Publication Date

2008

Abstract

This paper explores the role that being an introvert plays in foreign language teaching. As a Spanish teacher and an introvert, I expend extraordinary energy to compensate for my natural tendency to recede. The profession I have chosen requires exceptional and constant effort.

I define introvert in the context that I understand it. I recognize the limitations of the label and try to look beyond those.

I share different pieces of my own life story and share different contexts to illuminate how I have become a successful introvert teacher.

I speak to the paradox that what I love most about Spanish (the travel and adventure) is the polar opposite of what I am comfortable with as an introvert.

I highlight the strategies I have learned to help me survive in this profession in the hopes that they will be useful to other introvert teachers.

I reveal ways in which I believe my introversion allows my students to be more successful in the foreign language classroom.

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Educational Psychology

Download

Share

COinS