Students learn out of class
College student Anthony Sawyer isn't embarrassed to admit he learned a few things at the Mi Escuelita preschool in Chapel Hill, N.C., this year.
The 19-year-old volunteered at the Spanish-immersion preschool as part of a freshman Spanish class at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
"I feel much more comfortable speaking Spanish," said Sawyer, of Camden, N.C., who helped teachers produce preschool lessons.
"One of the little boys said to me, 'You don't speak Spanish,"' he recalled with a laugh. "I guess he didn't like my accent."
Classes that pair Spanish-language students with nonprofit agencies and schools serving Hispanics are multiplying across the country. Often called community-based learning programs, they provide immigrants and others with help, while giving students a chance to immerse themselves in Spanish without boarding an airplane.
The students also gain insights into Hispanic language and culture that are impossible to teach in the classroom, said Rosemary Feal, executive director of the Modern Language Association, an association for foreign language teachers.
The United States' growing Hispanic population — and a global economy that requires greater communication skills — are forcing foreign language professors to innovate, she said.
"Students have new needs," she said. "We're offering students a wider variety of paths to deep literacy and deep fluency."
Spanish professor Ann Abbott developed a community-based learning class at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where students can walk two blocks from campus and talk with native Spanish speakers.
"We could be giving a lot of help to that community," she said. "Our students really could improve their speaking skills."
In 2004, Abbott established a partnership with the East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center. Students answer the phone, translate documents and otherwise provide help to immigrants, said Guadalupe Abreu, a counselor at the center."I cannot imagine my life without my volunteers," Abreu said. "They really get involved. They have a chance to really practice the language, be close to the culture and see what kind of problems an immigrant can run into."When word spread about the program, other agencies approached Abbott asking for volunteers. Students now work with Boy Scout troops, day care centers and schools.The experience broadens their vocabulary, Abbott said. After working with children, they always come back asking how to give commands, such as, "Sit down. Pay attention. Don't touch him," she said."My students might know how to do elementary math, but they have no idea how to say these things in Spanish," Abbott said.Elizabeth O'Brien enjoyed honing her language skills with Spanish-speaking children while volunteering at Sacred Heart Education Center in San Jose, Calif."It's hard to get very far without situations like this," said O'Brien, who just finished her freshman year at Santa Clara University. "It's more real, more conversational."Marta Orendain, who oversees the volunteers at Sacred Heart, appreciates what they do but also enjoys watching them learn."The funny thing about the students is they come in thinking they don't know anything," she said. "After an hour, they're doing fine."In Columbus, Ohio, visiting a mostly Hispanic mobile-home park was an eye-opening experience for Ohio State University nursing and Spanish student Malisha Harris. She went there to help offer free immunizations to children, and was impressed by many of the people she met."They're happy to know that there are people out there that are trying" to speak their language, said the 23-year-old from Strongsville, Ohio, who graduated in June.Such exchanges foster a better understanding of immigrants and the agencies that serve them, said University of North Carolina professor Darcy Lear."Students learn that every problem doesn't have a solution," she said. "It's a reality they didn't even know existed. It forces students to discard some stereotypes."Said Abbott, "I have students tell me this is the first time they've seen poverty."Occasionally, the experience spurs students to pursue a career helping the Hispanic population, she added."I try to calm myself down about it," Abbott said. "But it's so powerful."
