My Final Reflection on my MATL experience

When I started the MATL, I already spoke Spanish fluently. I acquired Spanish while I
was dating my ex- husband who is from Colombia. He did not speak English when I met him
and I did not speak very much Spanish. Therefore, over the next ten years that we spent our
lives together, I picked it up without even realizing that I was doing so. Part of the reason that I
started the MATL was because everyone who knew me would tell me that I should be a Spanish
teacher because I spoke it so well. After considering this but not really paying much attention to
the idea, I noticed something that a previous co-worker of mine, (who did not speak Spanish at
all when we worked together) posted something on Facebook about the MATL and how she was
going to graduate soon. And right there I thought to myself, if she can do it, so can I because I
was already fluent in Spanish. I was very confident coming into the program because I was very
comfortable speaking Spanish. However, I quickly realized that first semester that I still had a
lot to learn.
To begin with, I had never taught. Ever. All of my experience in the classroom was as a
student. So the idea of having to teach was slightly unnerving that first semester. I was not
worried about the language, but I was nervous about having to get up in front of a class full of
students.

What I should have been more worried about was the fact that in my acquisition of

Spanish, I did not learn the grammar. I used it in everyday in my speech but I did not know that
I was using the subjunctive, or what the name of the gerund was in Spanish. I realized that I had
been spelling words wrong for many years because I had never even heard of a stem-changing
verb. As I assisted Dr. Guglani that semester, I became very thankful that I wouldnt have to
teach by myself yet. I learned so much about teaching that year from all of the teachers that I
assisted. I especially appreciated that Dr. Guglani took me under her wing and taught me

whatever I wanted to know about teaching.

For the second semester, I also assisted Dr. Loiza

and Luisa, in addition to Dr. Guglani. I appreciated what I learned from each of them because I
had the opportunity to see three very different teaching styles, all of which taught me something
different about how to teach. I n Luisas class, that second semester, she let me teach a lesson for
thirty minutes of the class. I was excited but also so nervous. The night before I had to teach, I
made my sons be my audience so that I could practice my lesson for the next day. Luisa gave
me very helpful constructive criticism that I learned from and utilized in my teaching after that. I
remember thinking by the end of the second semester that I was ready to have my own class. In
my mind, I no longer needed the training wheels. I actually remember to this day the moment
when getting up in front of the classroom no longer intimidated me. It was like turning the light
switch on. From one moment to the next, I stopped getting the butterflies of nervousness in the
pit of my stomach when I had to stand and speak in front of people. That first year in the MATL
was really eye opening and inspiring to me. I was thoroughly enjoying everything I was
learning.
My first core class, FL 561 was a very challenging way to start my MATL career. That
class really kept me on my toes. I also took a French and Spanish class that semester, but they
were easy compared to this core class. There are two main things that I remember about that
class besides being introduced to the theories of teaching second languages that are presented.
One was my presentation on using technology in the classroom based on chapter twelve in the
textbook we were using. And the other thing was that massive portfolio that we had to do.
When Dr. C assigned the technology assignment, she just told me that I had to teach Chapter
twelve to the class. It was the last five minutes of class and she was quickly naming each student
and telling them which chapter they would be responsible for. When I got home and saw what

Chapter twelve was really about, I panicked because I knew very little about technology and I
was going to have to teach about using it in the classroom. It turned out to be a good thing,
because I learned so much about teaching with technology in the classroom and for my
presentation, I set it up so that we could speak to my ex-mother-in law who lives in Colombia.
We Skyped with her and learned a lot about the Colombian culture, geography, people,
traditions. I used this as an example of one way a teacher can use technology in the classroom.
Had I not been assigned that chapter on technology, I would not have come up with that idea.
While working on that portfolio, by the end of the semester when we had to turn it in, I
was exasperated thinking I would never finish.

And when I finally did finish, I went to Dr. Cs

office to turn it in and she was not there. Gayle told me to just leave it in her box and I must
have gasped or something because Gayle told me not to worry that she would make sure that Dr.
C got it. I remember thinking there is no way Im leaving this thing anywhere. It was a labor of
love. I was not willing to leave it in her mailbox in the office because I had invested so many
hours of work into that portfolio that the idea of not actually putting it into Dr. Cs hands to
prove that I had finally completed it made me nauseous. Nevertheless, I did as Gayle instructed
me to do and left my portfolio in Dr. Cs mailbox. Low and behold, Dr. C received it and
nothing bad happened to it. That class was really a great class, which mentally prepared me for
the other core classes I had yet to take.
And even though my French and Spanish classes seemed easy in comparison, I still got a
lot out of both of them. The French class was based on Marie Antoinette and the main reason I
took it at the time is because I have always loved French. I even got a bachelors degree in it. I
studied abroad for a semester in Paris and at one point in time I actually spoke it pretty well.
However by the time I started the MATL, French was a distant memory and I was eager to pick

it up again. At that time, I had not planned on getting a Masters degree in French. I just wanted
to practice it. So the life of Marie Antoinette was my first taste of French in many, many years
and taking that class only made me more determined to learn to speak French fluently again.
The Spanish grammar class I took that first semester was significant to me because I had to teach
a lesson to the class for the very first time. I was very nervous and I am sure that was evident,
but I was not nervous about the Spanish, just about having to get up in front of the class. The
lesson went over well and I even had other TAs in that class ask me if they could borrow it to
teach with in their beginning Spanish classes. I learned so much that semester not only from the
classes that I took but also from working as a teachers assistant. My second semester was
much easier since I took three Spanish classes and I had already gotten used to what life in the
MATL was like.
The three classes that I took my second semester opened up a new world to me about the
Spanish language. I learned about Spanish phonetics, the history of food from Spain and the
history of the Spanish language. The knowledge that I acquired from those classes have shaped
some of my lessons plans as well as changed my perspective on this L2 that I have been speaking
for so long. I really enjoyed those classes and as a result have become much more interested in
the historical aspect of the Spanish language. Because I enjoyed that class so much, when the
history of the French language was offered as a class, I was thrilled to enroll in it. I still have
the two books that we used in that class and I am currently rereading one of them. It is easy
French reading and it is very interesting. My love of history has now expanded to the French
language as well so naturally when the course of French in the Americas was offered, again I
was very pleased. I learned so much about the formation of the city I was born in, New Orleans

and the part the French played in making New Orleans what it is today. I was even surprised to
learn the history of the French on the coast and enjoyed a field trip there during that class.
I think about what classes were my favorite throughout the MATL and it is very hard for
me to choose. The French class that I took about French food and the French Media class that I
just took this past summer were two of my favorites especially for practicing my French. But
when I think about learning theory and the teaching of grammar I would have to say that my
SLA class and FRE 612 classes were my favorites. I suppose that because I learned so many
different things from each of these classes I have an appreciation for all of them.
I am glad that I completed this final reflection after I chose my artifacts and wrote the
rationales for the portfolio. In and of itself the portfolio was yet another experience in the
MATL like no other. Three intense weeks of reviewing projects, papers and lesson plans that I
created over the course of the program coupled with rereading the feedback that I received on
those projects and papers was like taking another intense class. It brought so much back to me
about what I have learned these past three years. Upon reading some of my essays, I thought,
wow, I actually wrote that and I have really appreciated and relied on the feedback that I
received on my writing. It is an immense feeling of accomplishment to be so close to finishing
the MATL and I dont think there is anything that I would change about it. Any challenges I
encountered strengthened me as a teacher and I will never forget the enjoyment that I received
from doing this program.