- Rotary InterCountry Teacher Exchange - Rotary InterCountry Teacher Exchange
Reproduced by permission
Fort Worth Star-Telegram Metro
Fort Worth rotarian teaches lessons about Spanish, Argentina
By Michelle Melendez
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH -- Not many youngsters had ever heard of Argentina before Nylia Monté visited them yesterday at Oakhurst Elementary School.
By the end of her talk, though, they claimed to have seen the gigantic whales in her
pictures.
Monté, an exchange teacher invited by Rotary Club of Fort
Worth Horizon, captivated pre- kindergarten and kindergarten students' attention with
photos of baby seals, Argentine cowboys and dazzling coastal cities.
She made sure every child had a chance to study the photos and ask questions,
lest they raise their hands incessantly and feel cheated if they weren't called
on. Monté also engaged the students with physical exercise and matching games.
Monté, 26, was sent to Fort Worth by the Rotary Club she belongs to
in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. She is the principal of a language
school that serves students ages 6 to 65.
The primary purpose of the
exchange was to teach students Spanish, as well as to expose them to a different culture.
But Monté found that her expertise in teaching English to native Spanish
speakers was what Oakhurst students needed most.
"I was able to help these
children because I understand what their problems are because I had them myself,"
she said during a break between back-to-back presentations. "They are not really
problems. It is just the process of learning. It takes time."
Students whose first language is Spanish often have difficulty pronouncing the
various sounds of "th," "ee" and "oo" in English, she said.
Until yesterday,
Monté had spent the majority of her time in a second-grade class taught by
Frances Hollifield. She led classroom activities at times and accompanied the
class on a field trip.
During her presentation yesterday, Monté
easily switched between Spanish and English. But her pronunciation
of the "ll" and "s" in Spanish is very distinctive. Argentines tend to exaggerate the "j"
sound of the "ll" in Spanish and eliminate the "s."
She said she also learned many new Spanish words for animals and objects
from the students at Oakhurst, who use a Mexican dialect. She also picked
up a lot of American English expressions and slang.
"This was supposed to be a teaching thing, but I've been learning a lot from
the children," she said before going on to her next assignment.
Today, she starts teaching Spanish at Tarrant County Junior College Southeast
Campus for 10 days before returning home.
The Rotary Club also sends Fort Worth
teachers to Argentina.
Michelle Melendez, (817) 390-7541
Send your comments to
mmelendez@star-telegram.com
Permission to reprint this article was given by Michelle Melendez
9:55 AM 2/1/99
WWW version added on 02-01-99
Last updated on 02-01-99