Whose Goals Are We Really Teaching?

At the beginning of every school year, I find myself asking the same question:

“What goals do I want to accomplish this year?”

The more I teach, however, the more I realize that they are not only my goals.

As teachers, we teach in the middle of at least four different sets of goals:

·       Our students’ goals

·       Our school’s goals

·       Parents’ goals

·       Our own goals as teachers

I have intentionally placed the teacher’s goals last—not because they are the least important, but because they are often the most complex. As teachers, we spend the year balancing all of these different expectations!

As you might expect, students’ goals vary greatly depending not only on their grade level but also on their personalities. Elementary students often want a fun class filled with games and movement. As students grow older, some begin to appreciate what they are learning or focus on preparing for college. Others simply want to pass the class. Our challenge is to find different ways to inspire each of them while adapting our teaching to their needs.

Now let’s think about the school’s goals. Our job is no longer limited to considering what our students expect from the class. We must also consider what the school expects us to teach. These expectations vary widely depending on the type of school. Some schools provide teachers with considerable flexibility, while others require a specific curriculum to be followed and learning objectives to be completed according to a fixed timeline.

And although parents’ goals often remain in the background, they are still very much present. Especially in private schools, parents may have strong expectations about what and how their children should learn, and these expectations often influence the teacher’s work.

Finally, we come to our own goals as teachers. Perhaps this is the part we enjoy the most. What do we want our students to learn?

Grammar?

Culture?

Communication?

Writing?

Or perhaps what we all hope for:

What do we want our students to take with them when they leave our Spanish classroom at the end of the year?

That, however, is a topic for another reflection.

So, what should the goals of a Spanish class really be?

Should students learn grammar?

Should we simply follow the assigned curriculum and cover

everything according to schedule?

Should we adapt our teaching to our students’ abilities?

Should we give students plenty of opportunities to pass the class so that they—and their parents—are satisfied?

Should we expose them to the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world?

Or should our main goal be helping them communicate in Spanish?

Of course, the answer is: ¡All of them!

As teachers, our goals are not determined solely by what we believe is best for our students. They are shaped by many different expectations, and our responsibility is to weave them together into a meaningful educational experience.

So before planning our first lesson of the year, perhaps we should ask ourselves a different question:

“Which ones of these goals do I want to accomplish this year?”

The answer will probably not be a single goal—or even just our own goals.

Perhaps one of the most important skills we develop as teachers is not simply planning lessons, but learning to balance all of these expectations.

What about you?

Is there one particular goal you hope to achieve this school year?