📖 Estimated read time: 8 minutes
Let’s normalize something: sometimes the strategies that worked for years suddenly stop working.
And that can feel really frustrating.
In this episode of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, I’m starting my end-of-year reflection series with something a little uncomfortable. Not what worked this year, but what didn’t.
Because I think our profession needs more honest conversations like this.
This year, one of my classes pushed me to reflect on a lot. Things I thought I had figured out. And instead of glossing over it, I want to talk about what I noticed and what I’m taking into next year.
If your year felt hard too, this one is for you. And if you need a tool to help you reflect, get my Reflection Tool here and you can make a copy of the student survey I use with my students.
The Real Problem Wasn’t the Activity. It Was the Structure.
One of my biggest realizations this year had to do with activities that didn’t have enough structure.
For years I’ve loved using Stand Up, Pair Up, Share, partner conversations, quick movement breaks, and brain breaks like rock, paper, scissors.
But this year, especially with my freshmen, those activities did not work.
Students switched to English quickly. Socializing took over. Transitions got noisy. The energy was hard to bring back down.
I kept asking myself: Why is this not working anymore?
What I finally realized was that the problem wasn’t movement. The problem wasn’t communication. The problem was structure.
When I added clear steps and accountability, things shifted.
One activity that worked really well was Respond, Reply, Reflect:
- Students answered a question in writing first.
- They moved around the room in silence with music. When music stops, they read a classmate’s response.
- They reacted using sentence starters I provided.
- They reflected on everything they had read.
That sequence made a real difference.
Exchanging notebooks and asking follow-up questions also worked much better than just saying “turn and talk.”
And silent discussions became one of the strongest tools in both my Spanish 1 and Spanish 3 classes. Students stayed focused, stayed in Spanish, and felt supported.
My student surveys confirmed this. When I asked what they enjoyed most, they mentioned routines, stories, reading time, guided discussions, structured movement, and class conversations.
My students needed tighter structures for longer than I expected. And only after that foundation was solid could I release more responsibility. But I was moving too fast, too soon.
Connections Are Not Enough Without Consequences
This next one is hard for me to write.
Relationships are one of my strengths as a teacher. I believe in compassion, flexibility, and truly knowing my students.
But this year I realized something important.
Connections alone cannot sustain expectations.
I relied too much on conversations and redirection. My expectations were clear. My consequences were not. And I gave too many chances.
That’s hard to admit because I always want to lead with empathy. But I confused the clarity of expectations with the consistency of consequences. Those are not the same thing.
I also noticed my language mattered more than I thought.
Instead of framing things as classroom expectations, I sometimes said “I need you to do this” or “you should be doing this.” That made it feel personal instead of procedural.
Two podcast conversations helped me think through this differently:
- Students Didn’t Meet Expectations? Why That’s Not the Real Problem
- How Do We Support Neurodivergent Learners in the World Language Classroom?
Both reminded me that behavior and disengagement are rarely simple. Context matters. Students are complex. And we have to keep curiosity instead of judgment at the center if we want to grow as educators.
I Stopped Doing the Things That Create Community
Because I got frustrated with some of my classes, I pulled back from the activities that usually help me build classroom culture.
At the start of the year I normally prioritize student interviews, personalized questions, storyasking, and class conversations.
But this year I focused on covering curriculum and avoided anything that felt like it could get chaotic.
That was a mistake.
My freshmen probably needed more connection work, not less. My student surveys reflected this. They mentioned loving stories, interviews, learning about each other, funny class moments, and cultural discussions.
Several students said they wished we had done more stories and more conversations.
Those activities aren’t extras. They aren’t rewards. They are how we build the community that makes everything else possible. When I stopped prioritizing them, I made things harder for myself.
Quiet Disengagement Is Hard to Catch
One of the harder realizations this year was that some of my quieter students had disengaged before I fully noticed.
My more vocal students gradually dominated discussions while others slowly withdrew. And because that disengagement was quiet, it was easy to miss.
With my Spanish 3 class I anticipated this. Because they had inconsistent instruction before, I knew I needed to scaffold a lot, slow down, and monitor comprehension carefully.
And it worked. Students talked about understanding more Spanish, feeling more confident, and enjoying class. Their feedback of the class was incredibly positive.
But with Spanish 1, I assumed students would adjust faster than they did. I watched for loud disengagement and missed the quiet kind.
Next year I want to catch it earlier. A student going quieter than usual, withdrawing slowly, giving up internally in ways that don’t always show on the outside. That matters just as much as the visible stuff.
What This Year Reminded Me
Good teaching is not about finding the perfect strategy.
It’s about adjusting. Observing. Staying curious. And responding to the students in front of you.
I have two preps, supportive administration, and mostly motivated students. And even with those things in my favor, this year was still hard at times.
So if your year felt hard too, you are not alone.
What saved me this year was routines. And in the next episode, I’m sharing what did work and why routines became one of the most important things in my classes this year.
Even in the hard years, there is still so much growth. 💛
Did any of these reflections resonate with you? Share in the comments or come find me in our Facebook community — Growing With CI.
And if you’re a Spanish teacher looking for more support and community, join our waitlist here for Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy
