I feel less satisfied with the grammar.
My mission to go to DR to improve my grammar was a complete failure. The environment I was in demanded English. The Spanish I heard was a delightful mix of many foreigners trying to speak Spanish. The high point was the absolute delight expressed by the kids when I used my "teacher voice" in Spanish. Kids marveled at that--their eyes lit up with understanding. But they also ignored my mistakes because my accent was correct.
Stateside, when I returned from the DR and visited my old students and old classroom, I received feedback. My top student in Spanish 4 told me that I focused more on culture than on grammar. He said having a grammar-oriented teacher (my sub) was the perfect complement to my style. He said this very diplomatically and generously.
I realize he is right. For me, Spanish is a means of telling a story. I love a cultural lens to lessons because I love the stories. For me, the rules are important but vague. My strictest teacher, Luisana, from days of old in the city of sun, Valencia--her strict reprimands and my host brothers who laughed at me outright and fixed my grammar with a smile--those days are gone. Far behind. My best education in Spanish grammar is...19 years old.

I know I need to focus on grammar. Testing myself with the many free online placement tests puts me at B2/C1 or advanced mid/advanced high. How can I get to that elusive superior rating without some serious grammar work? How do I fix the foundation? There seems to be no other choice but to go back to school and really try to fix this thing. It will make my teaching a lot better. I still want to focus on the stories, but I want to do it with perfect grammar.
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