readings

In order to be a successful language teacher, one must both read and write proficiently in the target language. This has always been my assumption, and for total fluency, it is true. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are critical skills that any language learner needs to master before he or she can claim themselves to be fluent in the target language. However, this does not mean that those skills will all grow at the same rate in a classroom. This week's readings pointed that out for me. I always assumed that students would grow at roughly the same level in all of these skills throughout their education. This is not true at all. Granted, some students will progress equally in all language skills, but that is not to be expected from every student. As teachers, I believe that it is our job to pay attention to our students' language skills progression, discover which areas they are excelling in or may need some assistance in, and to give them that assistance accordingly.