The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (2010) encourages teachers and their students to "use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction during instructional time and, when feasible, beyond the classroom," and local boards of education around the world, including here in Switzerland, mention something similar in their local curricula. Yet it is easier said than done. Local-language use in the foreign-language classroom has its place. Macaro (2001) speaks in favor of allowing natural code-switching from the side of the learners, especially younger ones, but explicit use of the mother tongue (as compared to haphazard) from the side of the teachers, which Butzkamm (2003) would consider to be for grammar explanations and for linguistic comparisons. Regardless of the teacher's reasoning behind the use of the local language, one important role of a teacher is that of encourager or motivator (and, sometimes, cheerleader) to encourage learners to explore and use the target language. This article presents a compilation of ideas that Laura Buechel has tried out in her own lessons, along with ideas collected from observations in Swiss schools over the years.