Reflection Paper

Throughout my high school and middle school years, I have had the opportunity to study the language of Spanish in a classroom setting. I walked into my first class assuming that it would be quite easy to learn a new language, however my presumptions were quickly erased. During my first encounter with the language, I felt overwhelmed by the process and frustrated with my slow progression. I found it extremely difficult to articulate my words and formulate sentences in Spanish. Whether it was simply trying to pronounce common household items or conversing with my middle school teacher Señora Arbuckle, I was utterly confused. Yet, it was through my struggles in this class that I began to realize the difficulty in understanding and speaking

“Tienes tijeras?” asked a young girl. Not understanding what she had said, I asked her what she needed in English, but she looked back at me with eyes full of confusion. A simple question from one young girl asking for scissors had made me nervous and completely freeze in the moment. Through this, interacting with the children worried me because of the language barrier which would make it twice as hard as interacting with the children at home.

The students’ linguistic background is 100% Spanish speaking and most of them are considered linguistically proficient in their native language. Although most of them do not present any difficulty speaking conversational Spanish, some of them present some inconsistencies at the time to use academic language.

Rodriguez was not the only one who did not have the confidence and felt comfortable in English. “In public, my father and mother spoke hesitant, accented, not always grammatical English” (Rodriguez 536). They were not ashamed of where they came from but because they were well aware of the fact that they did not sound like gringos. Their voice and the tones were lower compared to when they spoke in Spanish. “I was unable to hear my own sounds, but I know very well that I spoke English poorly” (Rodriguez 536).

As a young girl, I remember the uneasiness that would wash over me when I had to speak Spanish. Always seeking familial approbation, my bloomed cheeks were testament to my lack of proficiency with the Spanish language. My family constantly picked out the words I mispronounced or misplaced in my sentences. On several occasions, my grandparents would give me an ultimatum: to speak Spanish or not to speak at all.

As a child growing up in my family, the conversations between my grandfather and I consisted of weak attempts at speaking each other’s language. There are some words that momentarily break down the language barrier that kept us apart. However, for the most part, my efforts to speak Spanish were hopeless. Whenever I came to visit him, I exchanged a shaky “sion abuelo” for his thick accented “He-llo,” and ran away before the embarrassment from my inability to understand the language that was spoken frequently

For the past school year, every 11:11 when the bell rings, I would make a wish for something terrible to happen. That I would get sick, fall off something, or get called to the office. I would walk from my fourth-period class to my fifth, butterflies forming in my stomach. I often dread the forty-one minutes that I would have to endure every week in Spanish III. Taking my third year of Spanish was at first a challenge, but I later overcame my fears of studying the language.

I felt at ease because every time someone comes to me speaking Spanish, I have the tendency to feel ashamed or embarrassed. Next year came along, sophomore year and again i'm in the same predicament, a non-Spanish speaker. Towards the end of my first class, the teacher gives us an assignment to do for the remainder of the time.

When I was a little girl, I remember the uneasiness that would wash over me when I had to speak Spanish. My flushed cheeks bloomed conspicuously when I had to speak my second language in front of my grandparents since it was their mother tongue. My family constantly picked out the words I mispronounced or misplaced in my sentences. On several occasions, my grandparents would give me an ultimatum: to speak Spanish or not to speak at all.

I was an American teenager making my way through the bustle of a foreign city, and trying to adapt to the new culture that surrounded me. Needless to say, I was terrified; Spain seemed to be a different planet rather than a different country, seeing that I had rarely ventured beyond Massachusetts prior to this trip. I didn’t want to seem foolish or offensive by speaking the language incorrectly, but I knew that I should be using Spanish in order to fully envelop myself into the culture.

Upon entering high school, I didn’t initially believe my Spanish class would become as meaningful as it is. Having a Spanish mother tongue, I naively conclude then that there wasn't much else I could learn about the subject. However, my teacher, whom I've had for the past four years, enlightened me of the abstract

First we went to Chile where instead of attending regular classes, I had separate tutors for Spanish and German subjects. I moved to Brazil eventually, and was confronted with a new phenomenon in my life: a language barrier. But I did my best to succeed in my Portuguese education. In Brazil for the first time I was “the girl who speaks Spanish”. I felt proud, yet nervous because I would be adapting to a new culture.

For my service learning project I worked in Mrs. Evelyn Costa's first grade class at Meadowlane Elementary. Meadowlane is located at 4280 W 8th Avenue in Hialeah, Florida and was constructed in 1957. There are one thousand one hundred and seventy seven students enrolled at Meadowlane Elementary school. Meadowlane has fifty three classrooms and fourteen portables and there are one hundred and seventy nine students per grade level. The school was built on nine acres of land. The student population of meadowlane Elementary is comprised of 97% Hispanic, 2% White, and 1% Asian.

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to learn and speak two different languages; English and Spanish, However, speaking Spanish was not always my specialty. I often faced criticism, and judgement from my own family, primarily from my extended family, on how I spoke the language. According to them, my Spanish was broken, and the way I spoke the language was incorrect. I remember asking myself, “If my Spanish is incorrect, then what is the correct way to speak it?”. As a little kid, I never really understood the purpose for their comment, but as I grew older, I began

My Spanish classes have taught me to become more effective communicating. In my classes, we were expected participate and speak the language even if you were speaking the language wrong. If you did not participate the teachers would call on you and you were forced to say something. I was initially freighted by the idea of being asked a question and not knowing the correct answer because I was afraid of being judged by my peers. I soon realized that this speed bump was only hindering my