5 Ways to Show Teachers Appreciation

June 24, 2010

In many regions it is the end of the school year. Here are 5 low-cost ways to let your teachers know you appreciate them:

1. Organize a teacher and staff appreciation lunch – If you can afford to bring in some catering, go for it. If not, make it pot luck and have everyone bring a dish. The point is to gather everyone together for the purpose of celebrating.

2. Make a speech – School taking the time to publicly thanking the school teachers and staff shows good leadership. Opening up the floor for teachers to give praise to their peers adds an additional level of warmth. Keep it brief – and sincere.

3. Certificate of Appreciation – Print off one for every teacher, complete with their name, the name of the school and the school year. Have the principal sign them. Templates for certificates are easy to find on line if your word processing program doesn’t have them.

4. Write thank you cards – It’s amazing how much impact a hand-written letter or card goes in today’s world of technology. Discount stores often sell packages of thank you or blank cards for very little money.

5. Say “Thank You” – In addition to saying it in written form, a sincere, focused verbal thank you, along with a handshake, or a hand on the shoulder is always a nice touch. Be sincere and smile. This is not the time to offer suggestions for improvement for next year, but to show appreciation for the work they’ve done this year.

Related post: 7 Ways to Celebrate the End of the Semester http://wp.me/pNAh3-1R7

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

“Big Universe” teaches children the love of reading and writing

June 22, 2010

When I saw this resource posted on a friends’ Facebook page, I had to share it with you. It’s a fun, creative, value-priced resource to help children learn to love reading and writing. Children create their own picture books through Big Universe, a fee-based service that also offers a free trial. There are family, classroom and school plans. The site makes it easy for children to create and publish their own books. Super resource for literacy programs, language arts programs, and home schoolers. Love it!

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

“UCLA report details recession’s impact on schools”

June 21, 2010

On June 21, 2010 he San Francisco Examiner reporter, Terence Chea, wrote “UCLA report details recession’s impact on schools“. The article gives highlights from a study conducted by UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education and Access. The study “interviewed 87 elementary, middle and high principals across California to gauge the impact of the recession and budget cuts on student welfare and school learning environments.”

The study found that:

  • 62 percent of principals reported that teachers in their schools had been laid off, threatened with layoffs or reassigned to other schools. The number of actual layoffs was four times greater at schools in poorer communities than wealthier communities.
  • 67 percent reported that class sizes had increased, with 74 percent of elementary school principals reporting larger class sizes.
  • 75 percent reported that summer school had been reduced or eliminated.
  • 75 percent reported reductions in instructional materials and supplies.
  • 70 percent reported cuts to professional development programs.
  • 67 percent reported growing housing insecurity, which includes homelessness, families moving in together and families moving away for economic reasons.
  • 51 percent reported an increase in the health, psychological or social service needs of their students.

Read more…

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Language Café project exemplifies leadership, wins award

June 16, 2010

In a post I did last month called Trends in Language Learning: What’s hot, what’s not, one of the emerging directions in the field that I found is to link language learning to leadership and changing the world in positive ways.  I was thrilled to see this trend in action through a recent news post by European Association of Education for Adults (EAEA). The Language Café project demonstrates the link between language learning, leadership and empowerment.

In an article entitled, “Closing the Gap with Languages: European award for projects in support of social inclusion” , the EAEA announced  that the University of Southampton (England) won the European award for the best 2010 language project aimed at fighting poverty and supporting social inclusion for their project “The Language Café”. The EAEA reports that Southampton won the award for its innovative approach to language learning in a relaxed environment for people of all ages and backgrounds”, noting that there are 29 language cafes in Europe. Many of them have “broadened their scope to offer specialised help for immigrants and people who use sign-language”.

Check out the Language Cafe website. After entering the site in the language of your choice, you’ll be able to see the premise behind the cafes and how they are impacting the lives of language learners all over Europe. It is an inspiring demonstration of informal language learning that empowers others.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Got a language lab? Rip it out!

June 14, 2010

Language labs went out with the 20th century. Language labs came into existence in the late 1940s and early 1950s when modern foreign language programs were starting to develop in universities. Labs were constructed where students were gathered together and collectively followed a prescribed audio programs. This followed the behavourist model of language teaching. That was long before the communicative method was ever developed.

The purpose of language labs was for students to gain auditory exposure to the language they were studying. This was a big deal back then. Students had far fewer opportunities to travel. There was no such thing as the Internet. There was no foreign television programming. And phone calls to family members who were living abroad were horrendously expensive.

That’s all changed. In today’s world of digital everything, audio exposure to foreign languages is readily available at little to no cost. Satellite radio, Internet radio and podcasts are all available. Even as far back as the 1980s, visionary scholars began to see that one day, language labs would become extinct (Chen, 1996; Froehlich, 1982). They were right. In the twenty-first century, constructing language labs is not a wise use of a school’s limited money, time and other resources.

Note: This blog post was one of a number that served to inform a larger article that can be found here:

Eaton, S. E. (2010). Global Trends in Language Learning in the Twenty-first Century Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED510276.pdf

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

1 Comment | education, ESL, languages, second languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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