Stacy Witkowski

@stacywitkowski

Middle school Spanish teacher. Life long learner. She/her. 🏳️‍🌈 Looking for #langchat community.

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Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· 5d

Authentic Resource for French teachers. Photographed in metro Detroit, March 2025.

Photo of a billboard. Background is green. Text is white and in English and French: TARIFFS ARE A TAX. LES DROITS DE DOUANE SONT UNE TAXE. Paid for by the government of Canada. Payé par le gouvernement du Canada.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· 6d

Busco amigos de correspondencia (email o videollamada) para mis estudiantes de 11-14 años. Envíame un mensaje para mas detailles. Favor de compartir. 😊

Foto de un gato con un libro. El título del libro es El escape cubano. El gato tiene un hocico blanco y ojos verdes.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· 24d

Latin teachers how many of you need this t-shirt?

Photo of a grey tshirt with black text in latin:

CERTAMEN GLADIORUM
PRO HUNC
CONVENTUM
SUBSTITUI POTUIT.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jul 13

The more I read about students using AI to cheat because the grade is valuable to them but the learning is not, the more I think we need to rethink grading. I’m reading Learner Feedback for Language Growth this summer and getting ready to discuss it with my friends at @slayyypod.com

Photo of OP in summer mode with no makeup and hair in a messy ponytail holding a book and grinning at the camera like a fool on summer vacation. The book is Learner Feedback for Language Growth by Budke, Nickel, and Strauss

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jun 16

What was the last book that made you cry? Me: crying right now as I listen to this audiobook about the Korean war

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstam, read by Scott Brick

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Mar 26

We finished reading Mata la piñata so of course we had a piñata party with churrumais and coca cola. I had the perfect zombie piñatas: slightly damaged leftovers from years ago when I taught elementary Spanish! I filled them with fruit and toothpaste. 😉 @placidolanguage.bsky.social

A teen girl wearing a blindfold hits a tiger piñata with a stick.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Mar 13

How meta is it to read Arepas by Adriana Ramirez while eating arepas? Will the Colombian author forgive me for choosing a Venezuelan restaurant?

Photo of a small table showing an arepa stuffed with cheese, fried yucca, a brown beverage with a straw, and the book Arepas by Adriana Ramirez

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Mar 13

What I learned from this morning’s session at @cslang4all.bsky.social: native Spanish speaking teachers call this game “el juego de la torre” because the brand name sounds too much like a word that’s NSFW. 😂

Jenga game of stacking wooden blocks and removing them

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Feb 27

@senorwooly.com My Spanish 2 class spent 2 weeks on El antídoto del dragón and ended with a celebration where students illustrated the parallel stories they wrote while singing along to the song and sipping 3 kinds of “jugo” (and one kind of “veneno” 😉) 10/10 loved this unit.

Photo of a classroom. There are four large bottles of juice on a desk. Grape, guava, pineapple, and Clamato

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Feb 19

As she handed me the book, my English speaking wife said “I have no idea what the title means, though.” I told her it was a Bad Bunny lyric and reminded her of the graffiti we saw in Puerto Rico.

Photo of graffiti on a cream colored wall with weeds growing in front. Text says “⭐️ P FKN R se representa” and “gringo go home” and shows lines that suggest the head of a bird

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Feb 19

My sweetie got me this for Valentine’s Day. I’m looking forward to reading it.

Photo of the cover of the book P FKN R by Vanessa Díaz and Petra R. Rivera-Rideau shows a stylized illustration of Bad Bunny wearing a straw hat and holding a microphone before a background of a Puerto Rican flag.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 30

My Spanish 1 students made posters after they read Llama en Lima. I no longer grade this type of activity, but kids loved making them anyways. I used this as a springboard to a reading activity (read each others posters and find the quote) and later assessed with a speaking quiz.

A student made poster on green construction paper. A student drawing of a monkey with claws riding a surfboard. Text in Spanish includes “Mi personaje favorito es Mono porque es cómico.”

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 30

Spanish 2 students playing the Es Posible game to review the book Peter va a Colombia. I love this game. Students are so engaged. I got the template from Comprehensible Classroom and I write my own questions for each novel.

A group of at least three middle school girls sit around a table with papers on it. They talk, smile, and gesture with their hands.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 28

I’ve been listening to the audiobook Mexican Gothic. I’m only in chapter 4, but whew, equal parts creepy and intriguing. What are you reading lately?

Cover of Mexican Gothic by Silvia More o Garcia shows a woman from her nose to her knees. She is wearing a purple party dress in front of a dark green background.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 27

I was looking through my files today and saw this old document 😬 I used to send this home with elementary kids. What was good about it: I was promoting a home-school connection. What was bad: They needed a LOT more input, until they didn’t need the cringy “how it sounds” column on the right.

Chart with three columns and 8 rows. Top row reads: English, Spanish, How it sounds. Second row reads: backpack, mochila, mow-CHEE-la

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 26

How am I supposed to write a quiz on Peter va a Colombia like this?

A grey cat with yellow eyes sits on the keyboard of a laptop. She has her tongue out as if mocking the laptop owner.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 25

More middle school student reflections. Señor Wooly is one of the most divisive elements of my class. Some students, like this one, say earning nuggets is very helpful. Others mention it as something that wastes their time.

Pink paper. Typed questions and handwritten responses:

Q: What has Mrs. Witkowski done that has really helped you learn Spanish?

A: She has inturduced (sic) us to spanish websites such as senor willy.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 25

Mid year self-reflection and goal setting in middle school. What did your teacher do that helped? Many students mentioned the gestures I use, inspired by TPR. How about you? What is working or not for you this year?

Pink paper with typed questions and student handwritten answers

7. What has Mrs. Witkowski done that has really helped you learn Spanish?

she did show is hand jasters (sic) so wen we talk about it we know what she’s talking about.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 23

It’s too cold to go outside. School is closed and I’m spending the day playing my kitten. What are you doing today?

Photo of small grey cat pouncing on toy, slightly blurry.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Jan 22

New semester; fresh start. How is your year going?

Altered panel from Tintin cartoon. Captain Haddock, with dark circles under his eyes, leans on his elbow and says “what a year, huh?” Tintin replies, “Captain, it’s ENERO.” A small white dog drinks the captain’s beer.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Nov 11

I’m a fan of Duolingo. I think it’s a good tool for language learners. I’ve spent 90% of my time on this app learning Korean, except for a few weeks spent learning Catalan and Hawaiian.

Graphic from Duolingo shows the iconic green owl transformed into an orange phoenix. Text says I’m on a 1500 day learning streak.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Oct 18

Up early for a bike ride to the best bagel shop in metro Detroit. Now full of bagel and coffee, working on my slide deck for #MiWLA25. Today’s topic: Grading in the 21st Century Language Classroom. @miwla.bsky.social

Photo of morning sky shows dark blue grey fading to light blue and yellow on the horizon behind trees, with a few thin clouds.

Photo of glass door with icon of New York Bagel, “born and bread in Detroit”

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Oct 12

Student: Miz Witkowski! Someone wrote in this book! Me: Yes, of course they did. 😮‍💨

Photo of a page from the book Arlo by Mira Canion. Black and white illustration of a squirrel. Text in Spanish:
“Arlo corre t salta por 4, 5, 6, 7 minutos.”
Circle drawn in pencil around 6,7

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Oct 1

Another reason I love teaching middle school kids: I only have one Ava in this class 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Photo of Blooket entrance screen with 6 kids named some version of Ava.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Sep 26

Lol food for thought. Now I’m hungry for romanesco.

Two heads of romanesco brocoli, one cut in half

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Sep 26

My son convinced me to let him stay for the Varsity game (he’s on JV) so I’m getting a head start on chapter 4 of Proficiency Based Instruction while he watches the game. It’s a beautiful night to sit under stadium lights and read about teaching grammar. @slayyypod.bsky.social

The book Proficiency Based Instruction: Teaching Grammar for Proficiency by Catherine Ritz and Mike Travers is visible with a soccer field where a game is in progress in the background.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Sep 16

I’m excited for tonight’s @actfl.bsky.social webinar with @traversteach.bsky.social and Catherine Ritz. I wish I were attending from a bench overlooking a lake, but alas, I am home in my kitchen.

Photo of the book Proficiency Based Instruction held by someone sitting outdoors. Also visible in the background is a lake

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Sep 13

It has been a very hectic start to the school year (isn’t it always?) so I’m enjoying a weekend away. Sitting on a big front porch, looking over a lake, listening to gentle rain, sipping mint tea, and reading Proficiency Based Instruction. #langchat @slayyypod.bsky.social

Photo of book Proficiency Based Instruction and trees.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Sep 3

I am loving Card Talk as a sponge activity at the end of every day in Spanish 1. Without prompting the kids used all high frequency words: I have, I play, I like. This is helping me match names and faces as we all start to learn about each other. 🥰

3X5 card with text written in pencil and small illustrations:
1. I have 5 siblings.
2. I play bassoon.
3. I LOVE Train to Busan.

Stacy Witkowski@stacywitkowski· Aug 30

I’m from the midwest of the US, specifically the suburbs of Detroit. I speak American English. A cat is supposed to say “meow.” My cat says “mao.” And occasionally “maowow!”