Language Lounge

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In this episode of The Language Lounge, Michelle Olah and Lisa McHargue discuss the psychological and practical aspects of starting anew in the new year. They explore the importance of digital organization, the impact of chaos on mental space, and how to define productivity in a way that works for individuals. Lisa shares insights on reframing self-judgment, the significance of future planning, and practical strategies for implementing plans effectively, especially for those with ADHD.

Producer’s Notes: 

Lisa's Book recommendation: How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

Keep in Touch

Connect with Lisa on Instagram and LinkedIn:  

https://instagram.com/lisajmch 

 www.linkedin.com/in/lisamch  

Visit the ⁠Language Lounge on X⁠

Connect with ⁠Michelle on BlueSky⁠

Have a comment or question? 
Email [email protected] 

Produced by Wayside Publishing 

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Summary

In this enlightening episode of The Language Lounge, Michelle Olah and Gina Lanfranchi-Grubbs delve into the complexities of classroom management. Gina shares her personal journey as a teacher, highlighting the challenges she faced in creating a welcoming environment for her students. They discuss the importance of understanding emotional responses, building relationships, and addressing teacher fatigue. The conversation emphasizes that effective classroom management goes beyond strategies; it involves fostering a safe learning environment and viewing discipline as a tool for growth rather than punishment. Ultimately, the episode encourages teachers to shift their perspectives and recognize the humanity in both themselves and their students. In this conversation, Gina Lanfranchi-Grubbs and Michelle Olah discuss the challenges educators face in managing their emotions and reactions in the classroom. They emphasize the importance of positivity, mindfulness, and self-regulation, both for teachers and their students. The discussion highlights practical strategies for stress management, the value of seeking help, and the need for gratitude and perspective in education. They also touch on the evolving nature of teaching and the significance of maintaining relationships with students while navigating mistakes and challenges.

Producer's Notes:

Episode Transcript

Gina's Bio: Gina Lanfranchi-Grubbs is a French teacher at Berner Middle School in Massapequa, NY. She has been teaching for the past ten years. During that time, she has gleaned so much wisdom from her teacher friends and mentors and through attending professional organizations at the state, local, national, and international levels. She loves learning from others who are excited to share what they find works in their classrooms and adapting their findings to her own context to make her classes as enjoyable and effective as possible.

Contact Us:

Visit the Language Lounge on X

Connect with Michelle on BlueSky

Have a comment or question?
Email [email protected]

Produced by Wayside Publishing

In this episode, Michelle Olah and Gina Gallo explore the powerful connection between art and language education. They discuss how art can engage students, enhance language acquisition, and provide cultural context in the classroom. Gina shares practical strategies for incorporating art into language teaching, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among educators and the use of authentic resources. The conversation highlights the transformative power of art in education and offers valuable tips for teachers looking to enrich their curriculum. 

Keywords: Art, language education, cultural appreciation, student engagement, teaching strategies, authentic resources, collaborative learning, art history, language acquisition, Google Arts and Culture 

Gina’s Bio: Gina Gallo believes that language classes are a space for creative thinking, compassionate learning and cultural exploration. Gina is a proud SCSU alumna and Italian teacher at Bristol Central High School. She is currently enrolled in an  Italian Literacy and Cultural studies program at UConn and is excited to learn and grow. Gina is a lifelong learner of Italian, a Latin newbie and a lover of Spanish. Gina’s goal is to foster a passion for languages to positively impact a world where all voices are heard and respected. 

Producer's Notes 

Resources from Gina:

Google Arts and Culture 

Art Gallery Template 

Contact Us:

Visit the Language Lounge on X 

Connect with Michelle on BlueSky

Have a comment or question? 
Email [email protected] 

Produced by Wayside Publishing 

Teaching is not easy, and becoming an amazing teacher does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears, times  of vulnerability and others of failure. Join Language Lounge host Michelle Olah and her guest Wesley Wood as they discuss the idea of acceptance. Acceptance of ourselves, of failure, of the vulnerability that comes from  continuously learning and growing on the imperfect journey to mastering our craft.

Bio

Wesley Wood is a disability specialist at Georgetown University and a former K-12 Latin and French teacher. A licensed Maryland educator, Wesley has Master's degrees in Classics from the University of Colorado Boulder and in Foreign Language Education from Miami University - Ohio. In 2022, he was named Teacher of the Year by GWATFL (Greater Washington, D.C. Association of World Language Teachers). Wesley is also a NECTFL Mead Innovation Fellow for his work advocating for neurodivergent learners and supporting educators to create more accessible language classrooms and programs.

Producer's Notes

Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod

Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah

Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email [email protected]

Produced by Wayside Publishing - https://waysidepublishing.com

Watch this episode on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/wayside

Social Media

@MagisterWood

Join teachers Kristin Archambault, Amy Marshall, and host Michelle Olah as they discuss what they do to set themselves us for a successful school year. Kristin and Amy share the importance creating a well-ordered environment of routines, procedures and expectations which in turn build a sense of community and trust within their classrooms. And don't forget to take care of you…

Bio

Kristin Archambault

Kristin Archambault is a veteran French and Spanish teacher. Although most of her experience is at the high school level, she currently teaches middle school French in Storrs, Connecticut. She is also President of RIFLA (th Professional organization for Rhode Island language teachers), a former world language student teacher supervisor at the University of Connecticut, and a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national world language conferences in the US.

Amy Marshall

Amy Marshall is a dynamic and energetic Spanish teacher who teaches with a variety of techniques that fall under the umbrella of comprehensible input and TPRS. Building community and relationships with her students is one of the greatest focuses of any classroom that she teaches in. To connect and to truly care, building real relationships and community among the students and herself in her classroom is a huge contributing factor in guaranteeing a sense of belonging and as such a successful experience in learning language.

Producer's Notes

Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod

Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah

Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email [email protected]

Produced by Wayside Publishing - https://waysidepublishing.com

Social Media

Krisitin

Twitter: @HeyArchy FB: Kristin Bruno Archambault

Amy Marshal

Instagram @zonadeprofes LinkedIn: Amy Marshall

Pygmalion Effect https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-power-of-the-pygmalion-effect/

CI - Comprehensible Input, Stephen Krashen @skrashen

TPRS - Total Physical Response Storytelling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TPR_Storytelling

Going back to school is a stressful, emotional roller coaster, you know what it's going to be like, and you've got to get yourself prepared. Join Rebecca Aubrey and Michelle Olah as they discuss the struggles and anxieties in heading back to school and how you can set boundaries to alleviate the mental and physical toll that teaching demands. 

Bio  

Rebecca Aubrey has over 20 years of teaching experience at the college level, and 15 years of experience teaching Spanish in grades K-8. Rebecca has presented broadly on topics like differentiation, target language use, and language proficiency. She is the 2019 ACTFL National Teacher of the Year, and is the Immediate Past President of CT COLT, Executive Secretary for NNELL, and the PreK-8 representative to the AATSP Board of Directors. Rebecca is passionate about exploring the cultural and linguistic diversity of our world, and equally passionate about empowering students to do the same. 

Producer's Notes  

Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter https://twitter.com/langloungepod 

Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah 

Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email [email protected] 

Produced by Wayside Publishing - https://waysidepublishing.com 

Mentions

 Leaders Must Address Teacher Well-Being With Action, Not Just Self-Care Talk https://www.edutopia.org/article/leaders-teacher-wellbeing-action 

Do you want to get your students excited and passionate about learning? Spark your students' curiosity and get them motivated to learn by using inquiry-based learning which allows your students to explore what's interesting to them. Here's how you can get started.

Bio

Dagoberto Polanco was inspired by his own language-learning journey upon arriving to the United States from the Dominican Republic at age 17. He hails from a family of educators and found his niche in the field of language acquisition.

He has accrued over a decade of classroom experience as a World Language teacher. He simultaneously served as the lead tech mentor for the teacher body and as the liaison and translator for non-English speaking families. He enjoys empowering people with the needed tools to succeed in an ever-changing global world.

Producer's Notes

Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod

Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah

Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email [email protected]

Produced by Wayside Publishing - https://waysidepublishing.com

Mentions

Inquiry-Based Learning Meets Language Acquisition: Inquire to Acquire:

https://home.edweb.net/webinar/lang-lit20240808/

Inquiry-based Learning (IBL)

Ted Lasso https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy

Trevor McKenzie, Inquiry Mindset

What is structural competency? Hint: It's not about teaching grammar. It's about what is and isn't culture. Listen to this week's episode of the Language Lounge and come away with a new way to address culture with your students; what shapes our own culture and fostering a respectful curiosity about why certain cultural practices exist in our own communities and others.

Bio

Peggy Malec began her education career teaching English to adults in 2011. Since then, she has taught both Spanish and English in every grade level. She has a Master of Arts in Spanish from Middlebury College and is currently teaching middle school Spanish at Valley Catholic Middle School. As the Director of Community Development, she has founded and led an advisory program for the entire school community.

Producer's Notes

Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod

Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah

Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email [email protected]

Produced by Wayside Publishing - https://waysidepublishing.com

Social Media - Instagram @peigimalec

STaRLT, pronounced Star Light, is the brain child of Shannon Borum. Born of her frustration as a small town rural language teacher, this group has blossomed into an amazing support group for teachers in Georgia. It's a place to learn, to grow and belong. Join Shannon and host, Michelle Olah, as they discuss the origins, benefits and future of this unique and valuable community of teachers.

Bio

Shannon Borum is a high school French teacher in Jackson, Georgia and a doctoral candidate in Instructional Technology. She loves talking about language teaching and learning for those around her. She’s also passionate about connecting and supporting WL teachers in rural areas

Producer's Notes

Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod

Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah

Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email [email protected]

Produced by Wayside Publishing - https://waysidepublishing.com

Social Media

Shannon Borum

https://x.com/madameborum

https://x.com/starltg

FLAG Foreign Language Association of Georgia http://www.flageorgia.net/

ACTFL https://www.actfl.org/convention-and-expo

STaRLT Georgia https://starltgeorgia.weebly.com/

SCOLT Southern Conference on Language Teaching https://www.scolt.org/

NNELL National Network for Early Language Learning https://nnell.org/

Rich Madel @SrMadel

Rachel Benson joins Language Lounge host, Michelle Olah to discuss her journey from classroom teacher to district language coordinator, supporting teachers during online teaching. Rachel made the decision to return to the classroom for the 23-24 school year and shares her unique perspective on life in the modern day classroom and resuming her role as a teacher leader in the upcoming school year.

Bio

Rachel began her teacher career as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Missouri-Columbia before teaching in a Berlin high school on a Fulbright Fellowship. Over the last 14 years, she has split her time teaching high school and middle school German as well as serving as the World Language Coordinator and Chinese Immersion Coordinator for the Blue Valley School district in Overland Park, Kansas. Rachel has returned to the classroom full time and is currently teaching middle school German. In addition, she is wrapping up her final year on the executive board of the Kansas World Language Association. Having spent some years in a leadership role, Rachel decided last year to work toward an administrator license, but for now, she is enjoying the humbling experience of being back in the classroom.

Producer's Notes

Visit the Language Lounge on Twitter - https://twitter.com/langloungepod

Connect with Michelle - https://twitter.com/michelleolah

Have a comment or question? Leave a voicemail at (207) 888-9819 or email [email protected]

Produced by Wayside Publishing - https://waysidepublishing.com

Mentions

Leslie Graham https://www.grahnforlang.com/