Ursula Askinngs-Huber: World Language Teachers putting whole heart into their work

To The Daily Sun,

Hello World Language teachers:

Even though we will not see each other during an in-person World Language Teacher’s Conference this November, we want you to know that we at NHAWLT still see you.

We see you trying to make your language as meaningful, fun and interesting to your students as possible. We see you teaching students about cultures and traditions that are new to them. We see you using technology tools both remotely and in the classroom that encourage students to speak your target language regularly. We see you poring over student work, trying to determine how much they have used Google Translate so that you can give them credit for what they actually know. We see you researching and creating authentic resources that give students opportunities to listen to and understand conversations about the topic that you are teaching. We see you searching for authentic resources that are at your students reading level, so that they can build their confidence in understanding the language.

In short, we see you spending more hours each day than you ever thought possible doing your job, with no additional recognition or pay. We see you trying to give students an authentic and meaningful learning experience during this pandemic, no matter where or how you are teaching. We see you. And although we know that you are taking a beating on social media, we know that you persevere. We know that you are putting your whole heart into your work. We know that you are providing as much joy and normalcy as you can to your students. We see you, we admire you, and we are looking forward to the day that we can see you again. God bless our World Language Teachers, and best wishes to you and your students as we navigate the uncharted waters of teaching in a pandemic.

Ursula Askins-Huber, President

N.H. Association of World Language Teachers

Plymouth