When Simona Doria taught English to Spanish-speaking adults in high school, one person stood out to her.

His name was Armando, a short man with brown hair in his mid-fifties. He was a gardener with a wife and two kids, learning English to support his family in El Salvador.

Doria remembers being in a church basement with Armando and a group of 60 and 70-year-olds, giving them a lesson about a language she grew up speaking. But, she ended up learning much more from them.

“I learned values and how to be patient and understanding,” she said. “I had a strong relationship with every single one of them…they gave me passion and drive every single day.”

Teaching English to Spanish-speaking adults made Doria realize that she wanted to pursue teaching as a career. Now, the freshman is enrolled in the Spanish Education program, which is a partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education.

Students enrolled in the program take classes in Spanish language and culture, along with education classes, to become certified to teach Spanish to grades 7-12 in New York state.

Gail Bulman, chair of the department of languages, literatures and linguistics and the program’s adviser, said she and a group of professors and faculty have been working to initiate the program for at least three years. Even before the group started the program, there were several students who expressed interest in using their Spanish degrees to become teachers.

“Because there was not a specific major, it was up to the student to put together a program that would hopefully allow them to pass their certification exams,” she said.
“We thought it was very burdensome for students and didn’t always lead them to succeeding in becoming Spanish teachers.”

Syracuse University used to have a range of language teaching programs, said Marie Sarno, a program specialist at the School of Education. But in the early 90s, SU went through a budget crisis and cut the programs.

The Spanish education program was not approved until last summer. Doria said she met several faculty members on campus who wanted to pass the program and it rubbed off on her.

“The passion that the faculty had definitely influenced me with the program,” Doria said.

Bulman said they researched similar programs at other colleges, but the collaboration between schools within the university makes SU stand apart.

“It’s a little more complicated to create programs across disciplines,” she said. “But we did it.”

But New York state’s requirements for teachers are complicated: Before graduation, students in SU’s School of Education must apply for an initial certificate, pass New York state teacher exams and undergo background checks, among several other processes.

New York state’s requirements and class curriculums are constantly changing, which poses a problem for aspiring and current teachers. In September 2013, the state added a new set of examinations. Bulman said they are always looking at these changes and ensuring that SU’s curriculum meets the state’s standards when changes occur.

“It’s frustrating but we do always have to think about what we’re doing and look at things and try to improve,” Bulman said. “It is the reality that we have to work with.”

Doria said she feels confident she will become certified to teach in New York. She said she hopes that future generations will not only have a passion for teaching but will also want to help someone who moves to the United States, like her grandparents.

“They came to America from Italy not knowing English, not knowing how to have a job and make money,” Doria said. “They still don’t know how to read and write.”

Amanda Brown, an assistant professor of linguistics, said part of being a great teacher is passing along strategies for learning a foreign language inside and outside the classroom.

“Learning a language can create a lot of anxiety,” she said. “Not being able to express yourself as well in a second language goes to the core of your identity.”

Brown added that teachers can use their expertise in a specific subject to help their students manage their anxiety and boost their confidence.

Kathryn Everly, a Spanish program coordinator and professor of Spanish literature and culture, said the first teaching job can be a hit or miss, adding that there is a huge learning curve.

“It’s tough, because you don’t know what kind of teacher you’re going to be until you start teaching,” she said.

Everly said the program can help students overcome the learning curve by giving them a foundation in both education and Spanish culture and language.

“It’s not only being proficient in Spanish language,” she said. “It’s understanding cultural differences, the history of Spain and Latin America and Latinos in the United States. Having a good solid base of knowledge in both of those areas can be very helpful.”

Faculty involved in the Spanish education program agreed that studying abroad helps teachers improve their language skills and strengthens their cultural literacy. The best Spanish teachers are able to live abroad and immerse themselves in the culture and language, Everly said.

Another important facet of teaching is understanding that learning does not stop once someone is a teacher, Brown said.

Brown said that no matter how long someone has been a teacher, the person still has a lot to learn. Student needs, technology and language itself all change with time, she said.

Said Brown: “The best teachers realize that they never stop learning about all of these things themselves.”

Published on January 23, 2014 at 1:31 am

Contact Ellen: ekmeyers@syr.edu | @ellenkmeyers