Whew… I dislike winter. I don’t like cold. I don’t like the dark. I don’t like the long stretches of 5 day weeks. I struggle managing everything when it’s dark at 5pm and I feel like I should just go to bed. And now… the Monday scaries are here as my WONDERFUL two week break comes to an end.

I’ve decided that the best way to get my mind ready is to think about the things I’m looking forward to this semester. My friend Lori calls them her LFTs (Look Forward Tos). If you’ve never tried, this actually helps me get my mind right. (It’s still hard, but I have some rocks to cling to as I race downstream in the rapids of January and February)

First up: I made a unit for that sweet Intermarché commercial The Unloved (resources in Spanish and in French -thanks Krista Kovalchick for the French translation) and this is how I’m starting the new semester. I find that if I go back to something I’m excited about, it helps rip the bandaid off the first day. I am actually going to do this in all 3 levels that I teach! It will be easier on my back to school brain to only have one thing to plan for the first week back and I can easily vary the level by the questions I ask and the discussion we have around the pre-made resources.

After that, I am SO excited that I finally finished my Lucha libre unit. It has been on my mind since 2016!!! I just never had the right pieces to put it together. Now it’s ready! I’m going to do this one in Spanish 3 the second week of the semester! I think they’re going to love it. I have considered doing it in Spanish 4 as well since it is a new unit and they would have even better discussion about it… Also, it might be a great one to lead into their STAMP testing in February for seals of biliteracy! I’ll play that by ear!

And THEN!!!! In February we will be doing BOOK CLUB in Spanish 2 with my new reader, El espíritu de Xólotl. I spent the beginning of my break prepping resources so that when book club rolls around, I am able to enjoy it alongside all of the other teachers who participate. (It’s not too late! You just need a class set of readers, the teacher guide, and the audio book. For more info and how to find the materials, visit bit.ly/s2sbookclub). I have been doing class reads for 15 years, I think this will be a fun opportunity to share some of my favorite ways to make them engaging and exciting in the classroom… and for teachers who have been nervous to try to take the leap!

At the end of February, my Spanish 3 and 4 students will take the STAMP test to try to earn some microcredentials. I will do a technology unit in Spanish 3 and a green energy unit in Spanish 4 before testing to help with some of the vocabulary they may need as they test. If I have time before testing, I’ll also do a unit about educational opportunities with Spanish 4!

Once testing is behind us, March will signal some longer days, some spring sunshine, and CSCTFL in Chicago! I will be there as the Extension Workshop presenter and as a session presenter. Dylan will be at the book as an exhibitor if you want to stop by and say hi! If you’re in the midwest, it’s a great conference and I hope to see you there!

Then it’s SPRING BREAK! Ours is an Easter break, so I’ll be out the first week of April. After I go back, it’s a quick couple of weeks before Mitten CI in Saline, MI. I’m presenting at the conference and exhibiting as well! If you’ve never been… make this one a priority. SUCH a great conference!

And after Mitten… that blur of field trips, interruptions, extra duties like honors night and graduation… and then the second semester will be done.

As I write it all here, it seems like a lot to get through, but it also makes it clear that it will all move really fast and before I know it, I will be back to having a lap full of dogs and no alarm set!

We’ve got this, teacher friends! Let me know how I can support you this semester!