ginlindzey

This was in a reply to a note of dismay on Latinteach when a teacher found out that her Latin 3 class of 11 students wasn't going to make:

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I confess that I am almost surprised by the number of people who think this is almost conspiracy level, who think the principal hired a coach, or is indifferent to 3rd year of a foreign language, or just thinks very little of Latin.
 
It's about numbers and costs!
 
In fact, I'm surprised that you didn't see this coming, no offense, truly.  This is not an uncommon problem--not having the numbers.  And it's not just Latin.  The French AP class didn't make for next year at my school, because she didn't have the numbers--and she has no interest in doing split level.  (Apparently I'm the only foreign language teacher crazy enough to do that.)
 
With only 11 students signed up, and no guarantee that all 11 will stay, the class can't make.  So teach it split level.  Show your principal YOU ARE DEDICATED to the students and to their needing 3 years or more of a foreign language.  I've taught split level for 2 years now and will be doing it at least 1 more year if not 2.  It's doable if you are prepared and have routines that you have taught the students so that they can be more independent.  It's not ideal, but it's doable.  Heck, I took 2 of 3 years of Latin myself independent study. 
 
The next step is to consider what you can do to prevent this happening again.  In my case, I have been busting my butt to build up the program.  The students that are in split level are the ones I inherited when I came to Dripping Springs.  MY GOAL, though, is that this past year's Latin 1 class will be my first group to not need split level anything.  They will be my first level 3 pre-AP class, they will be my first full AP class!  I AM SO PUMPED.
 
And, yes, I have worked myself silly with the split-level classes.  BUt quia.com helps, and having a good conference period, preferably right before that class, helps, and remembering that NOTHING will be ideal.  Just go with the flow and do your best.
 
Just because we teach a foreign language, just because we teach Latin, just because we teach a course that students "need" to graduate, does not guarantee us anything.  (And who said something about tenure?  WHAT'S TENURE?  Sorry, we don't have it down here....) 
 
For the new teachers on the list or future teachers, remember this: healthy numbers don't just happen--you have to make them happen.  And A GREAT PART of that is your teaching style.  It's your willingness to work with students--ANY KIND OF STUDENT.  For me, it's about finding a way to make Latin accessible to all my Latin 1 students, even the strugglers, so that I can get them into Latin 2.  Then with Latin 2 it's about getting as many as possible into Latin 3, not weeding out the strugglers so I can just teach the bright ones (and, no, I am not accusing anyone on this list of doing this, but I have seen it done).  AND LET ME ADD that all through Latin 1, esp this spring, I was saying things like, "when ALL OF YOU are in AP Latin, we'll be reading Vergil and you'll see why we really need to understand ___." 
 
One of the Spanish teachers commented last week that eventually I would be draining off all the smart kids into Latin.  How absurd, I thought, because I don't teach that way.  If anything, I may drain off the students that are bombing Spanish because the teacher doesn't have time to figure out ANOTHER way to reach that particular student.  I have even heard at CAMWS the GRADUATE student committee advising future PhD's that TEACHING IS IMPORTANT and to learn to be GOOD AT IT.
 
We have a product that we are selling.  We are not gasoline; nobody HAS TO HAVE US.  We need to make people WANT IT, NEED IT, *CRAVE* IT.  Spanish is needed more than we are as a practicality, but we are FAR MORE PRACTICAL than French (no offense, teachers of French)--well, certainly this far south.  (If you live up in Minnesota or something, near French-speaking Canada, I take it all back!) 
 
Yes, we should promote and talk up vocab building test scores, as well as strengthening grammar concepts, etc.  I had an Asian student this year who put on his end of the year evaluation that he learned a lot about English grammar through my class which was very helpful to him (he's new to speaking English).  Case and point.
 
In other words, our product is a good one.  All that's left is how we SELL it and how we DELIVER it.  And these may not be things discussed during teacher training, but they are critical if you want Latin 3 and 4 classes to make.
 
One last thing, if you need some printed material about 3 years or more of a foreign language, the TCA Survey of College Admissions Counselors has good information:
http://www.txclassics.org/surveyresults.pdf

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Of course, I may have been too rough on the person in question.  But this is like those teachers who have thin numbers and suddenly discover that their program is being cut!  OHMIGOSH!  HELP ME SAVE MY PROGRAM!  And so people start writing letters and whatnot.  But I have learned to stop and ask a few questions:  1) How long have you been at that school?  2) What have you done to grow your program?  3) What kind of relationship have you established with your students and perhaps more importantly with their parents?   If the teacher has been there for a while, has done nothing to promote their program, and has no relationship with parents because he/she chose not to do JCL competitions (outside activities is where you really meet parents), chose not to go to conferences to learn the latest in best practices and pedagogy and thus continue learning--AS ALL TEACHERS IN ALL DISCIPLINES ARE EXPECTED AND REQUIRED TO DO, and chose to coast.... well, then, I'm sorry, but WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?

Is that harsh?  Is that mean?  WHY GET INTO TEACHING IN THE FIRST PLACE IF TEACHING WELL DOESN'T INTEREST YOU?   If you have no interest in the students or their parents?  In the whole aspect as school as a community?

You know what?  All of you new teachers or future teachers of Latin listen up:  teaching is HARD WORK.  If you just show up, do your thing, and go home, you may or may not keep a program.  I know a lot of middle school teachers get caught in this trap: they like the lighter work load of teaching level 1 Latin (hey, I definitely did, but I had family issues of my own to deal with at the time) and they relax and coast.  That's when the programs get closed.    You HAVE TO INVEST YOURSELF in your program.  We are electives.  We aren't core courses and there are no guarantees in life.  BUT, if you do invest yourself in your program and your students and their parents, you can control your destiny far more than if you just coast.  I'd rather have a kayak and be paddling myself than a sailboat because some days the wind just doesn't blow.  If you are the one doing the work, you will at least know that you will get to your goal.

Teaching is a pretty safe profession--we don't have issues that computer programmers have or other tech companies.  But we can never be complacent.  

Right. <sigh> rant over, I guess.