December 5th: ¡Bienvenidos Familia y Amigos!

¡Qué magnífico era este día!

When my little came into the cafeteria, I asked her if she was excited for her family and teacher to come. She then told me that she forgot to give her parents the red flyer! But that was not a big deal; we instead found her teacher, Mrs. Moore, in the hallway and asked her to come for a few minutes. I had an amazing conversation Mrs. Moore about my future in education. She highly suggested getting a spanish minor or an ESL endorsement in addition to my elementary education degree. We also talked about my little's classroom performance, and Mrs. Moore said that she struggles in some areas like reading and math. The reason, she said, was the language barrier and her inability to make connections. One day, a girl and my little paired up to work on math problems together. The other girl was really good at math and taught my little the concept, and after that, she said she understood what was going on. I am wondering if the girl taught my little in Spanish, or if it was simply being helped by a peer that did the trick.

I also talked with the ESL teacher at St. Charles. I showed her the journal we write in to each other, and she was really impressed at how dedicated we were each week with our entries.

One of my most memorable moments was talking with some of the parents who came. Amanda and Kristi's littles are cousins with my little, so I was able to meet her aunt, uncle, and younger cousins. I talked with them in Spanish and told them how beatuiful and smart I thought their niece was. ¡Qué bonita es ella!

It was a little heartwrenching knowing that this meeting would be the last one for about a month. I feel, however, that the time from now until then will help my little and I appreciate each other more. I always find that distance makes the heart grow fonder :) My greatest hope is that Monica continues to write in our journal. I hope she either writes like she has been or starts a creative story.

During the last couple of times we have met as a class, I've been realizing how much I have grown in knowledge and application of the Latino culture. From just the few presentations that have already occurred, I have discovered new areas I want to dig into and heighten my awareness of critical issues.

Thank you for an awesome semester! I'll be back in a month with more mentoring experiences!