How to approach teacher work days
How to approach Teacher Work Days Welcome back to my Beginner Teacher Series! The time to start preparing for the new school year has begun. With less than a month away, the pressure and anxiety of getting curriculum, materials, decor, etc is increasing by the day. If you are working at a school like mine, you will have […]
A Guide to Being a Beginner Teacher: Blog Series
New to this whole teaching thing? You’ve come to the right place. Hey there, teachers! Whether you’re a beginner teacher or a seasoned pro, welcome to my blog series dedicated just for YOU! No matter your subject area, you’re in the right spot because these posts are for everyone. Every year, I see beginner teachers […]
Costa Rica Itinerary Project
Hola, hola 🙂 I am crushing this whole “1-2” posts a month thing right now and I have been itching to get this one out because I get to talk about and share my favorite project idea I have ever had…..ever! This project was designed for a Spanish 2+ classroom and contains MANY scaffolds. I […]
Spanish Podcasts in the Classroom
Hey there! It’s been about a month since my Running Dictation post went a little viral (over 2,000 unique views in a month is viral for this small blog!). While I could probably write a controversial blog post each month filled with hot takes about teaching, I figured it was time to lighten it up around here […]
Running Dictation: One teacher’s takeaways of World Language’s most popular game
Running Dictation: One Teacher’s Takeaways of World Languages most popular Game The last two weeks have been filled with sick days and snow days. I had influenza A and ended up missing Wednesday – Friday which was not really in my plans, but it is what it is. Then, we had a long weekend due […]
Spanish Semester Exams For ALL Levels!
It’s officially December! The year is wrapping up and so is the first semester of our language classes. If your school is anything like mine, we give end of semester exams. There are a lot of different ways you can go about giving exams. For me, I prefer to give projects whenever possible. Don’t get […]
Spilling the tea on #actfl23
Last week, I attended the ACTFL 2023 Convention in Chicago! I was a first time attendee and was able to experience things at this conference that I never thought I would get to see. If you have never attended this conference before, you should try to make it happen in your career! I was the […]
Teaching on TL Memory Lane ACTFL / KWLA
KWLA Workshop Update Hey there! In September of 2024, I presented this session again at the 2024 Kentucky World Language Association Conference with my dear friend Sara-Elizabeth. This time, we turned this session into a 2 hour workshop and in hindsight, I don’t know how we managed to do this session in 40 minutes at […]
Play-Doh Connections: Building Community on Day 1
Hola! The new school year is underway for me! I am teaching Spanish 1 and 2 this year after having just Level 1 for the last year. I typically do not enjoy Level 2 but I am truly excited to teach this group of kids again. They were fantastic last year and I am looking […]
PD for Profes: Professional Development for World Language Teachers!
PD For Profes: PRofessional Development for World Language Teachers I hope this blog post reaches you at a time where the kids are out of your classroom and you are recharging from the insanity that was the 2022-2023 school year. If you are like me, you have been on break for a few days and […]
Conference Season: How to prepare and thrive at a conference like a pro!
Conference Season: How to prepare and Thrive at a World Language Conference Like a Pro! Last week I went to Central States 2023 in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. This was my second Central States conference and my 5th in-person World Language Conference overall and was hands down the best conference I have ever attended. […]
CSCTFL 2023 – #authres in ADI classrooms!
Using #authres in an Aquisition-Driven Instruction Classroom Last week was a DREAM! From being awarded Ohio Beginner Teacher of the Year for the OFLA organization to having dinner with some of the most incredible people from Kansas, #langhcat, and curriculum companies….I really needed someone to pinch me at times! CSCTFL is hands down the best […]
#LangBook Week 2: Input
#LangBook Week 2: Input Welcome back to another #LangBook blog post where I write my thoughts about the book Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition goes to the Classroom by Florencia Henshaw and Maris Hawkins. I couldn’t tweet live this week due to parent-teacher conferences but I didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity for reflection and […]
Game Day: How to facilitate a successful game day in a Novice level classroom.
Game Day: How to Successfully Facilitate a Game Day in a Novice Level Classroom. If I close my eyes and think back to when I was in Spanish class, the fondest memories that I have are from game days. By the time that I was in Spanish 3 and 4, we played games almost every […]
OFLA 2022 – Literacy in Languages: Incorporating Workshop Strategies in the World Language Classroom
OFLA 2022 – Incorporating Workshop Strategies into the World Language Classroom It is time for the FIRST Ohio Foreign Language Association conference IN PERSON!!!! I am SO excited to be presenting at OFLA this year about Reader’s Workshop in the World Language Classroom. I know it is impossible to attend every conference, but OFLA is […]
Explore Languages and more at COSI
Exploring Languages in Columbus, Ohio It’s been a hot minute…or six months…but still! I could explain why I haven’t blogged in six months in great detail, but I will summarize it in 3 sentences. I was sick all of January and then again in February with Covid and the flu. March and April were mental […]
Top 5 TPT Stores To Shop From This Sale!
Thanksgiving is easily one of my favorite holidays for a number of reasons, mainly the food. Before I developed my dairy allergy, my Nana’s chicken and dressing and macaroni salad always adorned my plate, as well as Gaga’s chocolate pudding pie. Now, I am all about my vegan green bean casserole and homemade stuffing. Another […]
Bones or no bones?
If you are on TikTok or have watched the news lately, you have probably heard of the sweetest little pug named Noodle who sometimes has no bones. Noodle’s dad @jongraz is a phenomenal human for blessing the social media world with Noodle’s presence. We all know that if it is a no-bones day, it is […]
Netflix and books?
Literacy in the World Language classroom is a true passion of mine. I could go down a rabbit hole citing the research that justifies how important it is for your students to be reading as early as possible in the target language. Reading, or interpretive reading as we call it in WL, comes in a […]
This is hard.
I sat on the couch on Saturday evening, listening to my husband climb the steps of our apartment outside, knowing that when he entered the door he would most definitely confirm my biggest fear that day. COVID-19 positive. My mind immediately started racing and doing all of the things that I have been prepared to […]
Things in my classroom that just make sense!
Friends, the school year is underway and I am THRIVING (except for my immune system)! This change was so needed and I feel excited to go to work again. The feeling of dread and sadness is gone and was replaced with the jubilation of being a teacher again. My coworkers are the nicest people I […]
My teaching journey: Part 1
Here we go, first real post. It is going to be long so please buckle in. My name is Haylee, the author of this blog (duh, you know that). I want to take you on the journey of how I became a Spanish teacher and how my teaching has evolved over the last 6 years. […]
Its a…..identity crisis.
Señora Ziegler is having a quarter life crisis. This post is going to serve as a life update, brain dump, and therapy session all in one. Guys, I have been struggling. Back in November, I confessed to my husband that I didn’t feel like myself and was really struggling with my mental health. Then, I […]
Getting Started with FVR / SSR
Getting Started with FVR / SSR in a World Language Class Welcome to this long-overdue blog post about how I plan and prepare for Free Voluntary Reading (FVR) and Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in my Spanish classroom. I’ll admit, this year I’ve been a bit inconsistent with incorporating FVR/SSR into our routine. While I usually […]
Mid-year Classroom Reset
It’s time for a mid-year Classroom Reset! Every November, a familiar feeling creeps in. The initial spark of the school year starts to dim. The joy of teaching wanes, and I find myself questioning the purpose of our daily grind. It seems my students are caught in the same malaise, oblivious to the true value […]
¡Manotazo! – A Spanish Game for ALL!
¡Manotazo! – A Spanish Game for ALL Looking for a lively way to engage your Spanish students while focusing on vocabulary repetition? Look no further than “Manotazo”! Inspired by the popular game “Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza,” this fast-paced card game is perfect for your Fun Friday, but your students will be begging you to […]
Accommodating World Language Students with IEP / 504 Plans
We are back again with another Beginner Teacher Series post. This time, we are going to dive into the world of Special Education. Learning how to implement an IEP / 504 plan in a World Language classroom is of the upmost importance. You are required to provide accommodations to students in the World Language […]
The #1 Thing You Need As A First Year Teacher
Hey there! Welcome to a brand new series dedicated to a very specific group of people. This series is for the first year teachers about to enter the education profession. If you aren’t brand new, by all means please stick around and see what may benefit you here! So, you just got your first job […]
OFLA 2024 – Authentic Resources
Hey there! If you are visiting this page because you attended my OFLA presentation this year about authentic resrouces, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!!! There were so many great presentations to choose from so I am so grateful that you chose mine. If you happened to land here and you didn’t attend, well I […]