Ben Fisher-Rodriguez
@mrfishersays.bsky.social
HS German and Spanish Teacher / Blog at MrFisherSays.com / Co-host of SLAyyy at https://slayyypod.com / NEA Foundation Teacher of Excellence 2024 / PNCFL Teacher of the Year 2023 / WAFLT Teacher of the Year 2022 / he/him
If you're headed to ACTFL this year, I am moderating an ACTFL SideBar titled "Supporting LGBTQ+ Students and Colleagues" on Saturday from 11-11:45. Would love to see you there, and dream of better schools for us all. ❤️🌈
November 19, 2025 at 1:56 AM
If you're headed to ACTFL this year, I am moderating an ACTFL SideBar titled "Supporting LGBTQ+ Students and Colleagues" on Saturday from 11-11:45. Would love to see you there, and dream of better schools for us all. ❤️🌈
Took 23 students (and my student teacher) to the Washington State German Student Convention yesterday and we had a blast! I’m pooped today, but it was worth it for all the fun and connections made. ❤️ 🌈 🇩🇪
November 16, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Took 23 students (and my student teacher) to the Washington State German Student Convention yesterday and we had a blast! I’m pooped today, but it was worth it for all the fun and connections made. ❤️ 🌈 🇩🇪
I need yall to see this student drawing of me because it cracks me UP
September 21, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I need yall to see this student drawing of me because it cracks me UP
Consistent work gets results - the things you learn at 35 years old! 🏃
September 13, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Consistent work gets results - the things you learn at 35 years old! 🏃
Goosifer now has a wonderful tote bag, a book to go, and a lil hat out of the same yarn! I love my students 😭
September 13, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Goosifer now has a wonderful tote bag, a book to go, and a lil hat out of the same yarn! I love my students 😭
I impulse purchased an “ELEGANT DESK GOOSE” from the TikTok Shop and it arrived in my classroom today. And then one of my chicken nuggets crocheted a tie for him within the hour. HE IS EVEN MORE ELEGANT NOW
September 10, 2025 at 11:44 PM
I impulse purchased an “ELEGANT DESK GOOSE” from the TikTok Shop and it arrived in my classroom today. And then one of my chicken nuggets crocheted a tie for him within the hour. HE IS EVEN MORE ELEGANT NOW
Moments before I yapped continuously for an hour to a WONDERFUL group of World Languages educators this afternoon. Danke to NNELL and @klettwl.bsky.social for this opportunity - I had so much fun!
September 9, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Moments before I yapped continuously for an hour to a WONDERFUL group of World Languages educators this afternoon. Danke to NNELL and @klettwl.bsky.social for this opportunity - I had so much fun!
Very excited to present this webinar for Klett on how to keep students engaged and connected through entire class periods! We'll talk expectations, questioning strategies, and activities for connection and personalization.
Come join me on September 9 at 3:30 PST!
www.eventbrite.com/e/maintainin...
Come join me on September 9 at 3:30 PST!
www.eventbrite.com/e/maintainin...
August 27, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Very excited to present this webinar for Klett on how to keep students engaged and connected through entire class periods! We'll talk expectations, questioning strategies, and activities for connection and personalization.
Come join me on September 9 at 3:30 PST!
www.eventbrite.com/e/maintainin...
Come join me on September 9 at 3:30 PST!
www.eventbrite.com/e/maintainin...
Ok you got me. :) I try to keep it simple for me - this is the Presentational Writing Rubric I use to start level 2. I tend to give more weight (for purposes of creating a number grade) to the top two categories. NH in all three domains gets a 93%.
August 15, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Ok you got me. :) I try to keep it simple for me - this is the Presentational Writing Rubric I use to start level 2. I tend to give more weight (for purposes of creating a number grade) to the top two categories. NH in all three domains gets a 93%.
Do you host a podcast and want to mentor some teens looking to build their podcasting skills? Check out this opportunity I got from Natalie Lalagos, SWCOLT TOY 2023!
August 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Do you host a podcast and want to mentor some teens looking to build their podcasting skills? Check out this opportunity I got from Natalie Lalagos, SWCOLT TOY 2023!
I’m traveling today and used my flight to breeze through this book - really solid! I generated a bunch of ideas specific to my German classes that I think will really strengthen the learning next year. Thanks to @retrievelearn.bsky.social and all the authors for this excellent work!
June 14, 2025 at 12:10 AM
I’m traveling today and used my flight to breeze through this book - really solid! I generated a bunch of ideas specific to my German classes that I think will really strengthen the learning next year. Thanks to @retrievelearn.bsky.social and all the authors for this excellent work!
In case you needed a laugh today 😂 My students are so talented and they only use their gifts for EVIL
June 11, 2025 at 4:21 AM
In case you needed a laugh today 😂 My students are so talented and they only use their gifts for EVIL
I love wild student gifts. “My parents were in Germany briefly on a Europe trip and were just grabbing everything with German on it to bring to you. So, here are two Lufthansa air sickness bags!”
May 24, 2025 at 5:10 AM
I love wild student gifts. “My parents were in Germany briefly on a Europe trip and were just grabbing everything with German on it to bring to you. So, here are two Lufthansa air sickness bags!”
Me: “If you finish your quiz early, tell me on the back what’s going on in your life lately! Always happy to hear what’s new for you.”
Child: (draws a picture of sunlight reflecting off my bald head and, as with an ant under a magnifying glass, incinerating a child)
Child: (draws a picture of sunlight reflecting off my bald head and, as with an ant under a magnifying glass, incinerating a child)
May 20, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Me: “If you finish your quiz early, tell me on the back what’s going on in your life lately! Always happy to hear what’s new for you.”
Child: (draws a picture of sunlight reflecting off my bald head and, as with an ant under a magnifying glass, incinerating a child)
Child: (draws a picture of sunlight reflecting off my bald head and, as with an ant under a magnifying glass, incinerating a child)
Here is the slide with the reading group roles, with their descriptions in the Alt Text:
May 19, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Here is the slide with the reading group roles, with their descriptions in the Alt Text:
Email subject line: "u as a lion"
Attachment:
Attachment:
May 19, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Email subject line: "u as a lion"
Attachment:
Attachment:
Vibes are correct for the whole class novel, as well as in the sovereign nation of Fisherlandia
May 14, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Vibes are correct for the whole class novel, as well as in the sovereign nation of Fisherlandia
Fun review: students tell me everything they can remember from chapters 1-3 of the book we’re reading, and I draw up illustrations and discuss what they said. Then I paired them up for a writing task, with the board illustrations remaining up as a scaffold. Worked great!
May 13, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Fun review: students tell me everything they can remember from chapters 1-3 of the book we’re reading, and I draw up illustrations and discuss what they said. Then I paired them up for a writing task, with the board illustrations remaining up as a scaffold. Worked great!
Not me reading ACTFL’s The Language Educator magazine and seeing that Kei Tsukamaki mentioned our podcast in her Teacher of the Year profile!! 😭 ❤️ 🌈
Slayyy.buzzsprout.com
Slayyy.buzzsprout.com
May 13, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Not me reading ACTFL’s The Language Educator magazine and seeing that Kei Tsukamaki mentioned our podcast in her Teacher of the Year profile!! 😭 ❤️ 🌈
Slayyy.buzzsprout.com
Slayyy.buzzsprout.com
Started reading a novel with my students and used this idea from @marishawkins.bsky.social - do a dictation with sentences about the day’s chapter. After correcting, have students mark whether or not they think it happens in the chapter! Then after reading, revisit their predictions. Worked great!
May 6, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Started reading a novel with my students and used this idea from @marishawkins.bsky.social - do a dictation with sentences about the day’s chapter. After correcting, have students mark whether or not they think it happens in the chapter! Then after reading, revisit their predictions. Worked great!
Leaving comments on his work
April 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Leaving comments on his work
I created this infographic while writing about Intercultural
Communicative Competence, and it shows the verbs ACTFL uses in the Proficiency Guidelines to illustrate the different levels of ICC skill. I think it could be a useful progression to keep in mind while planning:
Communicative Competence, and it shows the verbs ACTFL uses in the Proficiency Guidelines to illustrate the different levels of ICC skill. I think it could be a useful progression to keep in mind while planning:
April 9, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I created this infographic while writing about Intercultural
Communicative Competence, and it shows the verbs ACTFL uses in the Proficiency Guidelines to illustrate the different levels of ICC skill. I think it could be a useful progression to keep in mind while planning:
Communicative Competence, and it shows the verbs ACTFL uses in the Proficiency Guidelines to illustrate the different levels of ICC skill. I think it could be a useful progression to keep in mind while planning:
Was so excited and proud to see so many of my German learners on the stage last night at the Hot Java Cool Jazz event at the Paramount Theater in Seattle! Our kids work so hard on their skills and passions, and it’s such a joy to see them absolutely crushing it. ❤️ 🌈
March 29, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Was so excited and proud to see so many of my German learners on the stage last night at the Hot Java Cool Jazz event at the Paramount Theater in Seattle! Our kids work so hard on their skills and passions, and it’s such a joy to see them absolutely crushing it. ❤️ 🌈
No prep formative assessment that was goofy - I had kids draw pictures of the music duo Schlagerboys as we read their bio together from an authentic website, and write facts they understood around the pictures. Fun, easy, worked for me!
March 28, 2025 at 12:17 AM
No prep formative assessment that was goofy - I had kids draw pictures of the music duo Schlagerboys as we read their bio together from an authentic website, and write facts they understood around the pictures. Fun, easy, worked for me!
Average Herr Fisher-Rodriguez sub plan slide (note: this class is lovely and I was being a clown)
March 18, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Average Herr Fisher-Rodriguez sub plan slide (note: this class is lovely and I was being a clown)