From Your President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Tess

From Your President ...

Ever since methods classes in college, many of us are hard wired to reflect on our practice. And many of us still keep a journal or diary and pursue a more relaxed daily reflection not necessarily tied to our professional practice. Of course simply enjoying a minute on one’s porch or stoop lends the perfect opportunity to think back and make some plans for the future.

While I am thankful for any moment of peaceful reflection in between all the frenzy that a life with younger kids entails, I have become extremely grateful for moments that give just a quick pause to appreciate anything. The knowing look of the eureka moment when a student finally understands a concept. The lyrics of the song which reach a surprising profundity in the context of life and serve as sudden personal soundtrack. The memorized bits of poetry of years ago which reach new meaning as experience creates new facets of understanding.

These all seem to exist in a mental vacuum, just brief occasions of ephemeral satisfaction. However, there is the possibility that these moments get a second life, if you get the chance to share these with others. That same smile when your students figured something out returns to your face when you write it down and share it with their parents, and when you tell your family how great your day was. It would seem that reflection is a prime avenue towards that joy borne of gratitude which has permeated the educational and wellnes s world the past few years. A particularly satisfying moment for me goes back to a WAFLT board meeting. Pre-pandemic, I was sitting down with some colleagues for the end-of-year lunch following our meeting, and we commenced talking about what our own kids were up to and how it mirrored some of our own experiences growing up. As language teachers the talk veered to studying and living abroad. We had the c hance to reawaken some fond memories of our own adolescence, and we tried to imagine a world where study abroad in the target language would be a requirement or just an assumed part of K-12 or K-16 education. What would be the point? Of course we rattled off a million reasons why such a system would be beneficial, but the thought that sticks with me even after 4 years of being removed from this conversation was what the professor shared about her own daughter’s reflection on living and studying in Japan. She said something to the effect of, “Bottom line, I really think I can do anything.”

There’s a fearlessness, grit, and confidence which language learning is uniquely poised to deliver. We praise our Olympians for these qualities, we encourage our own children to be fearless, and we try to muster our own courage every single day. But what this student had figured out was that she had the tools to succeed and she was positioned to see her ambitions through. It’s the overarching standard, and is infused through all the other “I can” statements: Fighting fear is the invisible (or some would argue completely obvious) resolve which is fueled by risk-taking (bullet trains and Glühwein) and furthered by appreciation for other languages and cultures. Yes, language learning c an further your own success, but it can also create the context whereby we are mutually enjoying our momentary glimpses of satisfaction.

Continue to look for regular monthly offerings from WAFLT and our regional and national organiz ations. Sometimes it’s a brief power hour check-in on a Thursday night. Of course longer format forums like Summer Institute and Fall Conferenc e will give us plenty of time to reflect on our methods and make plans for the next semester. I look forward to sharing these moments with you, not only for the time together but for bolstering our resolve.

Dan Tess

Dan Tess