Using my Spanish Speaking Abilities to Help Others

Growing up in Miami, it was very common to come across teachers that speak Spanish. In some cases, having a teacher that spoke English and Spanish was taken for granted. Upon moving to Washington I realized just how much I can help students whose families speak Spanish. It is very important to encourage and help parents be involved in their child’s education. In the school I am currently in, I have some kids whose parents are highly involved, attending and planning parties, and going to school during the week to work one-on-one with some of the kids in the class who need more help. I also have students who would highly benefit from this type of involvement but whose parents have a hard time doing so because of language barriers. While spending time in this class, I have taken the time to talk to these parents when I see them around school, letting them know what has been going on and offering my assistance. When my internship at the school started, I sent home letters to the parents introducing myself. I made sure to send the letter in Spanish as well, as many of the parents only speak Spanish. It’s sad to say, but many parents are afraid of getting involved in their child’s education because of language barriers. As a future teacher, I want all my students’ parents to feel like they are valuable members of their child’s education. During one of my past internships, I worked with a young Mexican student at Rose Hill Elementary who had difficulty with the English language. I was fortunate enough to work with him one-on-one with subjects such as reading, writing, and math. The teacher let me know of all the tutors the young boy had, he improved the most with me. My ability to speak to him in Spanish provided him with comfort and familiarity. Through my instruction, he learned to read sentences slowly and mentally translate them to Spanish as he read. This let him know if he was truly grasping the meaning behind the passages, and it helped point out which words he wasn’t able to define, and therefore needed more practice with. He made significant improvements.

Keeping with the spirit of technology, there are many tools a teacher can use in her classroom that could help ELL students. In my placement I learned about a website called Brain Pop. On this website you can find great videos on many subjects, as well as quizzes that go along with the videos. What’s even more useful is that the website has Spanish videos as well. The current classroom that I am in is a dual language class, so this site would be very useful. Now, while a non-dual language class may not play many Spanish videos in their class, this site can still be used. If there is a particular subject that is being taught in class, a teacher can tell the Spanish speaking parents to check out these videos at home so they are more familiar with what is being taught in their child’s class. A teacher can become very creative with sites like this, and more importantly, use tools like this website to reach all the students in her classroom.

Check out the site: Brain Pop/Spanish