Learning students' language to create bonds
By Mark Hebert
November 1, 2023 - Teachers at Knight Middle School are meeting after school three days a week, on their own time, to learn a new language - Spanish. One third of Knight's students are Spanish speakeres and the 10 teachers in the class want to show that they're making an effort to better communicate and connect with all students, no matter where they are from.
Benjamin Brown is bilingual, a teacher at Knight, and the one who came up with the idea of offering Spanish classes for his colleagues.
"We have so many students that go their whole day and just don't know how to reach out and build those relationships and say 'hello'," Brown said. " I thought it would be really cool if the staff could take that effort and move forward to say 'I'm going to be the one to talk to this kid' and 'I'm going to be the one to ask them how their day went.'"
The teachers say their students have been surprised and appreciative to hear a teacher speaking their language.
"I talk to them in a little sentence and they're like 'Ohhhhhhhh'," said teacher Sydni Gordon. "It's really cool."
"I think it shows their dedication to our students," said Christel Lanier, Knight's principal.