York University has an online M.S. in Translation
that enables its graduates to translate from French or Spanish for the legal and financial fields, a
skill that TFLA members can in turn pass on to their students or save as a second career option
after retirement. Future translators can get more information at www.scps.nyu.edu/mst.
What about teachers of German, Arabic, Chinese or Japanese? At present teachers of Spanish,
French, and Latin have the most online options. Teachers of other languages may have to stick
with brick and mortar institutions, or they can creatively pursue one of the following fully online
degrees in an almost related field offered by the American College of Education:
M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction,
M.Ed. in C&I with ESL Specialization,
M.Ed. in C&I with Bilingual Specialization, or
M.Ed. in Educational Technology.
Readers can obtain more information about these programs at www.ace.edu/Texas. Lamar
University in Texas also has an M.Ed. in Educational Technology Leadership fully online.
Readers can apply at www.stateu.com.
In conclusion, online or distance learning can help TFLA members in pursuit of a
graduate degree to overcome the inconvenient obstacles of time and distance by making a
university as close as the nearest computer. Benefits of holding a master’s degree range in
grandeur from getting a salary increase to simply having more prestigious credentials than your
peers, but the true benefit must include the increased expertise that can help teachers reach more
students than ever before and make a difference in their lives. As Seneca said, “We learn not for
school, but for life.” Of course, readers should check out each program thoroughly before
spending any money. A better educated membership will make TFLA a stronger organization.
If TFLA members got together locally to form study/support groups with others in their area,
Texas could have the most capable group of foreign language teachers in America. Texas
teachers should let online learning help them achieve their goals.
Works cited upon request.
Call for Papers
Exploring the Global Caribbean
through Literary and Theoretical Texts
Conference
July 5-7, 2012
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Keynote Speaker:
Gustavo Pérez-Firmat, Columbia University
Because the Caribbean represents the confluence of peoples and cultures—from
Europe, Africa, and the Americas—first through trade routes and colonization and
then through the dispersion of its literature and culture in a contemporary diaspora
back out to the larger world, it provides a paradigm for studying the processes and
effects of globalization. A culturally and linguistically rich region of the world that
includes English, French, Spanish, Dutch and native creoles, the Caribbean also
provides a fascinating literature that is complicated by its history and location.
Topics
• Early periods of discovery, colonization, and resistance in the Caribbean
• The post colonial period and contemporary Caribbean diaspora
• Theoretical understandings of the transnational transport of peoples, languages,
and literatures as they pertain to the Caribbean
• Ways Caribbean writers negotiate colonial history in the construction of literary
identities
• Literary representations of place, empire, and the post colonial condition
from a Caribbean perspective
• Strategies for teaching Caribbean literature at the university and secondary school
levels
Please send panel proposals and/or paper abstracts (300 words) with a brief biographical statement (150 words) to:
Susan Roberson at [email protected] by February 15, 2012
AN UNDER UTILIZED RESOURCE – HELPING VERBS PLUS INFINITIVE
Lorum H. Stratton, Associate Professor, Texas Tech University
One of the great opportunities during my 40 years of teaching at Texas Tech University has been
directing many study abroad programs to San Luis Potosí, México and Sevilla, España. It has
been an incredible experience to work with, to teach, and to observe students at all levels of
Spanish and to watch the growth and the learning process develop confidence and
competence with the new language in a variety of settings, beginning with a short hotel stay for
orientation, and then moving to carefully selected families for the duration of the program. After
a few short years, it became increasingly clear there were Spanish vocabulary words, verbs, and
expressions to provide the tools to begin communication immediately. There are three areas of
critical importance, and one that is not used to its´ potential.
First, students learn survival expressions and vocabulary, from the simple “yes” (sí) and
“no” (no) and “Where is the bathroom?” (¿Dónde está el baño?), etc. Second, students need
the most commonly used verbs, such as “to be” (ser, estar), “to have” (tener), “to go” (ir), and
“to do” (hacer). Third, students should be introduced to the auxilary verbs that immediately
allow them to express wants, abilities, needs, likes, dislikes, destinations and plans. The first
verbs in this category to be introduced are: “to want” (querer), “to be able ” (poder), “to need ”
(necesitar), “to have to” (tener que), “to like” (gustar), “destination” (ir), “plans” (pensar), and
“to try” (tratar de). They learn both the affirmative and negative forms. Students learn to
conjugate these verbs and use them with the infinitive forms of other verbs. After the
simple uses , the “I” (yo) form , and the “you” (either tú or Usted) form, the student can
expand greatly their ability to communicate important concepts, even with a limited vocabulary
In many of the beginning Spanish text books, the introduction of certain of these may
begin in Unit 1, most do not appear until Units 3 and 4, and some may not appear until Unit 8.
They are seldom grouped together to allow for sustained practice, even though in normal
dailyconversations they are frequently used together.
I want to show an example on how the use of these expressions will work. Take the
simple expressions “to speak Spanish” (hablar español) and “to practice Spanish” (practicar
español) and apply the helping verbs with only those two simple expressions and a very few
common vocabulary words.
“I want to speak Spanish. I try to speak Spanish, but I am unable to speak Spanish well.
I need to speak Spanish. I like to speak Spanish, I would like to speak a lot of Spanish.
I am going to practice Spanish, and soon, I will be able to speak much Spanish. I have to
practice a lot. ”
(Yo quiero hablar español. Trato de hablar español, pero no puedo hablar español bien.
Necesito hablar español. Me gusta hablar español, me gustaría hablar mucho español. Voy a
practicar español y pronto yo puedo hablar mucho español, pero tengo que practicar mucho.)
Usually, within a week, students are using these expressions with ease. As they learn new
vocabulary, it is easy to substitute this new vocabulary, such as “eating” or “going out”, and
use it with the helping verbs that they have learned. Let us take one quick example: “going out”.
“I would like to go out this evening, but I am unable to do so because I have to study. I like to
study but I want to go out with my friends. I have an idea. I plan to study right now and I will go
out with my friends later.”
(Me gustaría salir esta noche, pero no puedo hacerlo porque tengo que estudiar. Me gusta
estudiar, pero quiero salir con mis amigos. Tengo una idea. Pienso estudiar ahora y entonces
voy a salir con mis amigos más tarde).
These expressions will be used immediately in many social situations, and with families as
students are able to express what they like to do, what they plan or are going to do, what
they need or don´t need. As their use of the language increases, additional auxiliary verbs and
expressions can be added to their repetoire: “to be afraid to” (tener miedo de) , “to hope to”
(esperar) “to ought to” (deber), “to prefer” (preferir) and impersonal expressions such as “it is
important” (es importante), “it is necesario”, (es necesario) , and a great number more.
One additional important benefit of these auxiliary verbs is that many of them can be used
with nouns as well as with the infinitive form of the verb. This in itself gives students an
increased ability to say many things using expressions that they know and vocabulary that they
are learning. “I need money, I am going to the ATM. I want a lot of food tonight. Do you want
to go with me to Café Tacuba?” (Yo necesito dinero, así voy al cajero automático. Quiero
mucha comida esta noche. ¿Quieres ir conmigo al Café Tacuba?)
TFLA Website
www.tfla.info
Amazing Argentinian Adventure
Janet L. Smith, Co-Editor, TFLA Journal
During Christmas break my sister and I enjoyed an unforgettable trip to Argentina and Uruguay. The
non-stop flight from Houston to Buenos Aires reminded us of going to Europe. The Argentinian capital
likewise resembles Europe with all the French and Italian influence. Colonial buildings are mixed with
modern skyscrapers and the combination produces one of the most European-like cities in all Latin
America.
Located in the Recoleta area of the city, our hotel was convenient to shopping, parks and the famous
wide boulevards exemplified by the Plaza de Mayo. Our city tour included Casa Rosada, the
government headquarters where famous politicians gave balcony speeches; the Cathedral where Latin
American hero General San Martin is buried; and the graveyard with constant visitors to Eva Peron's
above-ground tomb. Fun places are San Telmo and its colorful market, Plaza Dorrego filled with
antiques and curiosities, and La Boca's sidewalk tables, musicians, mimes, and Latin dancers.
Certainly no visit would be complete without the tango, which originated in the humble working-class
districts of Buenos Aires. The dance didn't become famous until it gained unprecedented popularity in
France during the 1920's, returning triumphant to Argentina where it's now considered synonymous
with the country. A good way to feel the spirit is by visiting one of the restaurants that offer tango
shows. Open over 100 years and named after the most famous local singer, Esquina Carlos Gardel, is
filled with gorgeous Art Nouveau décor and luxurious salons offering opulent, Las Vegas-type stage
productions.
After the excitement of Buenos Aires, my sister and I headed southwest toward the Andes to San Carlos
de Bariloche. This small Alpine town is filled with international restaurants and discos. The countryside
being covered with rivers, lakes, natural rock formations,creates exhilarating scenery. As December is
summer time, the parks were just beginning to fill with hikers, campers and other outdoor sportsmen. A
highlight is a boat ride to Victoria Island to experience the Arrayanes Forest of magnificent pines and
equally breath-taking views. Accessible only by boat, the romantic island has ancient native paintings,
one rustic hotel, and small coves for swimming. Island transportation is only on foot.
In the midst of traveling from Bariloche, through Buenos Aires and on to Iguazu Falls, there was an
airline strike by flight attendants. The plane was late to the capital so we missed our connection. We
were really concerned about continuing as scheduled because it was Christmas Eve. However, when
we finally arrived, our tour company was waiting at the airport. They booked us on a later flight,
recovered our luggage, and took us to the correct waiting room. Such dedicated service was amazing,
especially considering the holidays and the strike. We arrived in Iguazu a few hours late, but thrilled at
a delay of hours rather than days.
The tri-country borders of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina contain one of the natural wonders of the
world-- Iguazu Falls--approximately ten times bigger than Niagara. From our hotel room we could see
a small section of the falls and its mist. On the first day we hiked from the hotel to the lower paths for
two-to-three hours. Then we took an afternoon trip in an open train to the upper areas on the
Argentinian side. Even after most of the day, we still had seen only a small portion of this wonderful
World Heritage site. The next day we went to the Brazilian side, walking along platforms and trails
adjacent to or across the falls and on the numerous catwalks through the reserve. The immense scope
and grandeur are so overwhelming it's impossible to determine which panoramic view is the most
spectacular.
The last few days of vacation comprised relaxing in Montevideo along the beach-front Rambla, touring
the old city, and dining in some of the delicious restaurants. We then traveled to the picturesque town of
Colonia on the border between Uruguay and Argentina Founded by the Portuguese, it was eventually
ceded to Uruguay, but remains much as it was during the 1600's with its fortress walls, cobble-stone
streets, and grand view of Buenos Aires across the bay.
Returning to Buenos Aires via hydrofoil to wait for our New Years' Eve flight to Houston enabled us to
relive our trip and wonderful memories! (photos by James Withey)
Buenos Aires Central Cathedral (photos by James Withey)
Iguazu Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world
Iguazu Falls, ten times the size of Niagara
« C’est le fun ! » Université Laval stage pédagogique
Amy Abercrombie King, Douglas MacArthur High School, San Antonio
During the summer of 2010, I was one of the lucky recipients of a summer teacher’s study abroad
scholarship in Québec. Having never studied in Québec before, I was thrilled to learn that I would be
spending the summer at Université Laval, the oldest French-speaking university in North America,
founded in 1663 by François de Laval. I would be a “stagière en didactique du français, culture et
société québécoises » for a period of three weeks during the month of July. I was excited by the
opportunity, and immediately began marshaling resources to cover my costs for the trip. With frequent
flier miles, I was able to secure a free flight from San Antonio to Quebec. My scholarship paid for a
portion of my meals, so I resolved to eat lightly (poutine, while not very light, is cheap and filling) . All
that remained was spending money for extras and side trips in addition to the planned weekend
excursions with my colleagues. Checking under couch cushions, raiding hubby’s change jar, and giving up
Starbucks lattes for a while took care of that. I made my travel arrangements and impatiently waited for
departure.
I arrived at the small Jean-Lesage International Airport on a Sunday afternoon and was warmly greeted
by the animateurs from Université Laval, ready to show me to the shuttle bus and escort me to my
assigned dorm. When we arrived, I was overwhelmed by the number of students there with me. They
were all so young, fresh, and eager! I panicked briefly - had I misunderstood the scholarship and
enrolled in a summer program for high school students? My fears were short-lived, though. As we
arrived at Pavilion Jean-Parent, the younger crowd (from age early high school age through recent
college graduates) was shepherded one way and those of us with “more life experience” went another.
I found my tidy one-room dorm room in a wing reserved just for my group, and settled in quickly. We
met our animateurs André and Chantal that evening. We were all exhausted after a stressful day of
travel (many had come from China and South Korea!), so at our arrival orientation that evening they
gave us just enough information to keep us out of trouble the next day, without overwhelming us.
Our academic schedule was simple and straightforward. The first part of each day, we worked to
perfect our French language skills. Each of us needed practice and support in one area or another and
frankly, this part of the program was one of the primary reasons I applied (begged?) for the scholarship.
During my initial education in French language and culture, I never had the opportunity for a “study
abroad” program, and have always felt a sense that my limited direct experience kept me from reaching
my full potential for teaching a language and culture I had fallen in love with. But here I was, a middleaged French teacher from south Texas, deep in the heart of Quebec, ready to get down to business and
eliminate my fear that I was “what the French refer to as ’les incompetents’ ” - a fear that in the past I
experienced every teaching day sans faute.
During the second half of each day, we studied Québécois culture. We listened to guest lecturers
explain the difference between a dialect and a linguistic variation, and learned why that matters so
much to les québécois. We participated in casual question-and-answer sessions with popular children’s
literature authors. We attended magical sessions on the poetry of Émile Nelligan where the bitter
isolation of a seemingly endless winter came alive in the room. We shed sentimental tears watching
Frédéric Back’s Crac! and were scared senseless by the haunting legend of La chasse-galerie. Alain
Massé, representative of the aboriginal people of Quebec spoke to us one afternoon, explaining in clear
terms how the melting polar ice cap was not only causing his people’s way of life to disappear in an
astonishingly short time, but was also contributing to the salination of the largest supply of fresh water
on the planet. He predicted that a full-time sea lane across the North Pole would be open by the year
2012, radically changing political and commercial interest in the region, and further disrupting the
indigenous way of life.
Although the classroom instruction and all of the spellbinding discussions with authors and leading
researchers were fascinating, they paled in comparison (forgive me) to the many excursions and other
cultural events we enjoyed. During the evenings and on weekends, we toured the Plains of Abraham,
climbed up the Montmorency Falls, and listened to the legend of the tragic Marie who threw herself to
her death after learning of her young lover’s death at the hands of the English. We attended the Festival
d’Été events, some of which included Cirque du Soleil, various theatre groups and rock bands (The BlackEyed Peas, Santana and Rush were headliners for 2010). We toured the Fine Arts Museum and the
Museum of Quebec Civilization, and took a day trip to Montreal.
In my eyes, the beautiful walled city of Quebec herself was the crown jewel. The only fortress city in
North America north of Mexico, le vieux Québec is a paradise for walkers (like groups of students, par
exemple). The night before our graduation ceremony, I treated myself to a solo stroll through the city.
After a brief look at Château Frontenac (which is and always has been just a hotel), I followed the
crowds past le vieux Seminaire to the rue Dalhousie and what appears to be, in the daylight hours, just
an ordinary row of Bunge grain elevators. I wanted to see these monolithic structures in their
unblemished glory before the evening’s events transformed them into a backdrop for the mystical
Moulin à Images I had been hearing about since its debut. On the eve of the summer solstice in 2008,
Robert Lepage transformed these humble grain elevators into a screen for a visual event unlike anything
the world had seen. Set in four acts (the age of waterways and exploration, the age of roads and
settlements, the age of railroads and development, and the age of air travel and communication),
Lepage’s masterpiece left me standing in awe as 400 years of Québécois history flashed before me. Not
even the view from the top of la tour Eiffel could compare. Initially intended to celebrate the
quadricentennial anniversary of the founding of la Nouvelle France, the event was so successful that it
has been extended through the summer of 2013. If you cannot see it in person, the National Film Board
of Canada has a documentary titled “The Image Mill Revealed” on its website that would make an
excellent classroom resource as a substitute.
I thoroughly enjoyed my “study abroad “experience at Université Laval, both for the academic challenge
and the wonderful cultural exposure. After my return, I put the finishing touches on the social media
site I created for sharing digital resources with colleagues, which my colleagues from all over the world
still refer to. Since this site was created to pool our class digital resources, we opted not to make the
site public, but you may contact me and I will gladly share my photos, videos and downloads from the
time I spent at Université Laval. For more information, please contact [email protected]
Entrance to University of Laval Quebec, Canada
Rideau Canal outside of Montreal, Canada
Customs and Traditions, Mexico & Ecuador
Maria Zambrano, Retired Spanish Teacher
As I put away the various items from the different holidays and seasons, the memory goes back
over the years as a child growing up in a Hispanic family on the Mexico U.S. border and
enjoying the customs and traditions of the two worlds on both sides of the Rio Grande.
My all time favorite memories are of Christmases spent in the small town of Linares, Nuevo
Leon, Mexico; shopping at the local markets for new items to add to the huge nativity my great
aunt Nico would set up in a whole corner of her living room. The honor of being godmother to
the Baby Jesus was wonderful, not only because of the delicious tamales all the ladies of
surrounding areas helped to make, but because of the personal invitations I was expected to
deliver orally to all who could come on December 24th and partake of the festivities. I always felt
very special as I cradled the Baby Jesus in my arms during the prayers and traditional carols sung
in his honor. After dinner, I walked around and handed out tissue packages filled with Mexican
candy and peanuts as the official hostess. About every four years, my dad would save enough for
us to be able to drive all the way into Guanajuato, where my maternal grandparents lived. The
posada celebrations in which we participated in the rural village of Los Sauces were a rich and
memorable tradition to the delight of all children who like to break piñatas full of candy and
fireworks displays at the end of each evening. For New Year’s Eve, we usually made more
tamales and crispy buñuelos with rich yummy chocolate for dessert to be shared with local
friends and family. Being allowed to stay up until midnight, reading a new book was always a
special treat for me that only happened on this night.
There were other traditions such as wearing new matching dresses my mother would make for all
the three older sisters for Easter Sunday and the fun picnic and egg hunt that we attended at the
community dam with all our other neighbors and friends. When we moved to another small
community by Monte Alto, Easter Sunday meant going to church and picnics at Delta Lake
afterwards. We usually had a new dress and shoes, and dressed in new spring sports ensemble for
the picnic; we also guarded our heads of clean shiny hair to try to avoid the cascarones full of
confetti or flour from being cracked on them and messing up our hairdos. This task proved
challenging and almost impossible, but memorable just the same. After all, having a young man
crack a cascaron on a young lady’s head meant he was pretty fond of her.
As the mind continues reminiscing, it flashes forward quickly to June of 2010, where I was
fortunate to learn about some totally different customs and traditions in Ecuador, as I traveled
with eleven other people on a Fulbright study program. In the capital city of Quito, we went to
several museums that housed a combination of Inca and Spanish arts and crafts, as we slowly
acclimated to the elevation. Some of us started expanding our basic command of the Spanish
language, while I started trying to learn some Quichua expressions, which half of us would
continue studying during the second week at a language school in Otavalo. In Otavalo, we
attended Spanish or Quichua lessons for four hours a day at a language school. The rest of the
day we attended workshops for weaving, making musical instruments dating back to the Incas, or
taking long hikes to learn first hand the geographical aspects and ecosystems of the area. We also
noted local food customs such as putting popcorn in our soup, almost always the first course in a
meal that cost only three or four dollars, including our drink and dessert. The majority of the
people in Otavalo were actively saving money to buy the favored “cuy” or guinea pig to be later
served as the special dish for the upcoming festival of the sun god, called “Inti Raymi”. The
children in rural schools we visited were busily learning the special dances performed for this
holiday that also dates back to the Inca culture. At any of the local markets, one could purchase
the hand made mask of the Uma Diablo, with faces on the front and back that could be seen on a
character that was usually part of the special dances dating back to the Incas.
While studying the ecosystems of the Amazon rainforest, we learned a little of the language of
the Achuar people at the lodge where we stayed as well as the various uses of local flora and
fauna. In the evenings, we would work on our individual and/or group lessons. The most
interesting aspect to me as a language teacher was listening to the legends of the Achuar people;
these very interestingly wove their language and beliefs, as well as their respect for nature and all
it entails. For example, of all the various animals that the Achuar hunt for food, the pink dolphin
is never one of them, for it is considered a sacred being.
Probably the most interesting custom we all encountered as we studied the cultures and
ecosystems of the various regions of Ecuador was the one in which we all participated in the
Galapagos Islands. On the small island of Floreana, we stopped at an old hand made mailbox,
where we all left one or two postcards and took one or two others that had been left by someone
else. None of these postcards had any postage attached, but, upon our return, each traveler
committed to either putting postage on and sending it, or delivering it personally to the person
addressed. I left one for my granddaughter in San Antonio and took one for another grandmother
in Fort Stockton. Since I was unused to this custom and unsure that Isabella would receive her
card, the following day I sent her one from a regular post office that had a two dollar stamp
attached. To my most pleasant surprise, the one sent from Floreana was delivered personally,
with a personal note saying that it was written by one grandma and delivered by another. What a
wonderful tradition that somehow restores one’s faith in humanity. It was difficult to believe that
this custom has been in vogue on the island since the whalers started it during the late 18th
century.
I would have undoubtedly learned many other new customs and traditions in Ecuador, but since
our Fulbright study was just for one month, this month quickly came to an end. Thanks to the
Fulbright Commission and Dr. Audrey Mohan from the University of Texas at San Antonio,
twelve educators enriched our lives and will try to share our experiences with other educators
through presentations, workshops, and newsletter articles. Specific lesson ideas for language,
science, and geography may be obtained via the following website:
http://www.teachinggeography.org/SEEC.html.
Central Basilica, Quito, Ecuador
Overview of Quito, Ecuador
Cotopaxi Volcano outside of Quito
B. Thompson, Ph.D., Director, Public Outreach and Advocacy
[email protected]
The National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS) is comprised of
sixty-five education and professional associations representing more than 200,000
language and international studies professionals. These associations work with the
languages taught, studied and used in the United States including the commonly taught
and less-commonly taught languages, English to Speakers of Other Languages, American
Sign Language, the classics, and bilingual education. This year, more than ever, it’s
essential that foreign language teachers stay informed and express their opinions to both
their state and national representatives.
TFLA President, Teresa Tattersall and Phyllis B. Thompson, TFLA Director of Public
Outreach and Advocacy visited with NCLIS and Washington legislators May 19, 2011, to
discuss issues concerning the study of languages. Issues included:
Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP): re-focused to create incentives to
teach and study critical languages including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
along with other languages the Administration deems necessary to national security.
For more information: www.languagepolicy.org
International Education and Foreign Language Studies in the Office of
Postsecondary Education. The program funds strengthen the nation's educational
infrastructure and trains
language experts to serve in critical national security and foreign policy positions
business leaders who understand international competitiveness, and to become
educators
Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
President Obama and Secretary Duncan accepted NCLB’s fundamental premise that
students must be tested annually. Their Race to the Top program makes student test
scores more consequential.
However, if we are serious about improving our schools, we must select well-educated
teachers, give them support, and use tests for information and diagnosis. This is the
approach high-performing nations use to be sure their students have access to a rich and
balanced curriculum.
The Holt-Woolsey Amendment insures foreign language education for students
protecting our nation’s economic and national security. According to the National
Research Council report, “a pervasive lack of knowledge about foreign cultures and
languages in this country threatens the security of the United states as well as its ability to
compete in the global marketplace.”
Prior to 9/11 our intelligence community was at only 30 percent readiness in languages
critical to national security. According to CIA Director Leon Panetta, languages are “not
about learning something … helpful or simply nice to have. It is crucial to CIA’s
mission.”
Only 25 percent of American elementary schools offer foreign languages. Now, more
than ever, the U.S. must maintain a strong program of early language learning in both
“elementary and secondary schools to establish a pipeline of students who can eventually
reach a high enough level of proficiency to meet national needs.
Foreign languages are a key to economic growth. Our companies lose international
contracts to competitors. The Committee for Economic Development wrote in 2006 that
“30 percent of large U.S. corporations believed they failed to exploit fully their
international business opportunities due to insufficient personnel with international skills.
Along with all other duties, teachers must be active in state and national politics until the
message about foreign languages is fully understood by everyone.
ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Increase awareness
Stay in touch with colleagues
Keep up to date with your State & National reps
BE AN ACTIVE ADVOCATE
TFLA HOUSTON
Fall Conference, Oct. 13 -15, 2011
www.tfla.info
TFLA GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MEMBERS & STUDENTS
TFLA makes available to all members in good standing a variety of grants and
scholarships for educator-members and their students. Please check for more details and
applications at the TFLA web site at www.tfla.info
(1) Administrator of the Year: For school administrators who have distinguished themselves with
their support of foreign languages. Please consider superintendents, principals, deans, college or
university presidents who deserve recognition. Deadline: May 1
(2) Rosemary Patterson Memorial Grant: The late Amarillo High School Spanish teacher willed
part of her estate to TFLA for immersion experiences that improve oral proficiency in a teacher's target
language. Deadline: Anytime
(3) First-Year Teacher Conference Scholarship: TFLA recognizes outstanding first-year teachers
with awards to cover the costs of registration and lodging at the TFLA Fall conference. Deadline:
Sept. 4
(4) FLES Scholarship: For elementary teachers to attend the FLEX Institute of Texas at the Hockaday
School in Dallas during the summer. For more information contact [email protected]
Deadline: March 1
(5) The Cemanahuac Educational Community Scholarship: In Cuernavaca, Mexico, the
Cemanahuac Educational Community offers intensive Spanish language classes and the art and history
of Mexico for K-16, a two-week home stay with a Mexican family, plus one field-study excursion.
Transportation is not included. www.cenanahuac.com. Deadline: March 1
(6) Teachers of the Year: Each year TFLA recognizes a Teacher of the Year for each different
language, a college/university Teacher of the Year, and an outstanding Young Teacher of the Year (with
three years or less experience).
In addition, Teachers of the Year for the different languages will be interviewed at the TFLA Spring
conference and one winner will be selected to represent TFLA at the SW COLT Spring Conference as
candidate for SWCOLT Regional Teacher of the Year www.swcoltorg/toy.htm. Deadline: May 1
FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDENTS OF TFLA MEMBERS:
T.Earle Hamilton Student Scholarship: For outstanding high school seniors who complete at least
the third level of a second language. TFLA members may nominate one student per year in honor of
the founder of the Texas Foreign Language Association. Amounts vary from $250 - $1,500. Deadline:
March 1