In Peru, where Middle School Spanish Teacher Ines Shultz is from, and in Latin American countries, Mother’s Day is a huge celebration. It is celebrated the Friday before Mother’s Day in the community and at schools, and it is celebrated on Sunday with family. According to señora Shultz, it feels like the second biggest celebration of the year, following Christmas. Inspired, Shultz shared, “I wanted to do something special with the mothers of my students here that also shows them how other cultures work.”
On Thursday and Friday, May 8 and 9, Shultz’s Spanish students gathered in Harris Reading Room with an audience composed of many of their parents and fellow Middle School Rams. During the month of April, the Spanish students had been practicing a play and a salsa dance. Eighth graders presented The Lion Who Didn’t Brush His Teeth and seventh graders presented The Three Little Pigs. All of their performances were in Spanish. Shultz selects the plays based on a few factors: “I like plays with several characters in them where the plot is kind of funny and easy to understand and follow. Students choose their roles, and students who like to act tend to select the main characters.” They prepare for the play while also tasked with a book to read, questions to answer about the chapters, and they also have a Canvas assignment.
This was the second year of Spanish productions. “I did a play with the eighth graders last year when they were in seventh grade, and they liked it so much that they asked me to do another play in eighth grade,” said Shultz. “They are all learning new vocabulary and grammatical structures while we do a play. At some point, they will remember some of the expressions learned.”
Complete with a narrator, a stage crew, and costumes, the growing Spanish speakers delivered their plays much to the delight of their parents and peers. They also shared a letter preceding the play thanking their moms in Spanish with an English translation. Shultz shared, “It’s lovely to read some of the students’ sentences where they express their love for their moms.”
“Personally, the Spanish play was both an educational and very fun experience,” said Mila Gomez ’29. “In one viewpoint, I was able to absorb myself even more into my own culture. Enriching myself into something new and fascinating has always been a joy for me. My role as the monkey specifically allowed me to explore a lot of new vocabulary and get extra Spanish-speaking practice. In another way, this play was an opportunity for our class to let loose and have fun, performing an enjoyable, child-like story. This created an entertaining environment behind the production, making this experience worthwhile.”
“I was the lead role, el Léon,” shared McCormack Amini ’29. “It’s so much fun to put a play together like this, and it’s awesome how much we learn from these plays. I learn to use Spanish in real-life scenarios the most from these kinds of things.”
After taking their bows upon the play’s conclusion, students showcased the salsa dancing they had been learning in pairs. Then, much to their surprise, they turned to their parents and invited them to try salsa dancing with them. Many smiles and laughter broke out across room!
Several students took the time to reflect on the whole celebration. “In the Spanish play, I played the role of the giraffe, which was such a very exciting experience,” said Veronika Landrum ’29. “One of the biggest highlights for me was being able to practice our Spanish-speaking skills while working together and having fun with our characters. The salsa dancing and surprise at the end were also fun since we got to share some wholesome moments with our moms. The event taught me how significant and special Mother’s Day is in Spanish culture, and how it is really important to love and appreciate my mom. Overall, I had a lot of fun, and this was a really memorable way to learn about Spanish culture and celebrate Mother’s Day.”
Soham Gadi ’29, the elephant in the play, had a lot of fun stepping outside of his comfort zone and noticed the class’s improved dance moves. “Compared to last year, I think all of our dance moves have improved a lot! I think the salsa dancing was a nice way of getting to know someone new who you may not interact with regularly, he said. “This [celebration] taught me how important the tradition of Mother’s Day is in other cultures, especially Latin American. This experience also allowed me to appreciate all of the wonderful things our mothers do for us and how they should be appreciated.”
Sawyer Mandell ’29, the crocodile in the play, concurred. “I enjoyed the salsa dancing because it taught me a new dance, and I got to dance with my mom. The experience taught me how important Mother’s Day is in other cultures, and how well I should be treating my mom because of what she does for me in my life.”
At the end of the production and surprise salsa dance, many took pictures and thanked señora Shultz for this memorable, unique way of celebrating Mother’s Day. Thank you to all who participated in the “celebración por el día de la madre!”