Habla Espanol? Yes, with the help of new intern teacher
By Jill Gosche, jgosche@advertiser-tribune.comArticle Photos
Habla Espanol?
The answer to "Do you speak Spanish?" for Calvert Catholic Schools students is "yes" because the school system welcomed an intern teacher through Amity Institute.
Laura Olarte, 24, comes to Tiffin from Bogot, Colombia. Patricia Haley, principal of the St. Mary and St. Joseph campuses, said Olarte taught English to students in Colombia and has taught in big cities with big classes.
"She's had a lot of experience," she said.
Olarte said she wants to know about students' culture, and she wants them to know about her culture, too. She said she wants them to know about food and is showing them different flavors from around the world.
"I came here to teach them Spanish, but I came here to teach my culture, too," she said.
Officials applied for an intern teacher because they are interested in promoting Spanish with younger students because they feel it is more beneficial and students will learn it faster if they are exposed to the language at a younger age, Haley said.
Olarte arrived in the middle of August and is staying until the end of the school year. She is at the St. Mary building all day, every day.
Haley said officials decided to focus Olarte's efforts on K-3 students, and they wanted to introduce younger students to someone who is a native speaker. At the beginning of the school year, she spent a lot of time with the kindergarteners.
"When the teacher would give instructions, she would repeat things in Spanish," she said.
St. Joseph eighth-graders who qualify already can get Spanish instruction. Children have had Spanish instruction, but Haley said the problem in the past was trying to stretch one or two people to teach all students in grades K-8. With Olarte, they are getting more instruction, she said.
Haley said Olarte knows the names of all of the students in the school, and they say "hi" to her in Spanish.
"It's been a wonderful experience so far," she said.
Olarte goes into classrooms, talks to students and spends time with them at lunch. When children see her, they use words they have learned. She said students have learned a lot of vocabulary words, are doing a wonderful job learning Spanish and are eager to learn the language.
"They love Spanish," she said.
Olarte said students now are learning the Lord's Prayer, and she hopes possibly in two months they will be able to say the entire rosary in Spanish.
She said she thinks teaching at St. Mary is one of most wonderful experiences she has had. She said she hopes students will use the language later.
"They will," she said.
This marks Olarte's first time in the United States, and she said she won't go home to visit. Haley's family is hosting her while she is in the U.S., and she said the family is made up of nice people.
"They are like my family," she said. "They are so similar to my parents and my family."
On the Web:
Amity Institute:
Calvert Catholic Schools:
