Table of Contents - organizations.weber.edu · AATG Friend-of-the-profession Awarded to Joan ......

UFLA NewsletterPat Buckner, President

www.ufla.orgTom Mathews, Editor

.

Table of ContentsClick on any title in order to read that article, or just scroll down.

UFLA Annual Meeting, November 9, 2000IN MEMORIAM

English-Only: Wouldnt' it Be Levely?AATG Friend-of-the-profession Awarded to Joan

PattersonBYU Summer Institute A Success for Spanish Teachers

News from the Spanish Resource CenterHiring of Teacher's from Spain Rankles Some

French Teacher OpportunityUFLA Vitality Award WinnersUtah's Non-English Languages

Language Maintenance Retreat at WSUGreat Experience in Japan

K-12 Foreign Language Professional Development Awards

...

ThursdayNovember 9, 2000

What's the most central point for the state of Utah? Provo, of course! Don't miss thisyear's Annual Meeting of the Utah Foreign Language Association. We encourage you topre-register (there's a form on-line here). You must pre-register for the luncheon, and indoing so, UFLA will pay approximately half of the cost of your lunch! Parking is available for free in the visitor parking lot north of the Wilkinson Center.Registration will start at 8:30. The plenary session will begin at 9:00. How long has it been since you visited the beautiful Brigham Young Universitycampus? If it's been more than 2 years, you won't recognize it. It is gorgeous!

Come and visit the impressive new library, Tour the newest state-of-the-art foreign language labs, Meet in our newly remodeled student center, Visit the new Spanish resource center, justcommissioned by the ministry of education and cultureof Spain. It's the only one in the mountain west.But also come to attend energizing conference

News http://organizations.weber.edu/ufla/News/00NewsW.htm

1 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

sessions, to talk with colleagues,to see the foreign language book and materials exhibit,and on and on!

And best of all, this year's keynote speaker will be Ray T.Clifford, one of the most highly regarded experts on the teaching of foreign languages in thecountry. Provost at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and pastpresident of ACTFL, Dr. Clifford earned a BA and an MA in German at BYU, and a Ph.D. inLinguistics from the University of Minnesota. He has been teaching German since 1965.Before accepting his position at the Defense Language Institute, he was Chief of the Slavicand Germanic Languages at the Department Central Intelligence Agency Language. Dr.Clifford is a highly regarded speaker and is widely published. For more information go tohttp://pom-www.army.mil/pages_/provost.htm. His topic at our meeting will be the 2003foreign language NAEP assessment and never having to say you're sorry.

.

Pat Buckner, this year's President of UFLA andteacher extraordinaire, passed away unexpectedly onAugust 14, 2000, in her parents' home. Pat presented at UFLA, SWCOLT, ACTFL, ASCDand played a variety of professional roles in other areas,such as English, Gifted and Talent and Multi-Cultural. Besides English and French, Pat also taught Russian,having learned it as part of a USOE project. In additionto her active role in many UFLA positions, she was the"Czarina" of ACTR, Utah Chapter and an activemember of AATF. She was the recipient of two Rockefeller awards,an NEH grant and numerous other local and stateawards. She completed language immersion stays inFrance and Russia and was an accomplished visitor toother European countries and Tunisia. As a teacher leader at Dixon Middle School, shewas instrumental in revamping their middle schoolprogram, and yet still found time to create a yearlymedieval feast, a Shakespearian Festival, and toparticipate in the Parade of Trees at Christmas time. Unbeatable at Trivial Pursuit, Pat was a resourceon anything from Peter the Great to Eleanor ofAquitaine, Gothic churches, Celtic culture and


2 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

Québécois history to only name a few. She workedtirelessly for her students, her colleagues, and herprofession. A prolific reader and lover of knowledge,Pat was a poet, a musician, an artist and a fine friend tomany.

Contributed by Charlotte Touati

.

TEACHER OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS

Each year the UFLA rewards an exceptional foreign language teacher in Utah asTeacher-of-the-Year. This year's nomination form is available on the Internet atwww.ufla.org, then click on "Awards & Grants" and then on the nomination form. Nominations should include two letters of recommendation from people who know theteacher’s classroom practices and professional habits. Colleagues, former students, oruniversity personnel who have placed student teachers in this classroom may be morevaluable than administrative endorsements. Please include in your letter of nominationspecific examples of why you feel that this person should receive this award, includingclassroom effectiveness and practices, professional involvement, and impact on students. Please keep your nomination to two pages; if you wish, you may submit supplementarymaterials, but these will not be returned. All nominations must be received by September 15, 2000.

.

By Janice Jones-SchroederSalt Lake City School District - Foreign Language Supervisor


3 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

English is spokenby 97 percent of theAmerican people,according to the 1990Census, and isuniversally recognizedas the "AmericanLanguage." Yet, at notime in Americanhistory has the UnitedStates had an officialnational language. When the UnitedStates government wasformally established,Congress discussed anddiscarded proposals lodesignate an officiallanguage, and, with afew importantexceptions,accommodated andrespected languagedifferences in mach thesame way as it hasreligious differences.These differences werethe naturalconsequences of the factthat the Americanpeople were drawn fromall parts of the world,with the exception ofthe American Indians. The exceptions tothis benign FederalLanguage Policy weredirected againstminority Americans.After the Civil War,Congress set up asystem of boardingschools where Indianyouth, children of thefirst Americans, were

learned English themselves. To suggest that immigrantchildren be allowed to learn initially through their primarylanguages or mother tongues has not been received well and itis believed to be at the root of the Utah English-Onlyinitiative. The legal ramifications of the English-Only ballot beforevoters this fall are many. Such an enactment is presumptivelyunconstitutional. In 1923, the U.S. Supreme Court found aNebraska law unconstitutional; it prohibited teachers in bothpublic and private schools from teaching children who hadnor yet completed the eighth grade in a non-English language.The protection of the Constitution extends to all, to those whospeak other languages as well as those born with English onthe tongue. Perhaps it would be advantageous if all had aready understanding of our ordinary speech, but this cannot becoerced by methods that conflict with the Constitution. The presumptive unconstitutionality of Utah'sEnglish-Only initiative is fortified by a 1995 ruling by theU.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the case of “Ynignezvs. Arizonans for Official English" the Court ruled thatArizona's English-Only mandate "is racially overboard, itviolates the First Amendment, and is unconstitutional in itsentirety." This would undoubtedly apply to the Utah's


4 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

sent to be "stripped" oftheir native languages,culture, and religion.Congress did notformally repudiate thisEnglish-Only policyuntil 1990. Even earlierCongresscountermanded statelaws designated toprevent AfricanAmericas frombecoming literate inEnglish In each of theseinstances, Congressdeviated from America'sprevailing nationalpolicy on language, apolicy that accepted andaccommodateddiversity, and, in each ofthese instances ofFederal Languagerestrictions, Americanswere hurt and the nationsuffered. Will we notlearn from pastmistakes, or is historydestined to repeat itself? Congress's wisdomin rejecting a nationalEnglish-Only mandateduring the First WorldWar period was provenby U.S. experience inthe Second World War.In that war, thebilingualism ofAmerican Indian "Code-talkers" combined withthe bilingualism ofItalian-English,German-English, andJapanese-English

English-Only initiative under strictures of the FirstAmendment. Utah's English-Only initiative could also expose the U.S.to world court sanctions for violating international accords onfundamental human rights to which the U.S. is a signatory.Similarly, domestic courts could find that English-Onlymandates abrogate treaties between the United States andAmerican Indian nations (such as the Navajo and the Utes).The private right of action in the initiative would open averitable Pandora's box of litigation. What is the full reach ofthe English-Only mandate? It claims to be applicable to“services, assistance, or facilities directly or indirectlyprovided by government." Yet how broad is the exception tothe imposed mandate for "public health?" The litigationneeded to resolve these and literally hundreds of otherquestions about this sweeping mandate would tax the stateandfederal courts and increase the legal cost of government,public institutions, and business operations. Can Utahansafford this? We already have the lowest expenditure per pupilin the nation. Where would the money come from to pay theselegal fees? Although the proposed "English-Only" mandate providesan exception for the teaching of foreign languages, it alsorestricts ESL programs. This would drastically limit theopportunities for English-language background students aswell as non-English speakers to achieve fill proficiency in alanguage other than English. Based on both historical andcontemporary American experiences, we can confidentlypredict that restrictions of the ESL (bilingual) program wouldincrease student grade retention and dropout rates, decreasestudent academic achievement, retard student acquisition andmastery of English, and effectively ban limited English-proficient parents from participating in their children'sschooling. For language minority Utahans who are limited in theirEnglish proficiency, the harm caused by the UtahEnglish-Only mandate could literally prove fatal. If thisproposed initiative becomes law, will physicians be permittedto use or be afraid to use o non-English language to save thelife of an individual when necessary? The backers of the English-Only initiative would haveone believe the issue is largely symbolic and that thisEnglish-Only mandate would not affect most Utahans; when,in fact, the English-Only mandate would jeopardize the well


5 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

speaking Americansproved invaluable to thenation. Language doesindeed carry with if thehistory, the culture, thetraditions and the veryway of life of a people.When a conqueringgroup seeks to subjugatea people it forces theadoption of the invadinglanguage. Themovement toward theimposition of themonolingual dominantlanguage is tantamountto the subjugation of apeople. If one wishes todestroy a culture, thensever its linguistic roots.If one wishes tosubjugate a risinggeneration, thenseparate it from itsnative language.Language is people; it isthe life of a people. Scientists tell usthat the native languagethat babies hear createsa permanent auditorymap in the brain.According to someresearchers, geneticsprovides the rawmaterials for languagedevelopment; parents,grandparents and otherfamily membersinculcate traditionalvalues and thelanguage—the mothertongue. This mothertongue molds the spirit

being of all Utahans. Basic state functions including lawenforcement would be jeopardized, and a wide array ofbeneficial and socially accepted activities conducted by stateemployees and officials would be outlawed. The enactment ofa state English-Only mandate would be tantamount tosurrender in the state's war on drugs. What about weddingsand funerals being conducted in the ordinance's nativetongue? A Utah English-Only mandate would extend the rangeand reach of government regulations into new areas ofcontemporary American life, generating economic uncertaintyand potential social conflict. Would state-licensed televisionand radio stations be permitted to broadcast non-Englishlanguage programs? Would all televisions sold in Utah haveto contain an "L" or a “language" chip to screen outnon-English broadcasts? Whet about non-English emailtransmitted on the Internet via state computers? The Constitution of the United States of Americaprotects everyone from mandates such as this, and everyAmerican Citizen should do whatever it takes to protectindividual diversity whether or not it is their own or it belongsto someone who wasn't born in this country.


6 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

and the soul. Themother tongue is thelanguage in which thechild learns to expresshim or herself with aHigher Being. Themother tongue colors achild's view of theworld. It shapesperceptions. Itinfluences our thinkingpatterns. According tomost linguists, languageis the basic instrumentof thought andself-expression.Embedded within alanguage we find thehistory, the culture, thetraditions, the very 1ifcand flesh of a people;moreover, we find themoral and the spiritual.To maintain one'smother tongue is aself-evidentfundamental linguistichuman right andobserving linguistichuman rights impliesthat "all people" canidentify positively withtheir mother tongue andhave that right acceptedand respected by others.It also implies thatpeople will have theopportunity to learn tothink, read, and write intheir mother tonguealongside the dominantculture's language. We know that thepotential to achieve highlevels of cognitive


7 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

functioning is a propertyof the human speciesand, therefore, isaccessible to allchildren. Denying theuse of the mothertongue is denial ofeducational opportunity.Such denial ismean-spirited or worse.It is a denial of culturalrights and an affront tohuman dignity. It is anabomination! We knowthat language is the keyto preserving a culturallegacy for our children,and in some cases, forpreserving families andcommunities. Thatcultural legacy is rich intraditions, beliefs, andvalues that not onlysustain us but will alsosustain our children andour children's children.As individuals and as apeople, we and thechildren we teach, carrythe roots and strengthsof that language, of thatculture, and we shouldmake sure that nationalresource, that treasure isrecognized andrespected and neverreferred to as adeficiency! Without being ableto use their mothertongue, a non-Englishspeaking child is cut offfrom active involvementin his or her ownlearning and that is an


8 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

injustice! Language isthe vehicle of all that achild knows, thinks anddreams in. It is one ofthe most salient aspectsof culture. For that veryreason the mothertongue of our childrenmust not be muted; it atnot be silenced. It is thevery essence of theirbeing and must becherished, preserved andgiven voice. Why islearning a secondlanguage—or as it iscalled "ForeignLanguage"—acceptable,while speaking anon-English language isnot? A decidedlyunfriendly side of theAmerican psyche isinvolved. There is in alltoo many Americans,including Utahans, anintolerance of foreignersand of foreigninfluences. People aresuspect if they don'tlook the way Americansshould look, or act theway they should act,believe in the samethings, and most of all,who don't talk the wayAmericans talk.Americans do not dealwell with diversity—wenever have. One might note theirony here. Americansare among the mostdiverse people in the


9 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

world. We are a diversesociety because theUnited States, for all itsrestrictions and quotas,is more open toimmigrants and refugeesthan most other nations.Nonetheless, as apeople, we have a hardtime tolerating thedifferences amongourselves. Newcomersare expected to becomejust like us as soon asthey can, and with aslittle resistance aspossible. There hasnever been muchacceptance of the factthat it takes time forpeople, includingchildren, to learnEnglish. Nor has therebeen acknowledgementthat some people cannotlearn English welldespite their best efforts.There is little tolerancefor people who do notspeak English, evenamong immigrants whohave only recently

.

.


10 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

By Marti Smith

Who in Utah is the Standardsandconsistencyinforeignlanguagekeeper, theFundsfortravelandstudyabroadfinder, the Licenserenewalforconferencesgiver, the

UFLAonthestraightandnarrowmaintainer and theSpiritandenthusiasmforlanguagelearningsustainer?

If you guessed Joan Patterson, you get 100%. Because she isthis and much more to us, she is now the

NationalAATGFriendoftheProfessionfor2000winner. This prestigious award is given yearly to one person in thenation in recognition of exemplary leadership in the advocacyof German language education. We appreciate Joan for heroutstanding support and promotion of German and the study ofGerman in Utah and hope this is one way to show her howmuch we value what she has done for us. The official awardwill be given at the AATG Awards Presentation to be held atthe ACTFL Conference in Boston in November.

The idea for nominating Joan came at the Spring TotalImmersion Workshop held at the University of Utah. In aworthwhile and stimulating conference put together by RenatePosthofen, we realized that this opportunity could not havebeen possible without Joan's support. In addition to the stateand UFLA, we were able to afford all of this by winning agrant from the German government through AATG.

The first day was spent on language changes and current issuesin Germany. We were fortunate to have Jane Nicholson'sGAPP exchange teachers there to give us the scoop incontemporary language and trends.

The Saturday session wasgiven by Robert DiDonato, the academic andseries developer for thetelevision/video FokusDeutsch, (this name willbe changed for the highschool population). Inthe extremely pleasantand modern U. of U.facilities arranged for byJohanna Watzinger-Tharp, we were totallyimmersed in media,language and teachingmethods. Week-endssuch as this are just oneof the ways the AAT'shelp us maintain ourskills and become evenbetter at our profession. If nothing else, it gives usthe opportunity toconverse on a levelhigher than "Guten Tag. Wie geht's."

Speaking of conversingon a higher level, CraigPaxman, East High, is aFulbright Teacher for theyear in Berlin. Wewelcome Klaus Henze,who is his exchangeteacher from Berlin, toUtah and to East High.

Our next AATG meeting


11 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

will be at the UFLAConference in November.Hopefully you are allplanning to attend.Renate Posthofen,currrent president andGerlinda Braunberger,the incoming president,will be presiding. Wewould like to encourageall of you Germanteachers to become activemembers of the localAATG. The rewards aremany. If you needinformation on how tojoin, contact Marty Smithat (801) 582-2007.

.

.

By James S. Taylor

Continuing its tradition of over 30 years, the BYU Department of Spanish andPortuguese conducted this summer an Institute for Spanish teachers. The objectives of theInstitute were to help teachers who are actively teaching or preparing to teach Spanish in thepublic schools in the following ways: increase their effectiveness as teachers; improve theirpersonal command of the language; become acquainted with new techniques, technology,and materials; learn more about Hispanic culture and how to teach it; and in general,"recharge their batteries." The Institute was directed by Dr. R. Alan Meredith, with Dr. JamesS. Taylor of BYU as associate director and Baldomero Lago, Spanish teacher at BinghamHigh as assistant director and travel "guru."

This year's participants included 4elementary and 12 secondary teachersfrom the state of Utah and 2 elementaryteachers from California. Teachers fromUtah were: Craig Lord, Hunter Jr.; BruceCulp, Mueller Park Jr.; Blanca Cruz,Cherry Hill Elementary; Deanna Taylor,


12 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

Cedar Ridge Elementary; Aurie Petrie,Northridge Elementary; Tori Woody,Jeremy Park Elementary, Anne KartchnerHauley, Olympus High.; Richard Tate,Churchill Jr.; Teri Griffin, Waterford

School; Arron Wheeler, Roy Jr. High; Angie Terry and James Yoder, Timpanogas High;Saralee Murdock, Springville High; Misha Peay, Payson Jr.; April Turneau, Fairfield Jr.; andVirginia Smith, Murray High. After a week in mid June on the BYU campus in intensive instruction and practice withnew methods and use of technology in Spanish teaching, the group enplaned for Madrid tobegin the cultural and linguistic immersion phase. That began with visits to the "gem cities"of Southern Spain, Granada, Sevilla, and Córdoba. Along the way the group visited Gibraltar,and crossed over the straits to Morocco for an experience in the Arab world. The road backto Madrid led through the Roman ruins of Mérida, Trujillo, and Talavera de la Reina. The teachers then spent two weeks in Madrid, living with Spanish families, exploring allthe wonders of that great cultural center: stores, theaters, museums, palaces, castles, parks,churches, and the like. Excursions were made to Alcalá de Henares, Toledo, el Escorial, Vallede los Caídos, and a "pueblo" experience where in groups the participants spent an entire dayin a small village outside Metropolitan Madrid. Many hours were also spent purchasingteaching materials such as books, videos, CDs, realia, and other odds and ends to bring backfor use in the classroom. The program concluded with atrip to Northern Spain, includingvisits to Burgos, Pamplona (yes,they ran with the bulls), Santander,Gijón, Santiago, León, Salamanca,Avila, and Segovia. In the lastmentioned city the farewell partywas held feasting on roast sucklingpig in the shadows of the Romanaqueduct. Needless to say, the teacherswere thrilled with the information learned and the cultural insights gained, invigorated with anew enthusiasm for teaching Spanish, and pleased with the huge increase they made in theirproficiency in the language. (Everyone scrupulously kept the pact to speak no English duringthe trip.) Expenses for the trip were subsidized by tuition grants from BYU and inservice grantsfrom the Utah Office of Education. In order to qualify for the State grants, all participantsagreed to share their experiences in publications, presentations at UFLA meetings, andinservice workshops. Ask them to share! Any one interested in participating in futureinstitutes should contact Professor R. Alan Meredith at BYU, e-mail:[email protected].

.

.


13 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

By Maribel Luengo, Director

The Spanish Resource Centerhas finished its first school yearwith important accomplishments. In the first place, we have nowa solid collection of books, CD’s,CD ROM’s, video tapes, realia,slides and magazines on Spanishmethodology, literature, linguistics,art, tourism, current events etc. Youcan consult the complete list of ourmaterials and the information wecan provide in our web page:http://humanities.byu.edu/src/src.html Also now we can say that wehave most of the Spanish teachersin Utah in our data bank, whatenables us to have them informedof any events regularly. If you arenot receiving news from us, pleasesend us your e-mail address. This fall, we have prepared atwo-day retreat for a Spanishlanguage maintenance course, to beheld September 22 and 23, for all ofyou who are interested in practicingSpanish intensively for two days.The Utah State Office of Educationwill sponsor and pay for thoseteachers interested in participate.You can check for details at thesame web page. Other projects for the fallinclude one-semester hour courseson Spanish language and culture, tobe taught on three alternateSaturdays at USOE.

Teachers from Spain in Utah! As some of you may already know, the districtsof Alpine, Cache, Granite, Ogden City and Tooelehave hired for this school year fifteen elementaryand secondary school teachers from Spain. They willbe working in those elementary schools withimmersion programs in Spanish or with a majority ofSpanish –speaking students. This will give thestudents the opportunity to learn reading, writing,and subjects like Math or Science in their ownlanguage. Of course it will also mean native teachersto practice Spanish with, and a truly internationalenvironment for the schools involved. The teacherscome with a one-year contract that can be renewedto up to three years. After that, they will return toSpain. So, let’s hope they have a wonderful andrewarding experience to take to Spain when theyreturn! It is all the outcome of a memoramdum ofunderstanding between the Ministry of Educationand Culture of Spain and the Utah State Office ofEducation. Through this memorandum Spain offersto Utah school districts in need of native Spanishteachers the opportunity to go to Spain in spring andinterview teachers interested in working in Utah fora period of time. The program is called SpanishVisiting Teachers and many states like California,New Mexico, Nebraska or Florida are alreadyenjoying its benefits. From USOE, Joan Pattersonhas been the person in charge of starting the programand has been a key player in bringing these fifteenteachers to Utah. For more information [email protected].

.

.


14 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

.

By Beth Dove, Standard Examiner StaffReprinted with permission from the Ogden Standard Examiner

OGDEN -- The president of Utah'sLatino Alliance believes the OgdenSchool District's recruiting of teachersfrom Spain overlooks a pool of qualifiedcandidates here and in South and CentralAmerica. Some educators counter they wouldbe happy to hire them if they could findthem. Seeking to fill the demand forSpanish-speaking teachers, districtofficials went to Spain in March and hiredfour bilingual teachers, to serve up to athree- year tenure at Dee, Lewis andHorace Mann elementaries. The Utah State Office of Educationsponsored their visas as part of the"Spanish Visiting Teachers" programthrough the Ministry of Education andCulture of Spain. Utah is new to theprogram this year. The Alpine, Cache,Granite and Tooele districts alsoparticipated, bringing a total of 15teachers to the state. "I'm really surprised, because wehave so many people here I'm sure arewell-qualified to do it," said AngelGonzalez, president of the alliance, whichrepresents first-generation immigrantsfrom 21 Latin American countries. Ogden Superintendent Ted J. Adamssaid other local Hispanic people also haveprotested the move. He said he regrets notforming a coalition before making thetrip. "The mistake was not in going there.

That's news to Dee Elementary principalDonna Corby. "Well, that would be fabulous. It wouldbe wonderful. Every community would like togrow their own," Corby said, explaining thesearch for qualified candidates is always astruggle. Corby stressed that qualified meanscertified and licensed to teach in the state ofUtah. Because 67 percent of Dee students enterschool speaking Spanish as their firstlanguage, the Office of Civil Rightsrecommends the school employ one teacherqualified to teach English-as-a-second-language per grade level. Corby said the state is simply notproducing enough ESL-endorsement qualifiedcandidates. She recalled how she recentlyscanned a stack of 115 applications for akindergarten teacher position finding only sixcertified, bilingual applicants. "There are not as many people out thereas you might think," she said. Besides, Utah has tried to recruit teachersfrom the Western Hemisphere, said JoanPatterson, education specialist in thecurriculum department of USOE. She said thestate office approached the Mexican consulatein Salt Lake City and was told Mexico likelycould not supply more than two teachers ayear due to its own shortage. The situation is quite different in Spain,where massive unemployment and a steadysupply of university graduates have floodedthe market with qualified candidates. The


15 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

The mistake was in not involving ourlocal Hispanic people in the opportunity." Gonzalez said Spain's culture differsvastly from that of Latin America, whichsends Utah most of its Spanish-speakingimmigrants. "I personally know a lot of peoplethat have degrees in South America, andthey are working doing cleaning ordishwashing instead of having theopportunity to be hired and teach theirown people." In Utah, as well, a campaign could turn uphundreds, maybe thousands, of qualifiedapplicants, Gonzalez said.

Spanish consulate has attempted to interestUtah in the visiting teacher program forseveral years, she said. "We didn't go looking in Spain -- Spaincame looking for us," Patterson said. "Centraland South American consulates have notapproached us saying they have unemployedteaching candidates." Around half the states have also signed theagreement with Spain, including Texas andCalifornia, whose students have similarbackgrounds to those in Utah, Patterson said.

.

.

.

This year’s Fulbright Teacher Exchange has an interesting opportunity for ESL, French,or Arabic teachers. Rather than a full year exchange, 3-5 US teachers will spend six weeksin October-November shadowing Moroccan partners followed by spring visits by theMoroccan teachers who shadowed the US teachers. Each US teacher must obtain a six-week leave of absence with or without pay and theUS school must agree to accept a Moroccan teacher in the spring. The opportunity includesround-trip economy airfare for the teacher only and a $3,000 cost-of-living stipend. The USteacher will be hosted by the Moroccan partner and is expected to host that partner while inthe US. If you are interested, please contact the Fulbright Teacher and Administrator ExchangeProgram at 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 320, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520. Applications are due on October 15, 2000. Please be aware that you may have to pay yoursubstitute since no Utah schools provide six-weeks of professional leave. There are a fewrecently retired French teachers available for long-term substitute positions. There areprofessional development awards of $500 available for these kinds of awards. Contact JoanPatterson at 801/538-7776 or [email protected].

.

.


16 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

By Cheryl Hansen

The winners this year for the Teacher Vitality Award are Lisa Wilson, a French teacherin the Alpine School District, and Georgia Geerlings, a French teacher in the Sale Lake CitySchool District. Lisa used her money to travel with a group of educators to explore life in Morocco. Sheand her colleague Rachel McFarland plan to create an Internet presentation on their project,and it will be available to all Utah teachers in the near future. Georgia spent this summer in Vichy and Bordeaux, France, where she attended twointensive language courses. This is one step in her plan to develop curriculum for FrenchTourism and Hospitality for all French teachers in her district. Both Lisa and Georgia will be giving presentations on their projects this year at theUFLA conference at Brigham Young University in November. Information on how you canapply for a Teacher Vitality Award can be found at www.ufla.org.

.

By Tom Mathews

With the upcoming vote on making English the official language of the state of Utah,most attention has been paid to so-called foreign or immigrant languages that compete herewith English. From among the European languages, certainly Spanish was spoken in Utahlong before English was, but there are a number of languages native to Utah that are toocommonly overlooked in the English-only debate. Most of these languages are spoken and used in Utah and in surrounding states, butnowhere else in the world. Passing legislation that would make their use more difficult wouldbe an affront to the world's linguistic heritage, and yet another strike in the continuing Angloconquest of Native-American cultures. The most important languages native to Utah are:

Ute and Southern Paiute: spoken by over 1,900 people. Ute is spoken in southwesternColorado and southeastern and northeastern Utah; Southern Paiute in spoken only insouthwestern Utah, northern Arizona, and southern Nevada. A dialect, Chemehuevi, isused on the lower Colorado River, in California.Hopi: spoken in several villages in northeast Arizona, with small numbers in Utah andNew Mexico. Language use is vigorous except for some younger speakers who preferEnglish.Navaho: 148,530 speakers, including 7,616 monolinguals, out of 219,198 ethnicNavaho. Spoken in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, southeasternUtah, and a few in Colorado. Language use is vigorous. The people prefer the name


17 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

'Dine'.Shoshoni: 2,284 speakers, out of 7,000 population. Shoshoni is spoken in central andnortheastern Nevada, Ft. Hall, Idaho, and Wind River, Wyoming; Goshute is spoken only in western Utah. Related to Comanche, language use isvigorous in some locations, in others only the older people speak the language.

Also important in Utah are Tongan, Spanish—both with large native-speakingcommunities—and a variety of languages used in Tourism at our National Parks and our skiresorts (French, German, Italian, Japanese, etc.).

Information from the Summer Institute of Linguistics www.sil.org.

.

By Karl Powell

The Golden Spike Empire Language Alliance (GSELA), an organization that supportsforeign language teachers in Weber, Davis, Box Elder and Morgan Counties, sponsored aLanguage Maintenance Retreat on August 19 at Weber State University. Sessions were heldin three languages: Baldomero Lago (Spanish), Eva Szalay (German) and Pierre Baigue(French) presented activities and instruction that provided invaluable practice and skilldevelopment in the target languages. A total of 24 foreign language teachers attended. Theresponse was very positive, with most of the participants indicating that they would choose toattend a similar session in the future, and would recommend it to colleagues.

.

By Atsuyo WrightRecipient of a USOE Inservice Grant

I had a great time in Japan early this summer. I'm thankful for the Utah State Office ofEducation grant program. This grant helped me so much in completing my project while Iwas in Japan. My project was to help my students understand the lives of Japanese students in theirschools. I visited elementary, junior, and high schools in Japan and made videos. I believethat the videos will help my students find similarities and differences between Japanese andAmerican schools. I chose to visit the Junior High and High school that I graduated from. Ialso chose an elementary school that my younger brother teaches at. His school is located inKitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture. I was welcomed in all the schools by the students.


18 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

They were very friendly and polite. The students always greeted me politely saying "goodmorning" or "good afternoon," with the traditional custom of bowing. I was impressed bytheir respectful greeting to all the teachers as they met them in the halls. They even bow atthe entrance of the teacher's room. They ask if they can come into the room and talk to theteacher. When elementary pupils go to lunch, they put on cute white lunch uniforms, aprons,and hats. Lunch is served in a lunchroom. The pupils bow in the direction of the people whoare fixing the lunch. The pupils say, for example, "We are from the second class of firstgrade; we thank you for this lunch" and bow. Many school business matters were handled by the students even in the elementaryschools. The school that I visited had a morning greeting meeting every day through theintercom system. All the announcements were made by students. An administrator made ashort comment or told a story. Cleaning of the school (both inside and out) was completed bythe students each day. There were several big sinks in each hall. Rags and buckets were keptby the sinks. Brooms and dust pans were stored in each classroom. The student body systemis very active in every school from elementary to high school. Their system is very solid. On one Saturday I was invited to a student body meeting at Kirigaoka Jr. High. That dayall the students were present in the multi-purpose room. The officers sat on the stage and allthe other students were sitting on a hard floor. The reports and goals from each departmentwere put together by the student body officers and handed to each student. Each officercovered a certain area, like public welfare, beautification, etc. They reported on what theirlast tem goals were, how they achieved the goal, and the results. They also announced newgoals to improve the school. They discussed how they will achieve these goals and what kindof help they would need from the student body to achieve them. Students were asked to givetheir opinions and suggestions. The suggestions were accepted by the student body officersin consensus of all the student body at the meeting. On another Saturday and Sunday, I was invited to the culture festival at Kokura MinamiHigh. Some school clubs like band, baton, music, English clubs, etc., and some teacherspresented their best performance. Everyone enjoyed it. Sunday was open to the public. I wasdifferent uniforms from several different schools. A special tea ceremony was performed.Flower arrangements, photos and paintings were displayed. Delicious food was prepared inthe cafeteria. Through these activities, Japanese schools really do try to build unity in theirschools. Many years have passed since I left Japan. It was so nice to see how Japanese schoolsare continuing on. Now I can see that they are going to have big changes in a few years. Onechange is that public schools have two days off in a week. Another change is that publicschools will have a special hour class (it is calls "soogoo gakushuu") in a week. This classwill be planned by each school for the needs of being aware of world affairs and others.Students will not be tested in this class but a vast amount of information will be given aboutworlds affairs. This will be accomplished bringing in a speaker that can tell about othercountries, etc. Before I left for Japan, I made a short video about an elementary school, ajunior high school and a high school in my town. Japanese students were very happy to see it.Using this tape, I was able to give one presentation in Kokura Minami High. I also took apicture book about Utah and some snacks. Using these, I have a short presentation in ShiiElementary. Students in Japan were very excited to know about what American students doin schools or in their lives. The time I spent visiting the Japanese schools was anunforgettable experience in my life.


19 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

.

Information from Joan D. Patterson

Level 1 awards: Twenty at $500

Level 2 awards: Ten at $1000

Applications available at www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/for.lang

Both levels require

Current Utah teacher licenseCurrent foreign language assignment in a public or private schoolInformal speaking assessment during the award periodCurrent membership in a foreign language professional organizationCopy of personal professional development plan

Level 2 awards also require:

Report of activities due from the level 1 awards*Report on changes derived from the level 1 awardService to the foreign language communityInformal speaking assessment submitted with the application

Level 2 awards must focus on development of maintenance of language proficiency unlessthe applicant’s ACTFL OPI rating is already "advanced" as verified by a recent interview(within 12 months). Such language proficiency development/maintenance should include animmersion experience of at least 3 weeks.

*Level 1 awards include those who received $500 individual awards in 1999 or 2000 andthose who participated in MOPI training at BYU in August 1998 and at WSU in August of2000. Those who participated in the MOPI training must waive any claim to Level 1 awardsif they wish to apply for a level 2 award.

.

.


20 of 20 7/5/2015 11:20 AM

Table of Contents - organizations.weber.edu · AATG Friend-of-the-profession Awarded to Joan ......

Documents

Transcript of Table of Contents - organizations.weber.edu · AATG Friend-of-the-profession Awarded to Joan ......