Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages and students studying Spanish merged together to practice the two languages on NE Campus Oct. 14.
Janelle Cardenas, NE academic affairs coordinator, said the idea of doing an event called Speakeasy came to her when she was at an event of her own, talking about her English language learning program at an elementary school.
“I was sitting there listening to a group of five teenagers talk, and they each were speaking different languages, but they started asking each other about different words. ‘Well, what’s this word in your language, and what does it mean? And why is it that way?’” she said. “They had a long, lengthy conversation of about 20-25 minutes that I sat there and listened to, and I just thought, what an interesting idea.”
She said the idea of integrating both Spanish and English languages came after approaching Humberto Rodriguez, NE Spanish instructor, whose department now included the English language learning program. Together, they pitched the idea of making a collaboration.
“We wanted a space for the students to practice language, you know, and feel relaxed, not feeling like they were in a classroom setting, and just have it be natural,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez thought that students have a limited time learning languages in class, which is why he wanted them to have a calmer environment outside of class to pick up more of the languages.
“When we’re here, we’re more relaxed,” he said. “We let our guard down, open the doors to expressing ourselves, taking risks with the language. And I think that’s good for that development on both sides, the English learners and Spanish learners.”
Spanish-speaking students could share their experiences in their native tongue while English-speaking students got to immerse themselves in the language and other people’s culture.
Rodriguez timed the students to speak the two languages turn by turn while the ESOL students moved from table to table. The students began by speaking solely in Spanish and later spoke with each other solely in English.
NE ESOL student Vanessa Ramos talked to English-speaking students and asked about why they wanted to learn Spanish. In return, they replied in Spanish.
Another NE ESOL student Lucero Blasini, who is from Mexico, said she has lived in the U.S. for three years. She visits family in Mexico once a year and misses them.
“I am a nurse in Mexico, so I’m trying to transfer my credits [at TCC],” she said.
Between English-speaking student Natalie Buckingham and Blasini, they discussed the difficulty of conversing in English through daily interactions.
“To have a conversation is complicated,” Blasini replied to Buckingham.
To learn more Spanish, English-speaking student Juan Fernando Avalos said he watched shows in English with Spanish subtitles.
“It’s not like when you’re in the country, you’re gonna learn it. You hear it, [you] hear people speak it, you hear it on the TV, on the radio,” he said. “You get used to the environment, and you’re forced to talk.”
Buckingham said she left TCC but decided to come back just for Spanish.
“I was a student like, six years ago,” she said. “I just never got my degree, and I loved Spanish.”
Rodriguez said that the event, more than anything, built confidence.
“[The students] were going back and forth,” he said. “We were switching half English, half Spanish, but if they could do it here, they can do it out there in the real world too.”
Rodriguez and Cardenas pitched their idea in the beginning of the semester and heard a response fairly quickly.
“I feel community is the most important thing for our students, is feeling a part of things,” she said. “I’m always looking for those ideas that we can get students to get to know each other better and be able to be a part of TCC.”
