Connecting with the Classroom

Connecting with the Classroom is Important, says Odle.

For Lauren Odle, there is nothing odd about expecting kids to carry 50 pounds in books around the classroom.

"I like to teach interactive lessons."

Odle is a Spanish teacher at the Cyber Village Academy, a charter school that teaches students on campus three days a week, and online for the other two. To illustrate the hardship of getting water from well to home in third-world countries, she is weighing books on a scale, keeping track of how many books would weigh equivalent to the average jug of water.

"They may not have to carry all of them," says Odle, "we'll just keep adding books until they can't carry any more."

For 12 years, Odle has been teaching students Spanish by utilizing the world around them, and making the language relevant to their everyday lives. As part of her curriculum, she incorporates Village Field Trips to El Lago del Bosque.

"I was looking for ways to expand the classroom. Then I learned about the academic weekends," says Odle, "I was hooked on how effective the program was."

To Odle, teaching Spanish is less about memorizing proper syntax, and more about establishing rapport through interpersonal communication.

"As a teacher, students learn better if there is a connection," says Odle, "traveling with students adds those connections and builds a trust that may not otherwise develop."

According to Odle, trust is vital to encourage learning and exploration.

Odle also revels in the chance Village Field Trips give her for personal development.

"They offer the rare chance to interact with native speakers and improve the authenticity of my Spanish grammar. "

She isn't the only one who benefits from the personal development Village Field Trips offer, however.

"Often, I'll have kids who are afraid to speak in class because they don't want to say the wrong thing. At the Language Villages, though, they begin to blossom and become more outgoing because they find themselves in an environment free of judgment. Everyone is allowed to develop at the pace that suits them best."

clv@cord.edu
(800) 222-4750