¿Por Qué Español?
I would like to know about Spanish because I know that a lot of people in the U.S. are Spanish speakers. I also realize the growing number of bilingual people in North America. I know that being bilingual will also help in searching for a job, and communication within the work site. All summer I worked as a landscaper, and there were many contractors and construction workers that spoke Spanish. I know Spanish will challenge my mind, but also keep my mind healthier. Capt. Mark Jacobsen in th article, Side Benefits of Learning Both a Foreign Language and a Foreign Culture states,”Bilingual people have an earlier acquisition of literacy, higher test scores, and are more resistant to the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.” That is why I would like to learn Spanish.
Park ELEMENTARY School
For this project we were to practice our Spanish skills through connecting with the community at Park Elementary School. Throughout this whole year we had been practicing conversational Spanish, and through this project we were using this with bilingual kids. We read bilingual books, and that was pretty cool, as well as help the kids with class, and played games. I really enjoyed this project as it was educational and I got to play tag and other games with a bunch of elementary students which was awesome.
When we arrived at Park Elementary and met our "littles", we had a small conversation to know who the children were and what they liked to do. I connected with my kid rather well and quickly. The second time we traveled to Park, it was awesome to just jump into the games and classes as I already knew my "little" rather well. During this project, we would first play games to bond better with our kids, and other pairs of kids. Then we traveled to whatever class the kids had next, which in my case was language arts, and then typing class. My "little" wasn't to keen on typing. After this we read our bilingual books outside in a nice shady park. When we got done or bored of the book we played schoolyard games.
I think as a bilingual kid, it would be hard to go to a public school because you do have to remember two languages, which is confusing. Also out of much of the student body, the kids are in a minority group. I think I would feel a little bit out of place if everyone else was speaking english. In my case, the kid I was "shadowing" had additional problems concentrating in school, and I wonder if that was due to his lifestyle of playing many video games, which doesn't help language development. I mostly ended up speaking english because that is what my kid wanted me to do.
In this experience, I honestly did not speak that much Spanish, and that was because Adrian did not want to, and didn't know how. As I was reading a book to him, he kept saying that he did not understand much of the Spanish in the book. I did not learn too much Spanish, but definitely did try to have a conversation. I think a highlight of the experience was coming back the second time to play tag and when I was leaving I got a long hug from my "little" and that was pretty awesome. I think I would try to speak more Spanish if I were to do this again, however I really liked the kid I was paired with.
I really enjoyed this project, and would definitely do it again. I really liked how we could actually apply what we learned in class in the real world. I got to play games with Adrian as well as relive elementary school, but also help the kid through class.
When we arrived at Park Elementary and met our "littles", we had a small conversation to know who the children were and what they liked to do. I connected with my kid rather well and quickly. The second time we traveled to Park, it was awesome to just jump into the games and classes as I already knew my "little" rather well. During this project, we would first play games to bond better with our kids, and other pairs of kids. Then we traveled to whatever class the kids had next, which in my case was language arts, and then typing class. My "little" wasn't to keen on typing. After this we read our bilingual books outside in a nice shady park. When we got done or bored of the book we played schoolyard games.
I think as a bilingual kid, it would be hard to go to a public school because you do have to remember two languages, which is confusing. Also out of much of the student body, the kids are in a minority group. I think I would feel a little bit out of place if everyone else was speaking english. In my case, the kid I was "shadowing" had additional problems concentrating in school, and I wonder if that was due to his lifestyle of playing many video games, which doesn't help language development. I mostly ended up speaking english because that is what my kid wanted me to do.
In this experience, I honestly did not speak that much Spanish, and that was because Adrian did not want to, and didn't know how. As I was reading a book to him, he kept saying that he did not understand much of the Spanish in the book. I did not learn too much Spanish, but definitely did try to have a conversation. I think a highlight of the experience was coming back the second time to play tag and when I was leaving I got a long hug from my "little" and that was pretty awesome. I think I would try to speak more Spanish if I were to do this again, however I really liked the kid I was paired with.
I really enjoyed this project, and would definitely do it again. I really liked how we could actually apply what we learned in class in the real world. I got to play games with Adrian as well as relive elementary school, but also help the kid through class.