With the end of the third school quarter comes the first quarter in the eighth graders’ new language studies. As half the grade transitions to Latin from Spanish, the other half transitions to Spanish from Latin. This first quarter in Spanish has been a lot different from my original thought. With the first part of the year transitioning into the upper school and starting in Latin. My mind was set to learn Latin as it first transitioned to it, and many of my classmates will most likely feel the same way. For this, going into Spanish in the middle of the year, I felt was strange. I had to relearn many concepts that I had either forgotten or had not practiced in a while.
Even though this was a challenge, both my classmates and I felt that we were able to get back on our feet again. With the help of Señor Amador’s teaching, we were able to get used to being able to relearn and elaborate on topics learned in previous years. Another change was homework patterns. With Señor Amador’s class, we are given homework to be able to practice Spanish using online videos on Señor Wooly. While in latin we mainly took home leftover work from class or translations.
Another large part that I feel has changed is the pronunciation. An example of this was with Señora Doughtie, the middle school Spanish teacher, we learned that two L’s, like in the word “Ella (She)”, are pronounced like a “y”. While in Señor Amador’s class, we are learning another pronunciation. We learned that it sounds like a “sha” sound. Like the S in Asia. I feel that this is very interesting and special to be able to learn more about this and understand from two different regions of Spanish. Both of these sounds are important to know and to be able to use. But there are regional differences based on where you are speaking Spanish. Being able to learn this is very special, so we can learn more about the different Spanish-speaking countries and more.
- “I’d say it’s been fine. Only big difference between the two classes is the amount of homework we get, which is the only thing I don’t like about it so far” (Seamus McAndrews, 8th Grade)
- “I think that personally, I did a lot better with my first quarter of Spanish, mainly because I have been learning it throughout all of my years with Oakwood. I did better with Latin in the second quarter once I got the hang of it, but overall, I succeeded more in Spanish” (Haleigh Tugwell, 8th Grade)
- “Yeah! I thought Spanish was gonna include a lot more homework, honestly, but I’ve been able to keep up with my work pretty easily, and I like our learning techniques and our class practices are fairly helpful.” (Melissa Assis, 8th Grade)
- “The first quarter of Spanish was fun. I’m doing way better at it than Latin. I think I’m going to Spain next year. My favorite memory is when Mr. Amador randomly yelled out eat it (or something like that) in Spanish and scared everyone. That was funny. I think Seamus was scared he was in trouble.🤣” (Sarah Zwart, 8th Grade)
I have greatly enjoyed being able to experience Spanish in my eighth-grade year. I feel that it was very eye-opening and very helpful. I personally love Spanish; it is a very beautiful language and also helps us communicate with others in our current times. I love learning new languages, because it helps us connect with others. When we are able to understand others by growing and expanding our community, we can truly enjoy the world. Learning Spanish has allowed me to see this and understand more of others’ cultures and lives, both in our school and outside.
