Welcome to my little corner of the internet!
I’m Emily, the Señora behind Stories by Señora. I’m a high school-turned-elementary Spanish teacher in my 14th year. I teach kindergarten-3rd grade in Smalltown, USA. Teaching from a cart (oh the joys!), I travel to 16 classrooms 3 times a week.
I am by no means an expert, but I love learning about how we acquire language and I’m always trying out new ideas. I’m excited to share ideas and hope it will be helpful to other educators.
Stories by Señora
Starting my TpT shop and now blog came together over the course of several years. In the past, I never saw myself as having something to add to the Spanish teacher blog or Teachers Pay Teachers worlds. That said, I’ve learned and grown so much in my years as an educator and I am excited to share with others. Hopefully you’ll find something useful!
Starting Out
I started my career teaching Spanish 1 and 2 to high school students. I loved my job and never imagined doing anything different. Then our district implemented an early world language program at the same time numbers went down at the high school. Long story short, I taught both high school and elementary for a mind numbing year. Teaching language to elementary students just clicked and I never looked back. I’ve been teaching at the elementary level full time for 6 years now.
Teaching Elementary School
I learned so much when I switched to teaching younger students. I spent my first year dedicated to figuring out the unique developmental levels of each grade I taught. I observed classroom teachers and asked lots of questions. I learned by doing and definitely had some lessons that completely flopped!
I will always remember starting my first elementary class, that very first day. I sat down in front of a brand new kindergarten class and thought to myself, “What are you doing here?” If you’ve ever taught kindergarten, you know that teaching beginning of the year kindergarten students takes a special kind of magic and patience. Even though I faltered in that moment, we figured it out together and I have come to absolutely love teaching at this level.
As the years passed, I learned from fellow early language educators on Twitter and was also fortunate to attend valuable professional development sessions. I started teaching with stories and found my true passion.
Teaching with Stories
Language learning within the context of a story is nothing new–but it sure is a magical way to learn. Isn’t that how we teach our children at home?
Early on in my career I definitely thought Spanish 1 and 2 students didn’t have the vocabulary to understand and entire story in Spanish. It wasn’t until I attended a training with Carol Gaab that I truly saw all the many ways we can incorporate reading, even with young learners.
After transitioning to teaching elementary students, I remember talking with my principal about possible books I could use with students. Many of the picture books have way too many words for a young child learning their second (or third!) language.
That was my lightbulb moment–I realized I could write my own stories!
Random Things to Know About Me
- I was a camp counselor in the summers during college (both YMCA day camp and Concordia Language Villages). Camp Emily is someone I strive to remember when I’m teaching.
- I love being outside–hiking, canoeing, kayaking, or just watching the water makes me happy.
- My job exhausts me. I drag myself back to my office at the end of each day. Kids are so fun but man, are they tiring!
- I am a big time band geek. I even played first chair flute in high school. (Kind of a big deal you guys!) Honestly though, I’ve always loved music and use it in my teaching daily. It’s so hard teaching without singing this year…darn that virus!
- I love to brainstorm out loud. Talking helps me figure things out. I wonder if writing will do the same?
- A few years ago I shifted my focus to figuring out how to incorporate the idea of “play” into my teaching. Students learn more when they are playing with the language. Plus, we all have more fun!
- I have to try really hard to let go of my perfectionistic tendencies.
- I love school supplies and organization.
- My Scottish grandmother instilled in me a love of tea and knitting.
- My two daughters help me be a better teacher. It is so interested to see how different they are, especially when it comes to how they learn. I’m lucky enough to be their Spanish teacher and they are young enough to love having “mama” as their teacher!
My Hope for this Blog
It is my sincere hope this blog can serve as a resource to other language teachers out there. I believe we are at our best when we work together and share ideas and resources. Please reach out if you have any questions or need a brainstorming partner! You can find my contact info here.