Denver, CO
CU Denver grad helps North High Hispanic students learn Spanish
DENVER – Because the College of Colorado Denver prepares to host a graduation ceremony Saturday, one of many graduates, James Dolores, is already placing his Masters of the Arts in Instructing diploma to make use of at Denver’s North Excessive College.
“They’ve what’s known as the Spanish Language Arts Program that is geared in direction of heritage audio system. So, that’s college students who grew up in a Spanish-speaking family and their ranges fluctuate… they might solely perceive Spanish and never converse it a lot, all the way in which as much as talking it fairly fluently and conversationally. In order that program is absolutely geared to assist them develop Spanish as a lot as English is developed within the faculty,” Dolores stated.
Dolores stated he pertains to a lot of his college students’ experiences.
“Rising up, there have been occasions the place my mates would make me really feel not Latino sufficient as a result of I did not converse Spanish as fluently as them. After which on the flip facet, my European American mates, you recognize, there was at all times a factor that they level out,” he stated.
However Dolores stated the language arts program helps change that dynamic.
“Sadly, what we do see typically within the Spanish-speaking neighborhood, due to all of the variation, is sort of like, ‘Oh, that is not the precise strategy to converse it, proper?’ And that is what we’re making an attempt to interrupt right here at North Excessive College,” Dolores stated. “There is no essentially proper strategy to converse Spanish. There is a extra tutorial method, certain, and that is why we wish to educate them. But additionally, in case your phrase for sweater is completely different than our phrase for sweater, or when you have completely different slang phrases that you simply use than we do, that does not imply that you simply’re talking a decrease degree of Spanish. It is simply completely different.”
“It was my first language. However through the years, once I began talking English, I sort of removed Spanish,” stated North Excessive senior Diana Arceo.
Arceo is now taking college-level Spanish lessons.
“I am graduating with nearly a minor in Spanish,” she stated.
Arceo stated her success might be attributed to the language arts program and assist she obtained from Dolores, who conjures up her.
“Truthfully, I am pleased with him,” Arceo stated.
Dolores stated after receiving his diploma, he plans to return to North Excessive College and proceed instructing. He hopes that his college students take what they’ve discovered and really feel extra empowered to make use of their voices.
“Se fuerta. Keep robust,” Dolores stated.