Frank Spaziano - Charlotte Powning

I worked at Frank Spaziano Elementary School, and it was a great experience for me. We've helped out the teachers by stapling papers, grading quizzes, and working with the kids, and although it was unexpectedly tiring, I really appreciate the relationship I've formed with the students and the school in general. As soon as I arrived there, the teachers were very warm and friendly, and the kids were extremely polite, holding doors and getting chairs for us. I worked with two classes, a bilingual fourth grade and a bilingual third grade. Some of the children barely spoke any English at all, and I had to rely on my broken Spanish if I wanted to communicate with them. The third grade teacher, Mrs. Hernandez, knew that I was studying Spanish, and intentionally had me working with the "newcomers", the children who had arrived at the school more recently and therefore did not know as much English. It was a really fun way to learn more Spanish, and it was interesting spending time in a setting in which I was the only non-native Spanish speaker, and several people did not know any English. In the fourth grade, I would mostly help students with their math work, and since the kids I spent the most time with in that class spoke English well, I didn't need to use my Spanish as often, though sometimes they would test me for fun. One thing that surprised me was how attached I grew to the children - I found myself befriending the kids of both classes, and I was sad to leave on Friday. When I was about to leave the third grade, I got hugs from all the kids, and before I left the fourth grade later that day, they brought me a card that both classes had signed. One girl made sure to sign the card last so she could write a long note to me at the bottom of the page. I would really like to be able to visit next year and see them again.