Ep243. ft. Leandro Paladino - Why Great Language Teachers Never Stop Learning (Part 1)

What if becoming a great teacher has less to do with knowing more and more to do with knowing when to step out of the spotlight? In Part 1 of this conversation, Mike sits down with teacher educator Leandro Paladino to challenge some of the assumptions shaping modern language education. Leandro shares one of the most important lessons of his career: the teacher is not the protagonist—the learner is. From teacher ego and student-centered learning to translanguaging, emergent language, professional development, and the realities facing novice educators, this episode examines what genuine teacher growth actually looks like. We explore: • Why experienced teachers learn to “disappear” from the center of the classroom • The difference between teaching a lesson and responding to learners • Why students’ home and earlier languages should be treated as resources • How translanguaging challenges traditional language-classroom assumptions • Why professional development needs to be strategic—not endless • The financial and professional barriers teachers face when pursuing CPD • How teachers can honestly assess where they are in their professional journey • Why collecting certificates does no...