¡Vamos a Wyland School! Twenty-six students in Upper School World Language Teacher Robin Begley’s Spanish 450 classes recently spent a morning with students and teachers of Wyland School, a diverse and warm elementary school in the Ritenour School District. As Señora Begley put it, “As we learn more about others, we also learn about ourselves. There are so many cultures and communities in our beautiful city, and one of my goals is for us to learn from each other and be in community.”
The MICDS students, along with Sra. Begley and Upper School Learning Specialist Sam Cummins, were welcomed by Dr. Lisa Greenstein, principal of Wyland, who introduced them to the school’s unique culture and escorted them to their assigned classrooms where they would serve as teacher aides for the morning. Working in all primary grades, our students enjoyed bonding with Spanish-speaking students through academic activities and outside fun such as Duck, Duck, Goose, and climbing on the jungle gym. One Wyland student joyfully said during the play session, “This is the best day of my life!” What the Wyland students may not have realized was that their new, older friends were learning from them, too. The experience gave the Spanish 450 students the opportunity to use their language skills in a fun, conversational setting.
Before the Wyland visit, MICDS students purchased Spanish children’s books to read to their students, then left the books behind for the Wyland library. Dr. Greenstein shared the importance of a variety of reading resources. She said, “The donated books will make a huge difference to our students as they learn English as a second language.”
After a morning of connecting with students at Wyland, MICDS students reflected on the visit.
“Speaking with a student from Colombia made me realize how similar his experience was to my mother’s.” – Fabiola Theodoro ’24
“I think understanding the diverse backgrounds of the students was really meaningful. It was amazing to connect to the Spanish-speaking students on their level and see how they opened up to you.” – Chloe Davis ’24
“Some kids are struggling, but they are also similar to me. It was really eye-opening to see how they have to live their lives at such a young age since many of them miss their homes.” – Armaan Chandak ’24
“All of the kids seemed to love we were there, so that was amazing to see.” – Ananya Kamieni ’24
One Wyland teacher shared, “Today is a day that the students will talk about for weeks.”
After the morning at Wyland, the group headed to Durango Taquería for lunch to enjoy the experience of sobremesa. This often untranslatable Spanish word means ‘a meaningful time spent with friends and family after a meal.’
Sra. Begley remarked on the importance of the visit. “I believe that it is essential to get out and embrace the MICDS mission statement so as to truly live the language and culture in the global community we live in,” she said.
Bien hecho, Rams, on using the power of language to create connections in the community!