It's Friday, the day is over, the kids have gone home. I'm just finishing cleaning off my desk, packing my bag, and giving the computer one last look, when one of my students, Courtney, enters my room with a big smile & "Hola, Sra. Dalman!" Right behind her is her little brother. She introduces me to her little brother, Casey. Courtney then proceeds to explain why she's back at school so late in the afternoon...her mom wanted her to come look for a couple of sweaters & miscellaneous items that she has left behind. We chat a few minutes, I'm speaking all Spanish to her, of course, and she's doing a mix of English & Spanish. It's still early in the year, so that happens.
A couple of minutes later Courtney's mom enters the room & starts talking to me in English, also explaining why they're back in the classroom at around 4:45 in the afternoon. Because the mom does not speak Spanish, I answer her in English. That's when I get this "What????" as Courtney swings her head around to look at me. "You speak English??????" I immediately answer her in Spanish, explaining that I can only speak to adults in English, (especially if they don't speak Spanish), but that I always speak with her and the rest of the class in Spanish.
It's a quick interchange, and Courtney seems to accept that answer pretty easily, because she knows it's true! I always speak to my students in Spanish, even if it's at the local grocery store, the movies, church. They can always count on Sra. Dalman to engage them in a conversation in Spanish! That's why I love Immersion. It is so real. I hope to always give my students that very real-world experience. Spanish is a language of communication. I communicate to them in the classroom, but I want them to know the conversation that is so common outside the classroom as well.
Pues, sí, Courtney. Te quiero mucho y voy a enseñarte todo lo que hay dentro de mi. ¡Y me encanta que no sabías que yo podía hablar inglés! ¡Hasta mañana! Oh, and goodnight to the rest of you, too.
Sheryl René
