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This isn’t your typical episode about strategies or games. Today, we’re talking about something real, something we don’t say out loud enough in our teacher circles: What do you do when your school no longer feels like home?

I’m joined by the amazing Kia D. London, a world language educator and returning guest, who opens up about the pain of leaving a school she once thought she’d retire from. In this raw and vulnerable conversation, we talk about what happens when your admin doesn’t support you, the grief that comes with leaving, and how to begin again—without losing yourself in the process.

Whether you’re in a toxic school environment or supporting a teacher who is, this episode will make you feel seen and remind you: You are not alone.

🎧 Tune in now, and let’s have the conversation we all need. 💛

Show Notes:

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What to do when your principal doesn’t support you
  
  
• Signs of a toxic school culture
  
  
• Why grief is real when you leave a school (even if it was your choice)
  
  
• The importance of honoring your emotions while starting over
  
  
• How Kia rebuilt her confidence and professional identity in a new space
  
  
• Why we need to normalize conversations about burnout, grief, and integrity
  
  

This episode is for any teacher who has ever felt stuck, unsupported, or unsure whether it’s time to go. It’s also for those who are rebuilding after a hard transition.

🔗 Links & Resources

🎙️ Kia's podcast:
Wisdom From An (Almost) Failed Teacher — Powerful, reflective episodes from Kia’s journey as an educator and human being.

📘 Related Blog Post:
What to Do When Your School Is No Longer a Safe Place – A deeper dive into Kia’s story and practical steps for teachers navigating unsupportive environments.

🌐 Connect with Kia:
Instagram: @ms.londonteaches

Website: bit.ly/klondon

Podcast: Wisdom From An Almost Veteran Teacher

Facebook Group: Culturally Diverse and Equitable Curriculum Design Group

🌐 Connect with Claudia:
Instagram: @growingwithproficiency
Website: www.growingwithproficiency.com

📩 Want more support and resources for your teaching journey?
Join The Spanish Teacher Academy → growingwithproficiency.com/academy

🎧 Subscribe & Review
If this episode resonated with you, please take a moment to rate and review the podcast. It helps us reach more teachers who need to hear these conversations.

🧡 Gracias for listening, profe. You're not alone—and your story matters.

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In a season when we just can't do it all, having clarity about what truly impacts our students’ proficiency journey is key. And this episode? It's the one you’ll want to replay over and over again.

This conversation with Dr. Stephen Krashen is one of the most downloaded episodes of the podcast—and for good reason. Dr. Krashen, the architect of the comprehensible input hypothesis, shares the powerful role of reading for pleasure in language acquisition and how simple, self-selected books can create big results.

This episode is a reminder of what really moves the needle in our classes—and what we can let go of.

☕ Grab your cafecito and press play. This one is a must-listen (again).

💡 Big Takeaways:

• Reading is the most powerful tool for acquisition—it builds vocabulary, grammar, writing, and even empathy.
• Easy and self-selected reading works—comic books, picture books, and leveled readers count (and they stick).
• Grammar doesn’t create accuracy—input does—and output naturally emerges from rich, repeated input.
• Students gain more from reading than formal study—it boosts knowledge in history, science, and beyond.
• Heritage learners thrive through pleasure reading—it’s how they stay connected to and expand their language.
• Good input doesn’t need to be perfect—even “bad” or imperfect input helps learners grow.

Resources:

Dr. Stephen Krashen’s Website

Article: The Power of Reading (PDF)

More Resources:

How to Teacher Guide: How to Shift to A Comprehensible and Communicative Teaching Approach
Growing With Proficiency The Blog
Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy Waitlist
Growing With Proficiency TPT Store
Join my Free FB Community: Growing With CI
Connect with me in IG: Claudia @‌IG

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In this re-released episode, I'm sharing one of the most powerful practices I started a few years ago—and yes, I still use it today! It's called the S.T.E.P. Forward Protocol, a simple yet transformative 4-step process to help you reflect, reset, and refocus your teaching at any point in the year.

In this episode, I break down each part of the S.T.E.P. process:

• S – Student Survey (Hear how I use surveys to gather meaningful student feedback)
  
  
• T – Teacher Reflection (Why starting with your wins matters more than you think)
  
  
• E – Explore Concepts (How to go deeper in the areas where you want to grow)
  
  
• P – Plan Ahead (Set one intentional goal—and a trick to make it stick!)

💡 Whether you're wrapping up your year, in the middle of a semester, or planning ahead, this episode will help you reflect with intention and move forward with purpose.

🛠️ Resources Mentioned:

✨ Free Reflection Guide (with survey link included):
https://growingwithproficiency.com/reflection

🎧 Curated Podcast Playlists based on your area of growth:

🎙️ Related Episode: Ep. 33 – How to Use Student Surveys in a CI Class

Growing with Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy Waitlist

“We need to do more of what’s working—but first, we need to know what’s working.”
Let this be your reminder to pause and celebrate your growth—just like I encourage my students to do.

If this episode resonates, don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with a colleague

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There’s nothing like a good game to bring life back into your classroom—especially when everyone (including you) is counting down the days to summer 🌞.

In this conversation, I’m joined by my friend and amazing teacher, Dahiana Castro, to talk about simple, low-prep, and super engaging games you can use right now—yes, even if you feel out of energy and your students are done.

You’ll walk away with:
✅ A fresh take on classroom favorites like Trashketball and Grudge Ball
✅ Easy movement-based tweaks to boost participation
✅ A brilliant twist on scavenger hunts that your students will love
✅ Game templates you can use tomorrow

Whether you’re looking for a last-week lifesaver or just need a break from your regular plans, this episode is packed with ideas to make your life easier and your class more joyful.

👉 What game are YOU going to try first? DM me or tag me on IG with your favorite!

🎧 Listen now to this special re-release of Episode 94 of Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast.

Get ready for an amazing episode with Dahiana Castro, an amazing Spanish and French teacher! Dahiana is sharing with us today three super fun games that will bring back the energy and excitement to your classroom. These games are like hidden treasures that you'll want to keep until the perfect moment. So, grab your popcorn and tune in to discover these awesome activities that your students will be dying to play!

What I love most about these games is how easily they can be adapted to any content, language, or level you teach. If you're looking to spice up your lessons and inject energy into your classroom, this episode is a must-listen! Join us as Dahiana Castro spills the beans on these hidden gems. Hit play, and let's get the party started!

Links & Resources
My Framework
Growing With CI FB Community
Blog
Teacher Pay Teachers Store
IG & Twitter: @claudiamelliott
GWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting List
Register here for CI Rebook 2025 Use code Claudia2025 to get $20 off
Hasta la cima template
Grudge Ball

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Are you looking for an interactive and engaging activity to boost your students' participation and build a strong classroom community at the end of the school year? In this episode of "Growing With Proficiency, the podcast," we explore a unique twist on the popular Card Talk activity that my students absolutely loved!

In this activity, I’ll share with you how to turn the simple drawings our students do in card talk into a pair-reading activity plus a gallery walk.

Main Highlights:

• Introduction to Card Talk and its benefits for student engagement and comprehensible input.
• Detailed activity setup with the prompt: "The Best and the Worst in the School Year."
• Step-by-step process from drawing, writing, hallway gallery walk, and class discussion.
• Personal connection and community building through shared experiences.
• Extending Card Talk: Ideas for adapting Card Talk for different thematic units such as clothing, food, and travel.

Resources and Links Mentioned:

• Free Teacher Guide: "How to Shift to A Comprehensible and Communicative Teaching Approach" – growingwithproficiency.com/guide
• Episode 82: Previous discussion on Card Talk with Ben Fisher
• Follow Claudia on Instagram: @claudiamelliott
• Connect on Facebook: Claudia M Elliott
• Join our waitlist for Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy

Thank you for tuning in to "Growing With Proficiency, the podcast." Until next time, keep growing and keep teaching with passion. ¡Hasta luego!

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Are you ending the year feeling tired, disconnected, or wondering if all your hard work made a difference?

In this episode, I’m opening up about five things I wish I had known earlier in my teaching career — before burnout crept in. These aren’t just reflective lessons; they’re practical shifts that helped me move from survival mode to a place of clarity, confidence, and connection in the classroom.

Whether you're in year one or year twenty, this episode is a reminder that burnout doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong — it might just mean you're carrying too much without enough support.

💡 In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why burnout is often the result of cognitive overload and decision fatigue
  
  
• How clarity in your “why” can reduce overwhelm
  
  
• Why collecting strategies isn’t enough without a framework
  
  
• What changed when I stopped trying to create everything from scratch
  
  
• And how finding a supportive community shifted everything

📚 Related episodes and resources:

• 🎧 Ep. 69 – The Pillars of a Comprehensible and Communicative Driven Classroom
• 🎧 Ep. 111 – How to Plan a 90-Minute Class With Confidence
• 💻 Explore The Spanish Teacher Academy – 7-Day Free Experience

🎧 Spanish teacher — this is your invitation to finally experience what it's like to teach with clarity, connection, and confidence.

The 7-Day Start Experience of Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy gives you a FREE sneak peek inside the trainings, tools, and story-based curriculum that hundreds of teachers are using to transform their classes.

Get the why, the how, and the what — all in one place, with a comunidad tha

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Do your assessments reflect the full journey your students have taken with you this year?

In this episode, I reflect on how end-of-year assessments can do more. They can be an opportunity to celebrate all the meaningful interactions, cultural insights, and personal growth that have happened in our classrooms.

Inspired by a powerful quote from Dr. Beniko Mason—“Assessments are more for me as a teacher than for my students”—I’m sharing three practical ideas to help you create assessments that honor what really matters in your class.

Plus, I’ll walk you through:

• Why we need to revisit the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages
• What happens when students don’t see relevance in assessments
• How reflection questions, gallery walks, and personal prompts bring connection back
• The importance of creating tasks aligned with ACTFL proficiency levels

And don’t miss the free end-of-year survey resource I use with my own students!

🌟 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why should assessments include more than one section of what we do in class?
• How the 5 Cs (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities) show up in class—and how to reflect that in assessment
• Tips for using personal questions at both novice and intermediate levels
• The power of student reflection at the end of the year

🔗 Resources + Links:

• 📄 Free End-of-Year Reflection Workbook: Click here
• 🎧 Episode 102 with AnneMarie Chase on Assessments: Listen here
• 🎧 Episode 110 with Cecile Lainé on Intercultural Competence & the 5 Cs: Listen here
• 🎧 Episode 138 with Maris Hawkins on ACTFL Updates & Proficiency Levels: Listen here

🎉 Don’t Miss This:

From May 12–22, you can get a FREE 7-day sneak peek inside Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy. No credit card, no commitment—just real support and strategy.

✨ Sign up here: growingwithproficiency.com/academy

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¿Quieres planear tu próxima unidad sin caer en el “más de lo mismo”?

En este episodio te llevo paso a paso por cómo diseño una unidad comunicativa, usando el idioma como vehículo para explorar el mundo, no como el objetivo en sí.

Te comparto el marco de Creciendo con Competencia que utilizo —un enfoque que va más allá de enseñar estructuras sueltas— para ayudarte a crear experiencias con sentido, con intención y con propósito comunicativo.

Este episodio nace de una sesión de Planeando Juntos en la Academia, donde una profe preguntó:
¿Qué puedo hacer con mis estudiantes de Español 3 y 4 en mayo?

Usamos el 5 de mayo como ejemplo, pero lo que verás aquí aplica a cualquier unidad cultural o temática que tú quieras explorar en clase.

🔍 En este episodio descubrirás:

• Cómo partir de una idea poderosa (no de una lista de vocabulario)
• Por qué es clave definir el lenguaje funcional, no solo palabras temáticas
• Qué significa tener un can-do realista y comunicativo
• Cómo estructuro mi ciclo de instrucción para mantener el input al centro
• La importancia de cerrar con reflexión y conexión, no solo con actividades finales

📣 ¿Y la sorpresa?

Del 12 al 19 de mayo abriré una experiencia gratuita de 7 días dentro de la Academia.
Podrás explorar una unidad completa del currículum Creciendo, ver cómo la aplico paso a paso y obtener ideas prácticas para cerrar tu año con intención.

🎟️ Únete a la lista de espera → http://growingwithproficiency.com/academy

Más recursos:

📕 Recurso de Cinco de Mayo

🏪 Tienda de TPT

🎧 Episodio 145: Read and Draw with a Twist: How Hieroglyphics Can Boost Comprehension